2013 Ohio Northern Football Trip to Ireland
May 13-21, 2013
Dublin / Galway / Killarney, Ireland
Ohio Northern
vs.
University College Dublin
& The Meath Bulldogs
| Trip Booklet (.pdf) |
| ONU Photo Gallery |
| ONUSports Facebook Page |
| ONU Football Facebook Page |
| University
College-Dublin | Facebook Page |
| Meath
Bulldogs Website | Facebook
Page |
| NFL-Ireland.com |
| Global
Football.com |
Schedule
Monday, May 13 - Team flies overnight from Cleveland to Dublin, Ireland
Tuesday, May 14 - GAA Museum / Croke Park Stadium Tour / Guinness Storehouse / Practice - | Photos |
The Polar Bears landed in Dublin and immediately set out sightseeing, touring the legendary Croke Park stadium, home of the Gaelic Athletic Association games of Gaelic football and hurling. GAA superstar Brian Mullens and Patrick Steenberge of Global Football spoke with the team prior to taking the tour. The team then had lunch and a few hours to tour downtown Dublin and took in a tour of the Guinness brewery storehouse. Next came a practice from 6-8 pm. Mullens, who is now the director of athletics at UC-Dublin, gave the players a clinic on Gaelic football, which the players really enjoyed.
Wednesday, May 15
- Dublin Sightseeing - Game Day!
Ohio Northern 43, University College Dublin All-Stars 0 - | Recap | Photos | Box Score |
Ohio Northern vs. combined team of
University College Dublin & other All-Stars from
the
NFL-Ireland league
The team went sightseeing in Dublin in the morning, touring St. Patrick's Cathedral and the famous Trinity University in downtown Dublin prior to the game Wednesday evening. After the Polar Bear victory, the players and UCD staff hosted dinner and a reception on campus for the team.
Thursday, May 16 - Travel to Galway via Trim Castle - | Photos |
The tour continued on Thursday with a trip across the country to Galway on the western coast of the island. A stop at Trim Castle, where several scenes of the movie "Braveheart" were filmed, broke up the trip. The players then had some time to tour the small (pop. 1,441) town in County Meath which was founded by St. Patrick in the fifth century.
Friday, May 17 - Aran Islands Full Day Excursion - | Photos |
Day 4 of the tour kicked off with a 45-minute ferry ride to the Aran Island of Inishmore, the largest of the three rocky islands located to the West of Galway in the Atlantic Ocean. The barren, rocky island is heavy in the Gaelic traditions and the Irish language is spoken here. A short hike led to Don Aengus, which is a prehistoric fort built around 1100 B.C. Its walls go right up to a 300-foot cliff overseeing the Atlantic Ocean. A beautiful sunny day made this a wonderful experience for the players and staff.
Saturday, May 18 - Travel to Killarney - The Burren / Cliffs of Moher - | Photos |
Trevelling south of Galway through The Burren and to the Cliffs of Moher highlighted Day 5. The Burren is a rocky area of limestone with cracks running through it, where many diverse forms of plant life thrive. The Cliffs of Moher are a stretch of more than 5 miles of cliffs overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and rise to as high as 702 feet above sea level. The team arrived in Killarney in time for dinner.
Sunday, May 19 - Ring of Kerry Full Day Excursion - | Photos |
The most scenic day came on Day 6, as the team took a bus tour of the Ring of Kerry, a road that travels the perimeter of the Iveragh Peninsula in County Kerry. The weather cooperated nicely and the views of the Atlantic Ocean, the lakes of Killarney and McGillicuddy's Reeks mountain range were spectacular.
Monday, May 20 - Travel to Dublin via Blarney Castle - | Photos |
The seventh and final full day in
Ireland was spent travelling back to Dublin from Killarney,
stopping at the famous Blarney Castle. Most of the players took the
opportunity to kiss the Blarney
Stone, which legend states gives one the gift of gab. The final
dinner of the trip was highlighted by traditional Irish music and
Celtic dancing at the Arlington Bar and Hotel on the River Liffey
in downtown Dublin.
Tuesday, May 21 - Staff & Players return home