The All-Ireland camogie champions arrived to a heroes' welcome in Clarinbridge, Co Galway.
Following Sunday's All-Ireland camogie final, huge crowds gathered yesterday to welcome the team at Duggan Park in Ballinasloe at 6pm, where the players met fans and signed jerseys before the team moved on to Clarinbridge.
Team captain Carrie Dolan, who thrust an arm into the sky in celebration in the 63rd minute on Sunday, well before the sliotar from her game-winning free split the posts at the Davin End of Croke Park, was welcomed back as a hero to her hometown of Ballinsaloe.
The Galway camogie team have been in 22 All Ireland finals and they have lost 17. They won their fifth title on Sunday, depriving Cork of a historic three-in-a-row bid.
"When you lose enough of them, you have to make the time for people when you win them," she said, after posing for pictures and signing jerseys and hurleys belonging to young fans.
She added: "I can't wait to get back and see the people that gave a lot of time to me and who came up and supported us on Sunday."
Earlier yesterday, the team bus stopped in Athlone where the players took the O’Duffy Cup west in a symbolic parade across the Shannon.
"These finals are very hard to win. We haven’t a huge amount of them won so any opportunity we get to bring that cup across the Shannon - it’s a huge occasion for us," said Paul Kelly, chairperson of the Galway Camogie Board.
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The team also had a busy morning visiting children at Temple Street Hospital.
In a well-established tradition, the players visited patients at the Dublin hospital where they received a warm welcome from the medical and nursing staff, children and their families.
There was great excitement as the players were guided through the corridors to meet the children.
Tracey Wall, the Head of Operations at Temple Street, said the traditional visit of the All Ireland champions on the Monday after the All Ireland finals was a massive treat and brought much joy to everyone in Temple Street.
Watch: All-Ireland champions visit Temple Street
The large group of Galway players were guided to various wards where they met and took photographs with patients and staff, and the visit clearly had an impact on the players as well.
"It really puts things into perspective. We're so lucky to be able to go out and do what we do," said RTÉ Player of the Match Aoife Donohue. "It's a really special morning."
