Leinster march on
More than 50,000 proud Leinster fans descended upon the streets surrounding the Aviva Stadium after their win over Toulouse.
The boys in blue successfully paved the way to Cardiff for the Heineken cup final.
The Herald spoke to some of the delighted fans as they spilled out on to Lansdowne Road.
"We went to the semi-final last year when we lost to Toulouse, so we were a little apprehensive -- especially in the first 15 minutes. But once we were 29-20 up, I knew we had it in the bag," said Robyn Amelia Ferris, from Bray.
Brian Noone, from Kildare, was on the edge of his seat for the whole 80 minutes.
"It was scary when we were trailing behind, but once we started putting points on the board we got our confidence back."
"It was a rocky first half," Seamus Fogarty, from Naas, told the Herald.
"I thought the referee made a few poor decisions, but we took control. If I can manage to get a ticket I'd love to go to the final," he added.
pressure
"It's a super position to be in, we needed a lift like that. The lads played well; despite being under pressure after a couple of poor line-outs and losing the scrum, we never gave up," said Kildare man Cormac Gleeson, who attended the match with his brother Emmett.
Emmett enjoyed his first outing at the new stadium and said the atmosphere was electric.
"The Aviva Stadium is incredible. The last time I was here was in 1995 for a Six Nations game and I have to say it still feels like the old Lansdowne Road."Daragh Burns, from Killiney, was hugely impressed with Jamie Heaslip, who scored a crucial try.
"Heaslip definitely deserved man of the match," he said.
Blackrock College students Vinog Keavy (16) and Tim Crowley (16) were in awe of prop Cian Healy's rampaging display.
"We thought Cian Healy played particularly well, but Heaslip is our player of the tournament."
David Reamsbottom, from Santry, was another to give the thumbs up to the number eight.
"We're thrilled with the win, but we went about it the hard way. Jamie Heaslip was fantastic -- it's been a while since he had a stormer like that."
John Martin, from Castleknock, said he was in heaven once he heard the final whistle.
"The atmosphere was mental, the crowd was the best part of the day. One of the highlights for me though was a tackle by fullback Isa Nacewa towards the end of the second half."
Barra Cunz, from Wicklow, also cheered on Nacewa's efforts. "It couldn't have gone better for us today. Nacewa is so consistent."
Steven Bourne, from Greystones, was blown away by Isaac Boss's contribution.
"Boss changed the entire pace of the game when he came on. He made a huge difference in my view."
Suspect quizzed over death of loving dad of two
A MAN was being questioned today about the death of a 37-year-old father of two little girls.
Paddy Connors was found dead in a pool of blood on a stairwell of an apartment building at Carrigtur, Springvalley, Enniscorthy, Co Wexford yesterday morning.
A man was arrested at the scene and detained at Enniscorthy Garda Station under section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act. He can be held for up to 24 hours with a possible extension of another eight hours before he is charged or released.
Detectives have not yet upgraded the investigation to murder but are treating the matter as suspicious. They believe the dead man suffered a number of blows.
The victim, who was a settled Traveller from a family of 11, was found lying on the stairs.
It is understood Mr Connors had been beaten before his body was found. He had been drinking in the apartment complex with a friend.
Mr Connors had recently bought his daughter Chantelle's communion dress. The eight-year-old was looking forward to her first Holy Communion next month. The dad to Chantelle and Nan (2) was know to his family as a "gentle soul".
He was separated from his partner but he enjoyed spending time with his daughters.
His parents, Elizabeth and Johnny, and siblings described Mr Connors as a "loving" and "kind" man.
His eldest sister Anne said: "He was the best father in the world. He was so protective of his two little girls, he lived for them.
"He had the girls for the Easter holidays and only left them back on Tuesday," she said.
"He had bought them Easter eggs and brought them to Mass on Easter Sunday and he had them lovely."
"We will never forget his beautiful smile and his lovely brown, curly hair and blue eyes," Anne added.
His daughter Chantelle was distraught, she said.
"She loved her daddy so much. If she had a cough, he'd run out and get her something for it. He was always worrying about the girls, he was a really caring person," she said.
His other sister, Brigid, described Paddy as "a great brother".
"His children were his life. He bought Chantelle a lovely communion dress and couldn't wait to surprise her with it.
"He was looking forward to seeing her on her Communion," she added.
Mr Connors lived in a house nearby and had been visiting a flat before his death.
They had been drinking together and its understood he tried to leave the flat but had been prevented from doing so. It's understood he made a call to a friend for help shortly before his death.
Bomb found under car of King Ratt hitman suspect
TARGET: Boyfriend of crime boss's ex survives assassination attempts
A BOMB has been found under the car of a man suspected of plotting to murder King Ratt's love rival.
The explosive device was discovered placed under a vehicle used by the man, close to his south Dublin home last Monday.
The target of the attack is an alleged gangster who gardai suspect of involvement in two attempts on the life of an innocent man currently dating Natasha McEnroe, crimeboss King Ratt's ex-girlfriend.
The man, in his 30s, is also suspected of involvement in the unrelated rape, kidnap and murder of Roma teenager Marioara Rostas in 2008.
The bomb was found underneath his car in south Dublin in the early hours of Monday morning.
The area was sealed off for a time before being later declared safe. The device was handed over to the gardai for examination.
Gardai are investigating if the incident is linked to gun attacks on the new boyfriend of King Ratt's ex, or if there is another motive.
There is no suggestion that Ms McEnroe or her partner are involved, but rivals of King Ratt may have used the situation as a pretext for attacking the man, gardai believe.
The targeted man, along with an associate, is the chief suspect in two botched assassination attempts made against Ms McEnroe's new man this year.
The pair are understood to have agreed to a €20,000 contract killing ordered by associates of King Ratt.
murder
Ms McEnroe's new love interest miraculously survived the latest murder attempt after the two-man hit team fired two shots at him on March 29.
The target was sitting in a car on Charlemont Street, close to St Stephen's Green, when shots were aimed at him from a passing vehicle.
One bullet hit the door while another shattered the window of the car -- but Ms McEnroe's boyfriend was not hit.
The gunmen's car was later found crashed near Peter's Place. The occupants had fled and there was no sign of the weapon.
Gunmen broke into the Ranelagh home Ms McEnroe shares with her new partner in January but he ran for his life, jumping from a window as a gunman climbed the stairs, while another gunman held Ms McEnroe at gunpoint.
Gardai had warned the couple on December 31 that their lives were in danger.
The couple's home in Ranelagh has been under 24-hour garda protection since the incident in January.
There is no suggestion that Ms McEnroe or her new partner had any involvement in the bomb incident last Monday.
Jailed gangster King Ratt split with Ms McEnroe last November.
The suspect who was targeted on Monday last is a known associate of slain gangster Eamon 'The Don' Dunne.
He is also a suspect in the kidnap and rape of Marioara Rostas in January 2008. Detectives believe the 18-year-old was abducted, raped and murdered within 24 hours of vanishing in Dublin after an encounter with a well-known criminal. Her body has never been found.
In the hours before her suspected murder, the teenager made a last, frantic phone call to her older brother in Romania.
The alleged hitman is also believed to be behind the shooting of two security guards at St James's Hospital on August 16, 2009.