29 years was a long time for Galway to bring Liam McCarthy back to the West, and if you were uncertain as to just how much it meant to the whole county then the reaction as the team bus crossed the Shannon on their way home today would have told you all you need to know.
If you were still, somehow, oblivious to how big a deal this is for Galway, then the pure emotion of manager Micheal Donoghue as he was interviewed for RTÉ News will set you straight.
As the Galway team arrived back in Ballinasloe, Donoghue struggled to get the words out as the reality of how much joy his team had brought to the whole county sunk in, and from 1:40 in the below report you really get a sense as to how much it means to him to deliver an All-Ireland win.
Galway are bringing home Liam - and what a welcome they're going to get! #RTEgaa pic.twitter.com/BuOSAlCsmx
— RTÉ GAA (@RTEgaa) September 4, 2017
The footage of him with his parents just before, that's absolutely beautiful.
Donoghue and his side have had to take a lot of criticism in recent times, and that was something the manager was quick to mention yesterday when expressing his delight for the panel that achieved the elusive All Ireland win, so these celebrations will be that much sweeter.
Now that they're back in Galway, after a slight delay due to the obligatory Supermacs, the party will go on.
