Kellie Harrington and Roland Garros served up a real bonne nuit

Ah, Roland Garros! Where cannon fodder is fed to Rafael Nadal like offerings to a god on a deep red clay surface that makes you think of Mars.

But late on Tuesday night, one emerged from the bowels of French tennis' colosseum and everything you assumed about the place from afar bore no resemblance to reality.

In the middle of the arena where a net traditionally cuts its way across the centre stood a boxing ring bathed in the purple haze that has become the theme of Paris 2024. An awe-inspiring sight and arguably the best venue yet and that's saying something.

And the racket? Nothing to do with tennis. Just walls of fans rising up right up to the closed roof, Irish tricolours prominent across the venue.

These Olympics had already been historic for Team Ireland. Six medals won - seven guaranteed - and three golds to match the previous high-water mark from 1996.

But here was a golden opportunity to set a number of records. For Kellie Harrington, the showpiece of the night at Roland Garros rested the possibility of becoming the first Irish female athlete to win back-to-back Olympic titles and by doing so she would take Ireland's gold medal tally to four, which would be the best figure ever in 100 years of the nation participating at the Games.

From miles away on the spider web that is the Parisian metro, green was in evidence and when you closed your eyes, you would be forgiven for thinking that you were on the Luas or the DART such was the preponderance of Irish accents within the carriages.

Arriving at the stop nearest to Roland Garros and the most common flags to see were the Irish tricolour and Algeria's with the 10-minute walk to the venue reminiscent of the march that one makes to the Aviva Stadium on a day or night of