Hundreds have turned out in Leighlinbridge, Co Carlow, to welcome home the area's latest champion of the turf.
I Am Maximus, trained in nearby Closutton by Willie Mullins, won the Randox Grand National in Aintree on Saturday in impressive fashion, adding a new block of success to a season which has already seen the all-conquering yard send out the winners of the Champion Hurdle and Gold Cup in Cheltenham, along with numerous other top-level races at home and abroad.
He was the second winner of the Aintree showpiece for Mr Mullins, following the victory of Hedgehunter in 2005, while nephew Emmett trained Noble Yeats to win the race two years ago.
But the joy in the area since Saturday afternoon has underlined what the success means to all associated with I Am Maximus, owned by JP McManus.
The Grand National is different, Mr Mullins agreed this evening: "It's the one race everyone wants to win from the time they start off watching TV, it's the race most people see on TV.
"It's fantastic for Paul [Townend, jockey], owner JP McManus and Noirin, for Closutton.
"We're all delighted. It's great for the locality as well to have a Grand National winner. Our second grand national winner. Emmett won it a few years ago but hopefully it will become more of a tradition."
Next for the horse himself, who is in "very good" form despite his weekend exertions, is likely to be a campaign towards the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
"He'll have to take on his stablemate Galopin Des Champs who is over there in the box, and that is 'plan A' I think," Mr Mullins said.
"I'm not sure going back to handicaps again would be a good idea."
In the meantime there is a tilt at the English trainers' championship, never done in jump racing by an Irish-based trainer since the days of Vincent O'Brien.
At the moment the Irish champion has a slender lead over UK handlers Dan Skelton and Paul Nicholls.
"There's no truth in the rumour they're arranging a ferry strike or anything like that," he said with a laugh of his English-based rivals for that title.
"We're trying to get a team together to tackle it for the next two weeks, we've got a good few entries.
"We're trying to target the high-value races, but at this end of the season a lot of the horses are tired.
"You've got to try and pick ones that are a bit fresher and will put in a good performance for us."
They are "hopeful" of taking that championship, he said, but taking nothing for granted.
"That's hard to do," Mr Mullins said.
Of course the season has been tinged with sadness following the death earlier this year of Maureen Mullins, mother of Willie and his siblings and regarded as the matriarch of a great racing family.
"I'd love if ma were there, she'd have been in her element both in Cheltenham and in Aintree," Mr Mullins said.
"But you know, there we are, life goes on. She was happy, she got to see a lot of the success in Closutton."
The National winner, who won the Irish version last year, was brought into Leighlinbridge this evening by staff and after posing for some photographs in the car park of the Lord Bagenal Inn, walked down the street and across the bridge, with more photos and videos taken along the way, before heading back to the quieter environs of Closutton.
But the big crowds of racing enthusiasts, local well-wishers and even staff of the training yard, were testament to the affection in which the horse and trainer are held in the area.
