Barnes And Conlan In Belfast Homecoming Tour

Belfast's two Olympic medal winners have been welcomed by home crowds on the streets of the city.

Boxers Paddy Barnes and Michael Conlan, who both won bronze in the Games, toured the centre of Belfast in an open-top bus today.

Barnes, 25, was amazed by the welcome the pair received.

He told the BBC: "For everybody to come out for us like this, it's overwhelming."

And Conlan, 20, said: "I've already signed over 1,000 autographs."

First-time Olympian Conlan has already been honoured with a mural in his native west Belfast.

The paint was drying on the mural on the corner of Violet Street, off the Springfield Road, yesterday when the boxers came home to a hero’s welcome at Titanic Belfast and showed off their medals.

Belfast's Deputy Lord Mayor Tierna Cunningham stood in for Gavin Robinson, who is on holiday.

She said: "We are all so proud of what Paddy and Michael achieved. They are young men who represent the new face of Belfast.

"They have been our ambassadors on a world stage for the past two weeks - personification of Belfast as a world class city, full of high achievers and warm, welcoming people with a great sense of humour. They exhilarated us with their skill, their bravery and their unbelievable determination and will to win.

"They gave us incredible joy as we watched the referee lift their hand to declare their victories in bout after bout. And they made us the proudest people on the planet when they won their medal winning bouts to put themselves and Belfast once again on the world boxing map.

"It doesn't need me to say much more than to point out that both guys who beat Michael and Paddy went on to become Olympic champions. That was how good they had to be."

Northern Ireland's other Olympic medallists, Team GB rowers Alan Campbell and brothers Peter and Richard Chambers, will be welcomed back to their home town of Coleraine tomorrow, with a reception at The Diamond at the Town Hall.

And sports minister Caral Ni Chuilin will host a private function at Stormont next month for all five Olympic winners and their families.

(NE)