Paralympics are still to come! I’m sure we will have many more medals to celebrate. So when all our olympians come home, maybe something can be done for all :)

I’d love to see one but it’s totally up to the athletes. If they don’t want one the least we should do is respect their wishes. I can totally understand the likes of Katie not wanting to let government highjack her success as well, given she didn’t even have a toilet in her gym when training for this Olympics.

Listen to the athletes wishes.

Despite all the comments above, per the poll only about a quarter seem to have a positive interest in such an event. So most people aren’t bothered but I still predict this will get blown up into a hugely contrived issue over the next 48 hours.

Na the hometown ones are fine.

When we look at all this, will Katie’s missing toilet be as famous as her gold medal?

Yes – for two reasons.

1. So that all those that have pushed themselves daily for years just so that they are able to qualify for the Olympics, are celebrated and their personal efforts recognised. Efforts that we should also see that maybe came at personal sacrifices.

2. That others can look on at those receiving our thanks – and hopefully be inspired – or inspired more so, to begin or increase their efforts at being the best they can be and rise above the norm.

Had any of the non-medal Irish team members actually game back with a medal – we would all be celebrating them and saying they are are best!
…But the non-winning medal team members – are also our best – and they have showed that by simply making monumental efforts just to qualify, should also be thanked for their many years of effort and equal sacrifice.

What – just because some didn’t come back with a medal, that we should just dump them for their efforts?
We rightly praise those that win for Ireland. How about we also praise ALL the many that have also struggled for our countries glory too?

Not too bothered if there is a homecoming for the Olympic Athletes.
Let the athletes decide what suits them

By “homecoming” they mean an open bus through Dublin. Cian O’Connor is the only Dub, so let the medallists be feted in their home towns, rather than another Dublin-centric event.

No party in the city for arrival of 90 stars coming home from London Olympics. If it was soccer the country stops

Recognition is good but not through the media of Ireland they sicken me hopefully Katie feels the same for that bellend Tubridy if she unfortunately has to sit In front or talk to him, Ireland can be so embarrassing sometimes always behind!!!

It would only be hijacked by politicians. These athletes have achieved more, in victory or defeat, than Kenny and his cohorts have achieved in their lives. Let them have time with their families. the sight of Kenny and co, gushing over these people, makes me want to reach for the puke bucket

Yes, but once they’ve had a chance to rest and spend time with their families – in line with their own wishes. A national event in a week or two.

Yes….why not?…..to some of the disrespectful tossers posting on here..it’s not the athletes fault they are from a small country with limited assets at present or that we are run by a bunch of useless clowns..have some respect…they did their best for us….what have you done for your country

well done to all the irish athletes.ye have given “most” of the irish something to smile about again.Thank you. Every athlete that travelled to the uk along with coaches etc deserve to see how much we appreciated their hard efforts in training and also at the olympics.To the people that actually have the cheek to say….we irish have nothing to celebrate, leads me to believe…..you did not watch any of the olympics. And last but not least…….
I LOVE YOU KATIE. that is all

In comparison to our UK neighbours there is so little financial support for our athletes on their journey to reach Olympic status in the first place, so I wouldn’t expect anything different. We talk the talk but don’t walk the walk I’m afraid. Pity….we have such an amount of fine athletes…mainly supported by family. Sports grants go to community teams, often associated with GAA. Been there..I know what I’m talking about. Maybe that’s the way it has to be in a small Country. The least we can do is support the efforts of our medalists with a fine homecoming. Sooner pay to that than community tax!

yes indeed. still very proud of them.

Yes I think it would be great to acknowledge all those who competed in the games for Ireland. After all they have given so much of their lives over to their respective events and have done Ireland proud.

I think there should be some formal recognition of our olympian’s, their coaches and their families. Before these Olympics, I wasnt expecting much by way of medals. We have finished with 5 medals. I used to think that we were happy enough to return from olympics just to have taken part, but I genuinely feel that a lot of our olympians (especially in these games), were there to do much more. You can see how emotional some of our guys got because they had missed out on medals. I think we have a group of events that we can target for future medals, namely boxing, canoeing, sailing and rowing. Our showjumpers have shown what they can achieve once they come together as a team. Our swimmers had a forgetable olympics, but a lot of them are quite young and have enough talent to at least make it to olympic finals and if we get enough swimmers into finals, there is a good chance of picking up a medal or 2 here. The track and field is dominated so much by such a few countries that it is very difficult for our athletes to get a look in, but then look at Rob Heffernan in the 50k walk. He knocked 7 minutes off his Irish record in a time that would have got him a silver medal in the last Olympics. Overall I think that this year we sent our biggest contingent of athletes to an Olympic games. Quite a number of them were teenagers/ early twenties. Giving young athletes early exposure to the demands of what is required for olympic standard performances can bring them on big time and who knows in future olympics we may be able to bring home a medals haul that is similar to countries of our size.

It is a celebration of our talents. There should be a budget for marking any sporting, arts or musical achievements or talents. The country has needed a lift for the last few years and this is something that we will remember as the beginning of a positive new chapter. The cost will be marginal to the appreciation we can show all these amazing athletes. Let’s celebrate with an open top bus. The atmosphere will be electric. And they and the country deserve it!

Less of the negativity people! Why don’t the vast majority of you haters actually do something for the Emerald Isle instead of whining and moaning. How pathetic ! These people sacrifice everything for what they do with minimum funding. If there was a gold medal for whinging, we’d be top! Et Monsieur Duval … France has how many people?! Don’t think the country did “that” well compared to Team GB who have a similar sized population …

Of course they deserve a homecoming and if not take the money to be used for that and pump it into grass roots sport here in ireland but sure we all know neither will be done!!!!

How about a facebook page where people can video their own congratulatory messages ?? A bit like a hall of fame type thing ?? Then the competitors can pick & choose what to take from the posts !1

@Jean Du Val
How dare you! The cheek of you!
All our participants did a great job and made us the Irish v v proud!! Do u even realise wot an achievement it is just to actually even get to participate in the Olympics?? They’re are amazing ambassadors for Ireland! I didn’t hear much about the french! No one likes sore losers, do us a favour and crawl back under ur rock until u have sumthin intelligent to say!!

To all you fools saying sure its only a few medals whats to celebrate. We came 40th we got more medals than India a coutry with a population of 1.24billion (who didn’t even get a gold) we come around 23rd if you work it out by population ahead of the USA.
They did well but if they want to rest they should be allowed although I know a victory parade would get a massive turnout.

No way, it would just be hijacked by Kenny and Co. and used as a photo op, come December we will have another €3.5 billion taken out of the economy, we have nothing to celebrate.

It doesn’t have to a be an open top bus tour, but I’d like to see some kind of public display of appreciation for the athletes’ efforts. We had a great Olympics and they did us proud so it seems a shame not to celebrate that. Up to the athletes though I suppose.

Yes but only if the Athletes want it. Mind you… not everything revolves around the wishes of the capital.

Wow.. What a great poll at the time I voted.. 50 percent said No, 30 percent said Yes and 21 percent didn’t know.. 101 percent !! Fair play to ya :-)

While trying to console my son at the side of the pitch after his team were beaten (again !) I told him it wasn’t about winning it was taking part that was important. He asked me why they keep the score then?!!

Why do we as a nation feel we have to have a public reception after nearly every Sporting event, good or bad ?

WHy not? If it is with their wishes. These athletes done us proud and they deserve recogntion. We gave it tonthe footballers and they didn’t deserve half as much!

Poorer countries cannot afford to throw money at sport the way the USA and GB etc can, so they are always at a disadvantage, which is not really in keeping with the Olympic ideal hen you think about it. GB has put more money into cycling in the past 20 nyears than we would put into sport in 100 years. More and more medals are going to go to the bigger economies and the smaller countries will get squeezed. We put loads of money into horse racing, GAA and so on, there just isn’t enough cash to go round, sad but true.
What funds our Olympians do get could be better spent: so many track and field athletes failed spectacularly, many of whom are living on past glories (or past failures even). Poland sent way fewer athletes than we did, (a country of I think 45million I think) but they won more medals. Thats the sort of focus we need: spend the money where is most likely to get results. Finally, we have so many Irish millionaires who chose to invest in foreign sports clubs (Celtic for example) and race horses etc. Why can they not throw a few bob into sports in their own country? it’s not like most of them pay tax here…

Track and field did nothing so why bother wasting money on a parade
Yes by all means give a reception in aras bit leave it at that.
The boxers produced rest performed vert poorly with their excuses already prepared .

Most athletes are probably ashamed of their performances so don’t want a celebration. Everyone lost except Katie Taylor. That’s how athletes think. Trust me.

Shouldn’t we just put them all in a house together for a month, film it and put it on TV3 or has that slot already been taken up by some other successful role models that all the kids learn to emulate?

Oh yes please, let’s waste more public money.

If they saved lives, or did something hugely humane. Then give them one, other than that! NO!

I never heard so much nonsense about a great performance. Though coming from Sonia, our biggest ever Olympic under achiever it is hardly surprising.
Apart from the few athletes that did well, the rest of the team should be made swim home and be pelted with eggs when they arrive at the Dublin docks. That would be a more fitting reception surely.

Given that the majority of the athletes don’t want one then why are we even discussing this? Surely its their wishes that count.

As for those who talk about celebrating failure, I’d like to see some of you dedicate the time and energy that these people have done over the last 4 (and more) years of their lives in order to compete at the highest level of their respective sports. Given that Irish team members only get selected if they have achieved a certain standard (such as an A standard in the athletics or through a series of events such as the boxers) they are already in the top echelon of their particular sport.

Of course its much easier to excel in the sport of passing criticism on people while hiding behind your keyboards knowing that you’ll never have to face up to your comments. Most of you would probably pass out if you even had to attempt around 10% of the effort that people give on a daily basis. If there was an Olympics for negative, depressing, vindicate and nasty comments a lot of Journal poster would be gold medal favourites. Frankly you sort of people disgust me!

Jeez, has this become national troll day ?