Now we can get get party started.
The past 24 hours has seen the Irish takeover of Las Vegas get into full swing. Over the next 24, the dazzlingly lit strip in Nevada will be well and truly flooded with our kin.
As we have been highlighting for the past couple of days, some of the tricolour flags on display are spectacular, witty and, in some cases, bizarre.
Our favourite flag from UFC 189, when Conor McGregor defeated Chad Mendes for the interim featherweight title, was one featuring Liam Neeson and the paraphrasing of a famous line from the film Taken.
And, whaddya know, the flag bearers are back in Vegas.
Mike McCarthy sent us this photo via our Facebook page, last night. It fills us with boundless optimism ahead of McGregor’s title unification bout with Jose Aldo.
God speed you Irish heroes.
We have been inundated with pictures, comments and messages from the travelling Irish. Keep it up!
Alex Nellan somehow made it through security at Vancouver Airport dressed like this.
In case you’re wondering, the cow [Daisy] says:
“When one of us go to war, we all go to war!!!”
If you are over in Vegas for the fights and want to get together with some like-minded, craic-enjoying Irish folks, this Facebook group won’t see you wrong.
Gary Madden, one of the group’s founders, explains it was set up ahead of UFC 189 in July.
“We started it for people who were travelling alone to give them a chance to meet others before we headed over. My friends are all from Dublin but were travelling from Dublin, Wexford, L.A and Saudi Arabia to meet up for it.”
Madden adds, “It worked a treat and we made some friends for life and put some people’s minds at ease who were travelling alone.
“A few of us are headed back over for this one and the same faces are on the page and numbers growing. We have many Irish people travelling alone who’ve made contact with other groups and we even have a lad from New Zealand, who is a huge Conor fan. He is travelling over alone and planning on meeting up with lads from the group.”
Among the members of the group are Tony McGregor, Conor’s father, and Artem Lobov, who is fighting at the TUF Finale on Friday night/Saturday morning.
