David Sneyd reports from Dublin Airport

THIS IS NOT quite Last Flight from Saigon stuff.

Not when there’s time to stop off for a quick spray of Sauvage by Dior in Duty Free at Dublin Airport.

It’s 4.30am and some of the estimated 6,000 Republic of Ireland supporters who will descend on Prague over the coming days for Thursday’s World Cup play-off with Czechia are heading to Gate 106 in Terminal One for a 5.55am departure.

Yes, there are pints, and yes there are giddy young men in their late teens and early 20s huddling in the nearest bar within sight of the gate.

They are ready to embrace a moment made possible by Troy Parrott’s hat-trick in Budapest, but more than that they are travelling in the hope that they can become part of a story in Irish football that with every passing year from the 2002 World Cup has just felt further away and further from reach.

Now it’s within touching distance, and for Tom Byrne from County Wicklow he is holding something dear to his heart.

His Irish tricolour has the following message emblazoned across it: Fans Forever – Memories to last a lifetime.

Ireland fans from Armagh well on their way after an early start.

The flags of different countries stitched into it tell the story of almost 20 years of dedication. He was there in Scotland for his first away game in November 2014 when Shaun Maloney scored the only goal at Celtic Park. “It’s the first and only time I can remember a ground shaking,” he says.

Amid the dense fog on Zenica for a Euro 2016 play-off with Bosnia and Herzegovina, he still vividly recalls Robbie Brady’s goal that helped set up qualification.

The decade since has been long and painful, but the picture in the middle of Tom’s tricolour is a painfully beautiful reminder of what so many will be thinking of over the coming days.

Loved ones, lost ones and the people who form a core of our being.

It is a photograph of him and his father, Simon Byrne, in a chaotic state of celebration after James McClean scored the only goal in a 1-0 win away to Wales in Cardiff during the 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign.

It was their last trip together. “He passed away a year later before I did my Leaving Cert,” Tom says. “It feels bittersweet, yeah, but they are precious memories I will always remember.

One Ireland fan who would prefer to remain anonymous after travelling from Australia.

“I moved to Galway and have been going home and away for the last 10 years. The Galway United boss took me under their wing after my father passed away. Once you start going to Ireland away days it’s just magic.

“You live for these moments once you get the grá for it, it’s very hard to leave it and miss out. The journey that it takes you on, hopefully it continues and we can pull off another magical result and come back to Dublin next week.”

Tom has his ticket secured as a dedicated follower of Heimir Hallgrimsson’s men throughout this campaign. Others, of course, require different means.

“We have tickets that we bought from a resale website,” season ticket holder Eamon Murphy from Carlow says. “Whether they’re real or not we’ll soon find out. We’re in with the Czech fans too so we won’t be wearing any green. Hopefully we can get in.”

Eamon is linking up with childhood friends who now live in Glasgow and Geneva, while other groups of pals are dotted along the approach to the Gate.

One lad is wearing an away Ireland jersey from 2007 with the number 7 on the front and back. “I’m channelling my inner Stephen Ireland,” he says.

That really could not be more true. With a red parrot – of course – dangling over his left shoulder, and supping the dregs of his pint before making a dash to the gate as final call rings out, this unnamed man from Mullingar explains his story.

The boys from Laois in Dublin airport.

“I may or may not have told work that my grandfather died. Two days ago I was in Melbourne, that’s where I live now. I travelled through Abu Dhabi and at first I was sweating over getting a ticket but I got one because I did six out of the last 10 away games. Then I was sweating about getting out of Abu Dhabi because of the conflict in Middle East.

“Armenia in Yerevan was my last away game and after that (a 2-1 defeat) I did not foresee this happening. But here we are and we’re good to go.”

Others are not quite in such a rush to leave for the direct route to Prague and it soon becomes clear why. Jason, Oisin, Ryan and Kieran set off from home in Armagh at 2.30am and are booked on an EasyJet package deal for €290 per person. First they have to make it to Manchester, where they will spend the rest of the day before flying to the Czech capital at 5pm.

“After a day of pints,” they declare, almost in unison.

Just down the way are the five lads from Laois, all in the early 20s and who have taken time off work. “The worry is there should be another lad but he’s not coming until tomorrow now, and he’s the one who has sorted out accommodation.”

That accommodation is in Vienna, where Aaron, Sam, Jack, Seán and Eoin are due to spend tonight before getting a four-hour train to Prague at 10am tomorrow morning.

Jamie Wall enjoys his smoothie before taking off for Prague.

None of them have tickets – or expect to get one – but that is not the point of their journey.

“We wanted to come and be a part of it,” Jason says.”

Before the gate closes there is still time to chat with one more supporter, although Jamie Wall from Cork has no problem admitting that he had a trip booked well in advance of Ireland drawing Czechia in the play-off – even if slight adjustments had to be made.

He may be cradling a strawberry punch smoothie and a copy of Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea, but do not be fooled. “This is a stag, a week-long stag,” he beams.

“The original plan was to go Friday to Sunday but it kind of dawned on me during the draw what could happen and once we got Czechia a message went into the group to change the flights. There are 10 or 11 of us coming over.”

Jamie, who people may know from his hurling coaching and punditry, is hopeful of securing an accessible ticket and will stay on the hunt as close to kick-off as possible. As he wheels towards the gate he packs his book and takes a last sip of his smoothie.

“My stomach isn’t ready for anything else at this hour. Sure there will be enough food and pints over the next few days,” he says.

David Sneyd will be reporting for The Journal from the streets (and bars) of Prague over the coming days as part of the build-up to Ireland’s play-off on Thursday.