North Carolina State University Athletics
Greetings from Ireland - Days 4-6
5/21/2010 12:00:00 AM | Pack Athletics
Day 4
Yesterday we loaded up the bus and left Killarney. We and our bus boarded the ferry for the brief ride across the River Shannon and headed up the west coast of Ireland through County to the Cliffs of Moher. These spectacular sandstone cliffs rise up almost 700 ft, from the Atlantic Ocean facing Galway Bay. The Aran Islands are also visible from the Cliffs. The famous Irish fisherman’s sweaters originated in the Islands. The Cliffs are also famous now because the Wolfpack gnome has paid a visit (thanks to Hans and Elizabeth Warren). On the way to the cliffs we passed the famous links course at Lahinch but the golfers were not allowed off the bus to visit.
After visiting the Cliffs we then turned east and headed for Dublin. On the way we passed through the Burren which is a large area of fairly barren limestone hills that were formed by glaciers during the last Ice Age. The hairpin turns through parts of the Burren were navigated quite expertly again by our bus driver, Mike. During the entire trip we did see lots of cows, sheep and a whole lot of very green grass...this is not called the Emerald Isle for nothing!
We arrived in Dublin in the evening and were very thankful to get off that bus!! Dublin is a very bustling European city and we look forward to seeing the sights.
Day 5
Today we spent the morning touring Dublin-a very old city established by the Vikings. There are two beautiful Cathedrals, Christ Church and St. Patrick’s, and in the city centre sits Trinity College, which was founded in the 16th century (just a tad older than NC State!). We were happy to finally leave the bus for lunch at Brazen Head Pub. The pub dates sback to 1198 and has been the meeting place for many Irish statesmen, revolutionaries and writers. It is conveniently located around the corner from the Guinness Brewery so resupplying is fairly easy! As of today it also has on its wall a dollar bill that says ‘Go Wolfpack!’ That should be there for the next thousand years or so!
Following lunch we headed up the street to tour the Guinness Storehouse, the brewery at St. James Gate that has been the home of Guinnss since 1759 and probably will remain so as Arthur Guinness negotiated a 9000 year lease for his new business - a pretty shrewd businessman. The tour was a lot of fun and ended with a pint...of course!
We will spend the next two days in Dublin before heading home... the golfers will be back at it and the rest of us will board that bus again. The two Brians continue to herd and keep track of us...haven’t lost anyone yet.
Day 6
The golfers were excited to get back to the links today. They left Dublin for Wicklow where four foursomes played at Druid’s Glen. They returned before dinner again (they always seem to show up for social hour and food). The foursome of Tom Saieed, Glenn Futrell, Bill Ritchie and Tom O’Brien also returned with a little extra spending money but all showed up with sunburns...not a common occurrence in Ireland.
Non-golfers boarded the bus for the Wild Wicklow Tour guided by Steven of the Seven Sisters (he grew up in a crowded household!) who also was historian, comedian and bus driver. He was very entertaining and took us first to the seacoast towns of DunLaoghaire and Killiney (Bono and Jonathan Rhys Meyers have homes here). We then headed west towards the Wicklow Mountains and began our ascent into the beautiful Wicklow Mtn.National Park; an area of forests, peat bogs and glacial lakes the color of Guinness, naturally (the color is the result of water flowing through the peat) and one actually shaped like a pint of Guinness.
After one of the Brians rounded us up following lunch we drove to the monastery at Glendalough. The ruins here date from the 6th century, its most famous Abbot being St. Kevin who lived the life a hermit near the monastery til his death in 618. The scenic grounds of the monastery include two lakes and a cemetary.
Once again we have been blessed with a dry and mostly sunny day.
A correction needs to be made regarding the gnome. He traveled to Ireland with Bill and Nancy Brawley and seems to be enjoying himself. Hans and Elizabeth Warren donated the dollar that now urges on the ‘Pack from the walls of the Brazen Head Pub. Thanks to Tom Saieed and Cathy Boyette for searching the Cliffs of Moher for and finding two four-leafed clovers which will return with us to NC State.
Cheers!
Yesterday we loaded up the bus and left Killarney. We and our bus boarded the ferry for the brief ride across the River Shannon and headed up the west coast of Ireland through County to the Cliffs of Moher. These spectacular sandstone cliffs rise up almost 700 ft, from the Atlantic Ocean facing Galway Bay. The Aran Islands are also visible from the Cliffs. The famous Irish fisherman’s sweaters originated in the Islands. The Cliffs are also famous now because the Wolfpack gnome has paid a visit (thanks to Hans and Elizabeth Warren). On the way to the cliffs we passed the famous links course at Lahinch but the golfers were not allowed off the bus to visit.
After visiting the Cliffs we then turned east and headed for Dublin. On the way we passed through the Burren which is a large area of fairly barren limestone hills that were formed by glaciers during the last Ice Age. The hairpin turns through parts of the Burren were navigated quite expertly again by our bus driver, Mike. During the entire trip we did see lots of cows, sheep and a whole lot of very green grass...this is not called the Emerald Isle for nothing!
We arrived in Dublin in the evening and were very thankful to get off that bus!! Dublin is a very bustling European city and we look forward to seeing the sights.
Day 5
Today we spent the morning touring Dublin-a very old city established by the Vikings. There are two beautiful Cathedrals, Christ Church and St. Patrick’s, and in the city centre sits Trinity College, which was founded in the 16th century (just a tad older than NC State!). We were happy to finally leave the bus for lunch at Brazen Head Pub. The pub dates sback to 1198 and has been the meeting place for many Irish statesmen, revolutionaries and writers. It is conveniently located around the corner from the Guinness Brewery so resupplying is fairly easy! As of today it also has on its wall a dollar bill that says ‘Go Wolfpack!’ That should be there for the next thousand years or so!
Following lunch we headed up the street to tour the Guinness Storehouse, the brewery at St. James Gate that has been the home of Guinnss since 1759 and probably will remain so as Arthur Guinness negotiated a 9000 year lease for his new business - a pretty shrewd businessman. The tour was a lot of fun and ended with a pint...of course!
We will spend the next two days in Dublin before heading home... the golfers will be back at it and the rest of us will board that bus again. The two Brians continue to herd and keep track of us...haven’t lost anyone yet.
Day 6
The golfers were excited to get back to the links today. They left Dublin for Wicklow where four foursomes played at Druid’s Glen. They returned before dinner again (they always seem to show up for social hour and food). The foursome of Tom Saieed, Glenn Futrell, Bill Ritchie and Tom O’Brien also returned with a little extra spending money but all showed up with sunburns...not a common occurrence in Ireland.
Non-golfers boarded the bus for the Wild Wicklow Tour guided by Steven of the Seven Sisters (he grew up in a crowded household!) who also was historian, comedian and bus driver. He was very entertaining and took us first to the seacoast towns of DunLaoghaire and Killiney (Bono and Jonathan Rhys Meyers have homes here). We then headed west towards the Wicklow Mountains and began our ascent into the beautiful Wicklow Mtn.National Park; an area of forests, peat bogs and glacial lakes the color of Guinness, naturally (the color is the result of water flowing through the peat) and one actually shaped like a pint of Guinness.
After one of the Brians rounded us up following lunch we drove to the monastery at Glendalough. The ruins here date from the 6th century, its most famous Abbot being St. Kevin who lived the life a hermit near the monastery til his death in 618. The scenic grounds of the monastery include two lakes and a cemetary.
Once again we have been blessed with a dry and mostly sunny day.
A correction needs to be made regarding the gnome. He traveled to Ireland with Bill and Nancy Brawley and seems to be enjoying himself. Hans and Elizabeth Warren donated the dollar that now urges on the ‘Pack from the walls of the Brazen Head Pub. Thanks to Tom Saieed and Cathy Boyette for searching the Cliffs of Moher for and finding two four-leafed clovers which will return with us to NC State.
Cheers!
S2E26 Pulse Of The Pack
Monday, February 23
Beyond the Howl: The Road to Cary
Friday, February 20
S2E25 Pulse Of The Pack
Monday, February 16
S2E24 PulseOfThePack
Monday, February 09