NORTHERN Ireland's footballers were given a heroes' welcome as they returned home after their epic Euro 2016 journey.
They received a rapturous reception as they emerged at the Belfast fan zone where nearly 10,000 supporters had squeezed on to the Titanic slipways.
Manager Michael O'Neill was given the bumps amid a flurry of coloured confetti as the crowd belted out "good times never felt so good", a line from Neil Diamond's hit Sweet Caroline, which has become a tournament anthem.
He said he hoped the team's success would inspire young people in the north.
O'Neill said: "Everyone has been magnificent. What we have done, hopefully, we have broken that barrier that people thought we would never get the chance to go a major tournament again. We have done that.
"I just want every young boy, wherever you are from in Northern Ireland, wherever you grow up, I just want you to play for Northern Ireland."
What a reception from the @NorthernIreland fans #GAWA! pic.twitter.com/VKkmGJ2lCJ
— Stephen Robinson (@Robbo1012) June 27, 2016
Team captain Stephen Davis described the reception as the "icing on the cake".
"Words cannot sum it up," he said, adding that the players hope to capitalise on the momentum.
He said: "It is vitally important that we build on this. We have shown we can compete with the rest of them and we need to continue to do that."
There was a party atmosphere as supporters who had waited for several hours to see the team relived some of the magic moments from the competition including the two goals scored against Ukraine in Lyon.
Chants of support for defender Gareth McAuley, whose unlucky touch in the knockout game against Wales resulted in an own goal, also echoed around the open air fan zone.
He told them: "The atmosphere you create gets us through games. It gives us wings."
