Open-top bus ride planned to welcome 'Pride of Clondalkin'

Maura and Paul Egan, parents of boxer Kenny Egan, prepare for the return of their son from Beijing.
Photograph: Brenda Fitzsimons

FRIENDS, RELATIVES and neighbours of boxer Kenny Egan will travel by bus from Clondalkin to Dublin airport this evening to greet their own Olympic silver medal winning hero on his return from the Beijing Games.

Three buses have been hired to ferry family members and supporters from the west Dublin suburb to greet the 26-year-old light heavyweight boxer, who has been labelled the “Pride of Clondalkin”.

Egan and the majority of the members of the Irish Olympic team are expected to touch down at 5.15pm in Dublin where they are certain to receive a rapturous reception. Some 75 athletes, coaches and medical staff will be on the flight.

The equestrian team has already returned from its Olympic base in Hong Kong.

Minister for Sport Martin Cullen, Lord Mayor of Dublin Eibhlin Byrne, Chinese ambassador to Ireland Liu Biwei and members of the Irish sports and Olympics councils will be present to greet the team on their arrival.

This will be followed by a brief reception and press conference before the team is escorted by a piper through to the arrivals hall to be reunited with their families and friends.

Hundreds of fans are expected to turn out to greet the team and a spokeswoman for Dublin Airport Authority warned that space for supporters was limited as other business in the airport would be continuing as usual.

Once the formalities are completed, all eyes will turn to the Clondalkin contingent as they whisk their hero back to their home patch, where celebrations have been ongoing since Egan secured a bronze medal last week – later upgraded to silver.

Egan will board an open top bus once the celebrations get closer to home and fans and well-wishers will be able to greet the Neilstown Boxing Club member at the Liffey Valley shopping centre at 7.30pm.

From there the bus will move on to Neilstown at 7.45pm, then to Clondalkin village at 8pm before it parks for the night at Boomers Bar in the Dutch Village in Clondalkin.

Paul Egan, Kenny’s father, said he was anticipating a carnival atmosphere at Boomers, which had been a stronghold for Egan supporters throughout the games.

He said he expected the celebrations to run long into the night. “There’s going to be bands, DJs and all sorts to welcome him home,” he added.

Meanwhile, a spokeswoman for President Mary McAleese said she would be welcoming the Olympians to Áras an Uachtaráin for a special reception on September 9th.

This article appears in the print edition of the Irish Times