Rowing-Irish pair's big reward for Paris gold? A ride home from the airport

PARIS : Irish rowing heroes Paul O'Donovan and Fintan McCarthy received perhaps the finest gift of all when they touched down on home soil after their Olympic exploits - the offer of a ride home from Dublin airport to the south-west of the country. 

Known for both their humility and humour, the lightweight sculls champions had planned to take the bus to Cork after landing at Dublin Airport, but a man they met on the plane was having none of it, and offered to drive them the 260 kilometre journey instead. 

A video published on the airport's X account shows the pair arriving home, with McCarthy accepting the offer of a ride in the arrivals hall. 

"Ciaran, a guy they met on the flight offered them a lift back to Cork with him ... and off they went," the video caption reads. 

While O'Donovan and McCarthy may well compete in the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, they won't be defending their lightweight gold, as the discipline is set to be replaced by coastal rowing.