About 400 people turned out on a rainy night in Rathmore to welcome the Kerry senior and minor teams home from their All-Ireland finals in Dublin.
When the train pulled into Rathmore, the first Kerry town on the line, it was the victorious minors, silverware shouldered high, who took the first steps on to the platform and the special stage erected to greet them.
But the biggest cheer was reserved for the seniors’ veteran forward Kieran Donaghy.
Kerry manager Eamonn Fitzmaurice said the senior team members were very disappointed to lose the final, “and it gets more real and more raw the further into Kerry we get”.
Rathmore player Paul Murphy said: “We’re after a tough 24 hours – to see the big crowds is a great lift.
“We came up short but it wasn’t for the want of trying. It just didn’t happen for us on the day.”
Rathmore’s Aidan O’Mahony, who played in his ninth All- Ireland final on Sunday and has five winner’s medals, said Kerry fans were the best. “Win or lose, ye’re always here. There will be fantastic years ahead. There will be glory days.”
The train made its way to a green- and gold-decked Tralee, where about 200 people were at the station. From there the teams were taken on open-top buses to a reception in Denny Street, led by a pipe band. Hundreds also turned out on the streets but it was a downbeat affair.
