Seamus Coleman with his wife Rachel and baby daughter Lily at the homecoming in Killybegs on Monday night.
REPUBLIC of Ireland captain Seamus Coleman was given a hero’s welcome in an emotional Euro 2016 homecoming in his native Killybegs on Monday night.
Over the past two weeks, Coleman (27) and his team-mates have done the country proud, producing a number of battling performances as they qualified out of their group for the first time in the team’s history.
The Republic lost 2-1 to hosts France on Sunday at the round-of-16 stage, having beaten Italy in their final group game to progress to the knockout phase.
Speaking to reporters in the Bayview Hotel, which is managed by his father Henry, Seamus said the tournament in France had been an incredible journey.
“I’m a very, very proud Killybegs man tonight and I can’t get over how many people are here to welcome me home,” he smiled.
“Wherever I go and whatever I do the Killybegs people are on my mind. You’re always trying to make them proud and when you come back home it’s always nice to meet them and hopefully you have made them proud in some way. Tonight was a special night. It went from massive disappointment yesterday to really enjoying tonight,” he said.
See Friday’s Donegal News for full coverage of the homecoming
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