IRISH SOCCER FANS have been awarded the Vermilion medal of the City of Paris for their behaviour during the Euro 2016 tournament.

AP / Press Association Images Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo talks to Ireland soccer fans in the Paris fan zone before the Euro 2016 semifinal soccer match between Germany and France, in Paris AP / Press Association Images / Press Association Images

The Mayor of Paris presented the award to Irish fan Jamie Monaghan from Louth at a ceremony at the Fanzone in Paris this evening.

Announcing that Ireland was to receive the award last week, Mayor Anne Hidalgo told reporters that the Irish supporters deserved the honour after displaying “exemplary sportsmanship” and for the “good atmosphere” they generated.

Thibault Camus Thibault Camus

Today the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Shane Ross, said:

It is an incredible achievement by Irish fans to be recognised at an international level as some of the main contributors to the fantastic atmosphere evident in Paris, Bordeaux, Lille and all French cities in which they made their presence felt.

“The Vermilion medal is one of the most prestigious honours of the City of Paris, and to have representatives of our country behave in such a sportsmanlike manner as to be awarded this medal is such a proud moment for us all.”

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