It took Gavan Hennigan 49 days to row across the Atlantic but just 8 hours to fly back to Ireland, where he received a hero’s welcome yesterday (Catherine Sanz writes).
A crowd of supporters gathered in Dublin airport’s terminal 2, their excitement building during a two-hour delay.
The most impatient of all was Doireann Nea, three, the namesake of Mr Hennigan’s boat, who repeatedly told the crowd that “Uncle Gav” was due to arrive any second.
“I cannot wait to call him ‘Buckethead’,” she said, in reference to a nickname that developed after he photographed himself at sea with a bucket on his head. “I think his trip sounded like fun, but I am glad he’s coming home.”
Mr Hennigan, 35, from Galway, might have