Up the Dubs!

Today started out with breakfast at 9:00 AM. Students were all excited about the opportunity to have a lie-in. After breakfast, they got on the bus and headed to Dublin to watch two Gaelic Football games at Croke Park. The drive from Waterford to Dublin took about two hours, so most students took a little nap on the way. When we got to Dublin, students ate lunches that they had packed back at Newtown Boarding School at a nearby park, called Mountjoy Square. After lunch, we headed for Croke Park to watch the games. Croke Park is a sport's stadium and is the principal stadium and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). Since 1884, the site has been used primarily by the GAA to host Gaelic games, most notably the annual finals of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship and Senior Hurling Championship. The walk to the game became more and more crowded with people the closer students got to the stadium. Street vendors were selling flags, headbands, jackets, and scarves. People were also beginning their celebrations at local pubs, so there was a great buzz. Once we were inside the stadium, we were channelled into a river of people all moving different directions. Students eventually found their seats in the Davin Stand with great views of the pitch. Students were introduced to Kildare and Meath first in the Minor Match. Meath was the winning team in this round, and it was a close game. Then students had some time before the next battle, so they indulged in hamburgers, hot dogs, and Cadbury's chocolate. YUM! Next, students were able to watch Dublin play Wexford. For much of the game, Wexford was in the lead, but Dublin pulled through in the second half and came out victorious. Ath Cliath 2-11 (17) to Loch Garman 1-10 (13). Up the Dubs! Since Dan is from Dublin, he was biting his nails and was nervous a few times throughout the match. "It was amazing to see how enthusiatic the supporters were from different counties," said Anica. Rachel said it was a great atmosphere. Brigid and Lottie purchased a Dublin jacket and a jersey, so they were thrilled to see Dublin won. Since students had learned how to play Gaelic Football on Saturday, they saw the combination of the American sports-basketball, football, soccer, and volleyball. Dan said the objective of Gaelic Football was to bring the ball, which is similar in appearance to a volleyball, down to the opponent's goal and score. Players could carry the ball while running, but every four steps they must dribble the ball like a basketball or kick and catch the ball. To pass the ball, players execute a move similar to an underhand serve in volleyball. In order to score, a player may kick the ball in the air through posts that are similar to the goal posts in American football. This will earn the team one point. Players may also kick the ball on the ground into a net similar to an American soccer net. Scoring this way will earn the team three points. After watching the matches, we headed to King’s Hospital for dinner. When we travel to Dublin next Saturday, we will be staying in King’s Hospital. Luis, Mar, and Raquel were eager to get back to Waterford to see Spain play Italy in soccer, so we ate dinner quickly and hopped back on the bus to Waterford. The game began while we were enroute, so we listened to it on the radio on the way down to Waterford. We arrived in Waterford to catch the last 10-15 minutes of the game. In the end, Spain was victorious over Italy with a score of 4 to 0. Go Spain! Mar and Raquel taught us a few Spanish chants and were thrilled to see their team win. When the game was over, we put a movie on for the students. Some kids watched the movie, others hung out in the Staff Room playing cards, and several hung out in the music hall playing piano, guitar, and dancing. Then bed time rolled around. After such a long day, you would think they would be ready for bed right away, but several of the girls were still quite energized from eating too much candy (Cough, cough-Ann Keating:). Around midnight, the lights were off and the rooms were quiet with everyone resting up for the exciting day that tomorrow would bring.

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