Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland fans awarded medal by Paris by city mayor Anne Hidalgo on Thursday

The medal, known as the Grand Vermeil, was presented to Jamie Monaghan, a Republic of Ireland fan, and representatives from the Northern Ireland supporters club.

SOUNDBITE (English) Phillip Monaghan, Republic of Ireland fan:

"I'm thrilled for my son because he's disabled and he's a big Irish fan, it's a great honour for him and a great honour for our family. We're getting an awful lot of plaudits at home in Ireland and Jamie's now become a celebrity in his own right. I'm absolutely delighted, it's as big an award as he's going to get and he'll now be a famous Irish supporter and he can't go out now without anyone recognising him."

SOUNDBITE (English) Phillip Monaghan, Republic of Ireland fan:

"It's just in the Irish DNA, we'll mix with anyone and we go and have a good time, we'll enjoy ourselves, we'll go home to bed and get up the next day and do it again and that's just the way we are. We like a good party. I think it's handed down the generations in Ireland that culture, that we mix, we go have a good time and we'll party and we'll enjoy ourselves. Whether we win or lose we enjoy ourselves and we don't take things to much to heart. We just go out and have a good time."