PICS: Connacht return to Knock Airport at 1am to heroes’ welcome and stay with fans for almost an hour

The west is awake.

Connacht are Pro 12 champions - it really happened - and, 13 years after they were trying to extinguish the club, Pat Lam will lead the western province through the streets of Galway on Sunday afternoon as heroes. As trailblazers. As winners. Try dismantling Connacht now. Try putting the west back to sleep because it just won't happen. And there was very little sleeping being done on Saturday night as the team returned to Ireland in the wee hours after a late flight back from Edinburgh. John Muldoon and co arrived at Knock Airport just before 1am with the trophy in hand and there was to be no end to their celebrations as supporters turned out in droves to greet the Connacht men that will go down in history. The scenes were euphoric. Pat Lam and John Muldoon addressed the crowd before the players sang Fields of Athenry with their supporters. They were said to have spent the guts of an hour with fans before taking off and heading for Galway. Photos courtesy of Rupert Davis of Kilmovee Info. We'll leave the last word with an overwhelmed Bundee Aki. https://www.instagram.com/p/BF93u4-ky51/