Thousands of Tipperary fans and a riot of yellow and gold filled Liberty Square to greet Nicky English's team back from Dublin yesterday evening with the McCarthy Cup.
At 7 p.m. the train carrying the team arrived at William Smith O'Brien Station to a raucous chorus of sirens, the Sean Treacy Pipe Band playing Jackets Green and Slievenamon being played on the intercom without a hint of lonesomeness. That was reserved for the opposition anthem, The Fields of Athenry. To rub it in, a large banner at the station read: "It's lonely in Athenry tonight".
For the hordes of teenage girls, some in sombreros, a more lively anthem for the moment at hand was: "Cham-pio-nes, cham-pio-nes, ole, ole, ole." The team ran the gauntlet of the crowd, made it to the bus and began the procession to the town. However, it quickly became apparent that there was an an exceptionally large crowd - estimated at over 30,000 - when the open-top bus, while making its way from the station, stalled in the square in front of jubilant fans.
Team captain Thomas Dunne held the cup aloft before the crowd and introduced his team, who had taken the All-Ireland title for Tipperary for the first time in 10 years. The team were due to travel on to Toomevara, the captain's home town, late last night.
The occasion was, however, marred somewhat by a crush which resulted in many people fainting, panicked dozens of older people and children and left parents vainly pleading for a path to be beaten through the crowd.
The lack of co-ordination and organisation was criticised by many present. Mr Gerry Connaughton said the occasion was "an unadulterated debacle". "I have been living in this town for 50 years and I have never seen anything like it."
He said six or seven people had rung gardai on their mobiles but were told by the officer manning the station that officers at the scene could not be contacted.
Ms Anna Fogarty, who turned up for the celebration with her nine-year-old daughter, Orla, said the event should have been held in the town's Semple Stadium.