What a great weekend I had in Dublin Ireland! We left Coventry
before 6am on Friday for our flight to Dublin. We caught a train to Birmingham
International, and had a quick 40 minute flight over to Ireland. Everyone
seemed to sleep on the flight but myself. I was dealing with my ears constantly
popping due to the pressure changes, so it wasn’t the most enjoyable short
flight I have had.
Once we arrived in Dublin, we took a bus to Aviva Stadium. Aviva
Stadium is the home of both the Irish Rugby Union team and the Republic of
Ireland National Football team. Martin Murphy, the Stadium Director at Aviva
Stadium, spoke with us about the history of the stadium and what he does for
them. We then took a tour of the stadium for about an hour, and then had a
great lunch at a hotel across the street.
After lunch, the students went to back to Aviva Stadium to have
class for a couple hours. The group of graduated seniors went to the hotel to
check in early. We enjoyed a nice Guinness at the hotel and then headed to
explore the city a little bit. While looking for food in the city, we came
across the Auld Dubliner. For all my Tucson friends, this is the real Dubliner,
not the want to be Dubliner on University. There was great music, great food,
and great beer. It was great getting a real taste of Ireland. We then went back
to the hotel where I took a nap. This nap however quickly turned into a full
nights sleep. I was fully rested for the busy Saturday ahead.
On Saturday we walked over to Croke Park, the headquarters of
the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). This was an awesome experience. Croke
Park is the 4th largest stadium in all of Europe. It is pretty cool
being able to tour 2 of the 4 largest stadiums in Europe so far on this trip. First
we went on their Skyline tour. This was a walkway that went all the way across
the top of the stadium. We were able to get views of every part of Dublin. It
has only been open for less then 2 months, so we were one of the first large
student groups to take the tour. Dublin is really a beautiful city with a rich
history. After the Skyline tour, we toured the stadium and visited the GAA
Museum.
Croke Park is best known for hosting Gaelic football games, and
Hurling. Both of these sports are very foreign to Americans. Gaelic football is
a mix between soccer and rugby. Hurling is a mix between field hockey,
lacrosse, and rugby. While walking through the GAA Museum, I learned more about
the history of both of these sports. They had video of some of the championship
games that have been played in the stadium. I was very impressed seeing people
successfully play a game that looks so tough to play. I walked away from the
experience with a new respect for two sports that I didn’t even know existed
the day before.
After the tour of Croke Park, a group of us grabbed a quick bit
to eat then headed to the Guinness Storehouse, home of the Guinness beer. On
this tour I was able to learn everything there is to know about Guinness, from
the ingredients and how it is made, to its founder Arthur Guinness and the
history of the beer. I even became certified to pour the perfect pint of
Guinness. So if anyone needs help pouring a Guinness the correct way, I would
be happy to show you. To finish the tour, we enjoyed a Guinness in the Gravity
Bar at the top of the Storehouse. This was another great view of the city of
Dublin.
At night, a large group of us went to the Temple Bar, which is
know as Dublin’s cultural quarter, and is famous for its nightlife. We went
from bar to bar, and pub to pub, to see everything the area had to offer. It
was also a Saturday night, so there was a great crowd everywhere we went.
Today we got to sleep in before catching a plane back to
England. When we got back to Coventry, I had a chance to Skype with my
girlfriend and family to catch them up on everything I have done on the trip
thus far. The next week is going very busy and fun. We are traveling to
Blackpool tomorrow where we will stay for a couple nights. We will get to see a
practice round of the British Open, as well as the first round on Thursday. After
the first round of the British Open on Thursday, we will travel to Manchester
to watch the USA Basketball team play Great Britain in an exhibition match. I
will make sure to keep everyone posted on the great experiences to come. Thanks
again for following my blog!!
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