Gold For Taylor As Team Ireland Delivers

Ireland enjoyed its biggest medal haul at an Olympics since 1956, with five different members of the team taking the podium.

But it was Katie Taylor's gold medal success in the first ever Women's Boxing competition that will last longest in the memory.

More than 1.1 million people tuned in to watch the fight on television, and the Excel Arena in London was packed to the rafters with thousands of cheering supporters.

A four-time world champion, Taylor played a key role in women's boxing getting into the Olympics in the first place.

And her victory was the fulfillment of a lifelong ambition for the 26 year old from Bray, Co. Wicklow.

Taylor had to dig deep to beat Russia's Sofya Ochigava 10-8 in the women's lightweight final.

"It was a huge relief," she said, "I didn't know which the way decision had gone and I thought it might go to count-back because there was a big delay."

"It's what I've always dreamed of. I've envisaged this moment so many times before but it's better than all my wildest dreams to be sitting here as Olympic champion as well as world and European champion.

"It's a big relief to finally get the medal around my neck."

The Irish boxing team took home four medals in total - a testament to a high performance unit that is properly funded.

Mullingar man John Joe Nevin won silver in the bantamweight division after a tense riveting final fight against Britain's Luke Campbell.

"I'm heartbroken, I wanted the gold. I wanted to join the club with Katie Taylor and Michael Carruth," he said afterwards

"I'd have taken a bronze medal coming here but when I got so far I wanted to go the whole way. I feel I'm a failure because I didn't and because I'd beaten him well before, and we've a bit of background there between us. I'm devastated to lose."

"If it's not meant to be, it's not meant to be."

"I don't think I performed to my best on the day but I'm happy still with a silver medal."

Two Belfast boxers went home with bronze medals.

Paddy Barnes became the first Irish boxer ever to win two Olympic medals after he took home bronze in the light flyweight division.

It was a hugely entertaining semi-final fight against the eventual gold medal winner Zou Shiming of China.

The two fighters were tied 15 points apiece after three rounds, with Barnes losing out 45-44 on the countback.

Barnes was magnanimous in defeat.

"The more skilful boxer won," he said. "I thought that in the second and third I done well. But listen, countback against the Olympic champion. I just wish him well in the next fight," he said.

Michael Conlan was beaten in his Olympic flyweight semi-final bout, losing 20-10 to the classy Cuban Robeisy Ramirez Carrazana.

But at just 20, the Irish man was happy to have secured a bronze medal in his first Olympics.

"He was the best fighter of the night. His defence was great, he was a better man than me," the Belfast fighter said.

"He didn't punch that hard but he was just sharp in his attacks. I was wasting a lot of energy throwing punches. I should have been waiting for my time but I was a bit eager tonight going for a gold medal.

"We have amazing support back home, all great fans, so I'm sorry for letting them down but you'll see me in the future and I'll be a lot better."

Ireland's other bronze medal came in showjumping, when Cian O'Connor riding Blue Lloyd claimed the most unexpected medal of the Games.

O'Connor won gold in Athens eight years ago, but was stripped of his medal after his horse failed a drugs test.

He was not originally in the Irish team for London, but he replaced Denis Lynch who was dropped from the team at the last minute because his horse failed a doping test.

Then O'Connor failed to make the final of the showjumping - but when a Swedish competitor was forced to withdraw on the morning of the final because of an injury, O'Connor was drafted in as replacement.

Remarkably, he jumped a clear round but picked up a time fault for finishing just three hundredths of a second outside the allowed time.

He could have been in a jump off for a gold medal if it wasn't for that, but in the end settled for bronze after knocking the very last fence in a jump-off for silver.

"I've put Athens in the past. This (medal) shows that with hard work and dedication and a good support structure, anything is possible," he said.

"It also shows for people in or out of the sport, that if you have self-belief and determination you can get there in the end. I know that this time

"It's fairytale stuff and I hope it can inspire others to follow their own dreams."

Ireland finished 41st in the Olympics table - not bad for a country with a relatively small population.

And it wasn't just the medal winners that did Ireland proud.

There were other remarkable performances too.

Rob Heffernan came closest to winning a medal for Ireland in Track and Field, finishing an agonizing 4th in the 50km walk.

And there was heartbreak too for Annalise Murphy in the Laser Radial sailing competition.

She won all of her first four races, and did enough in the remaining six to enter the medal race as one of just four sailors who could win gold.

However, she was unlucky to finish fourth out of those and miss out on a medal.

A state reception is planned for Wedesday in Dublin to welcome the team home.

But thousands were expected to turn out on Monday night in Bray and Mullingar to welcome home Taylor and Nevin.