"I am ready to die and go to heaven." The man with tears in his eyes had waited for 28 years for an Irish rugby team to score another victory in Paris. An ardent rugby supporter, PD senator John Dardis could hardly believe it when the final whistle was blown yesterday and the cheers of the Irish fans reverberated around the Stade de France signalling an historic Irish victory.
Senator Dardis remembered that day in 1972 when Ireland last beat France in Paris and he has been at practically every rugby international since. The venue was the Stade Colombes and what stood out in his mind, as well as the win, was the bitterly cold easterly wind blowing in from Siberia.
Yesterday, though, the sun was shining as the Irish arrived with hope in their hearts. The 80,000-seater stadium was full. The vast size and design make it hugely impressive. However, fans declared it far less intimidating than matches held at Parc des Princes with the roof absorbing much of the sound.
The chant Allez les Bleus could still be heard from the French fans who seemed confident of a win, but about 8,000 Irish held their own, sitting in pockets of green around the stadium cheering each try scored by Brian O'Driscoll.
The French fans seemed somewhat shocked at the defeat. The Irish burst into song with Ole Ole Ole as the announcer wished them a "Happy St Patrick's Day". The ecstatic team did their victory lap as Les Bleus quickly left the field.
When captain Keith Wood got up to speak, he even managed a few words en Francais. "Je suis fatigue," he said, before uttering a loud "Yahoo". There was a slightly incongruous moment when the PA system blasted out the Pogues singing Dirty Old Town.
"Nobody told me there would be days like this," declared an ecstatic Minister for Sport, Jim McDaid. "I am over the moon. I was in Cheltenham when Dawn Run won the Gold cup; in Stuttgart when Ray Houghton scored the goal against England; and now I am in Paris when we beat the French after 28 years."
Yesterday's win came after a weekend of partying for the Irish. Paris now has more than 65 Irish pubs but there was only standing room in any of them for the weekend. On Saturday night 350 people attended the Ireland Fund in France Wild Geese Ball where Patrick Ricard of Pernod Ricard was honoured.
He told us how the French team trained at grounds owned by Pernod Ricard and drank its products. "Perhaps," he suggested with some foresight, "if the Irish drank Jameson whiskey, they might have the same success."