Home are the Kilkenny heroes

The All-Ireland champions, Kilkenny, returned to a heroes’ welcome in the Marble City on Monday night.

The squad left their base in the Citywest Hotel on Monday morning and paid a visit to Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital before making their by now traditional train journey home.

They did so as the new custodians of the Liam MacCarthy Cup having reclaimed the All-Ireland title for the fifth time in six years following an epic four-point win over Tipperary on Sunday.

Despite the rain, a huge crowd began assembling in Kilkenny from the early afternoon and by the time the squad arrived by train at McDonagh Station, the black and amber-clad locals had been whipped into a frenzy in anticipation of the return of an old friend.

Team manager Brian Cody and captain Brian Hogan addressed the crowd, their every word greeted with the raucous cheers of a hurling public that had spent an agonising year living in Tipperary’s shadow.

Typically, Cody wasn’t about to get carried away, despite celebrating the eighth All-Ireland title his 13-year tenure.

“We need to ensure that the good times continue, that the young people out there see these men up here as their heroes, as their role models,” he said. “We want them going around with their hurleys and practising, and wanting to be the next Tommy Walsh, the next John Mulhall."

Hogan, who had played a captain’s role at centre-back summed up the feeling when he said: "To ye, the supporters, standing out here in the rain — ye came in yere thousands last year even though we lost, and that helped us hugely.

“It’s great to see ye out again this evening in such numbers. Thanks a million, and thank God we have Liam MacCarthy back with us."

Home were the heroes with a familiar friend in tow.