There were fantastic scenes in Meath on Sunday night as the county's victorious team returned home to a thunderous reception at the Knightsbrook Hotel.
Meath claimed the Brendan Martin Cup in Sunday's final against Dublin, scuppering the Dubs in their bid for five-in-a-row success at senior level.
It capped a meteoric rise for the Meath team, who only last year won the All-Ireland title at intermediate level.
This was their first year competing at senior level, and their non-stop final performance thwarted Dublin and got them the win in what was a heart-stopping contest at times.
And the homecoming proved every bit as lively and loud as the Croke Park atmosphere as Meath returned home to streets lined with supporters clad in green and gold.
The team bus was escorted towards the entrance of the Knightsbrook Hotel behind a squad car as the noise levels continued to rise.
A Meath Chronicle reporter on hand to witness the return estimated that between 1,500 and 2,000 Royals had turned out to welcome home their All-Ireland heroines.
And when the bus finally got nosing its way in front of the entrance to the hotel and manager Eamonn Murray was the first to step off it, the crowd went wild once again.
Murray made his way into the hotel lobby where he was mobbed and embraced by many before being handed a well-earned pint of Guinness.
He could barely put the experience into words and as the Meath panel members began to come along behind him, it seemed a similar story as they were simply awestruck by the welcome they had received.
Team captain Shauna Ennis described it as 'literally the best day of my life'.
One imagines the celebrations will carry over long into the week as Meath enjoy an All-Ireland success so well-earned and deserved.
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