Matt Fegan's Journal from the Ireland/Scotland Trip
Friday, Aug. 12 - Saturday Aug. 13
We left Cleveland Hopkins around 3 p.m., flew into Shannon, Ireland, via Newark, arriving in Ireland around 7 a.m., which felt like 2 a.m. our time. Our flights were smooth, but the time difference definitely took a toll. When we arrived, instead of going straight to the hotel and sleeping, we started our sight-seeing to try and overcome our jetlag.
Our first stop was the beautiful Cliffs of Moher in County Clare, which is a popular tourist destination for the views.
Then, we stopped for lunch in a small Irish town and got our first taste of the popular Irish dish of fish and chips. Interesting, when we got off the bus a man noticed our College of Wooster gear and told us that his daughter graduated from Wooster a couple years ago. None of us were familiar with her, and as I sit down to write this I can't remember her name.
Saturday night was our first group dinner. We went to a medieval banquet show at the Knappogue Castle, and enjoyed a five-course meal as well as traditional Irish singing and dancing. Some of our great fans that came along on the trip were involved in the entertainment. Ed and Linda Ramsier, as well as Charlie and Joan Kiper were chosen to sit at the table of kings and queens, and Tom Linn broke a rule of the castle and his punishment (or maybe our punishment) was for him to sing a song in front of the whole crowd.
By the time we got back to the hotel in Ennis, we were all exhausted, but found a quick minute to huddle in the lone WiFi hotspot in the hotel to contact friends and family back home. Hopefully, we can get a good night of sleep to be ready for our game tomorrow at 2 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 14
We slept in on Sunday, and for the most part the extra sleep allowed our bodies to complete the adjustment to the time difference.
At 2:00, we played a game against the Limerick Basketball Club at Christian Brothers School in Limerick. The games in Ireland were quite different than what we were used to, both with different rules and a different style of play and officiating.
Anyway, we lost our first game by eight after playing poorly in the first half and never being able to make up the difference. We were pretty disappointed, but hope to turn it around for our three remaining games.
Monday, Aug. 15
This morning we checked out of our hotel in Ennis and made our way to Dublin, with a few stops on the way. We stopped at Ailwee Cave and took a 35-minute tour which was pretty cool. Afterwards we attended a bird show in the same town, which Coach Cline will definitely tell you was his favorite part of the trip.
After checking into our hotel in Dublin, we made our way to our next group dinner at the Merry Ploughboy Pub. This was a traditional Irish style pub, again with a four-course meal and entertainment. There was a group of four singers, who are famous in Ireland and even tour the States, and we all enjoyed the show a lot.
Tuesday, Aug. 16
Tuesday morning we took a bus tour of Ireland's capital, Dublin. It was a beautiful city of roughly 1.5 million people but had the feel and atmosphere more of a small town than a big American city. We saw most of the big tourist attractions in Dublin, including the Famine Memorial, Trinity College, the Book of Kells, Parliament, the King's Castle, and probably even more I can't think of right now.
We had our second game on Tuesday night, and we came out a lot more ready to play and were able to get a win. The team we played, Dublin City, had a Wooster grad, Mike Trimmer. It was cool to talk with a guy that had so much in common with us, but was now settled with a wife and kid in Dublin.
In their gym, the Dublin team had pictures and articles of Wooster basketball posted on the walls, and kids were coming up and talking to us saying they knew all about us. It was obvious Mike Trimmer was proud of Wooster, and it was even passed on to younger people in Dublin.
After the game, the team treated us to a reception at a local pub, and even presented us with plaques with our names on it. Their generosity was great and we really enjoyed this game and experience.
Tuesday night we got a taste of Dublin's night life, and we'll just say it was a bit more fun than the UG on a Friday night.
Wednesday, Aug. 17
Today we were sad to leave Dublin because we enjoyed it a lot and it was a great city, but it is time to leave Ireland behind and make our way to the U.K. On our way to Belfast, we made stops at the Bushmills Distillery and Giants Causeway in Northern Ireland.
Our stay at the distillery was quick, but our time at Giants Causeway was great. It was one of the most beautiful scenic places I have ever seen, a great place to take pictures.
Thursday, Aug. 18
Thursday morning we took a bus tour of Belfast, which is the capital of Northern Ireland. It is a city with a history of religious wars, and even to this day the Catholic and Protestant parts of town are walled off at night. On the Protestant side, there is a mile long wall of art promoting peace, and visitors and residents are encouraged to write a message on the wall. Ian Franks couldn't resist writing "Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can't Lose," the catch line from our favorite television show, Friday Night Lights.
Our tour also took us to the place the Titanic was built and stored, a fact Belfast is very proud of, which is curious considering we all know the fate of the Titanic.
At night, we had our third game in a tiny gym, and won by a good margin.
After the game, we enjoyed a Belfast pub with all the great parents, fans, and supporters that came along on the trip. They were fun to hang out with, and it feels good to have such supportive fans.
Friday, Aug. 19
Today was basically a travel day, where we got on a ferry and made our way to Scotland. At night, we took in a Scottish show at the Prestonfield House, which is one of Scotland's most famous shows and people from at least 10 countries were in attendance. It was our first chance to try haggis, and let's just say I don't think anyone will be ordering it off the menu the rest of the trip.
Saturday, Aug. 20
Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland, and a beautiful, classical city of stone buildings and narrow streets, with a castle overlooking the entire city. Our visit is at the time of the annual festival that doubles the amount of people in Edinburgh and brings in tourists from all over the world.
We took a tour in the morning, which included a walk around the Holyroodhouse Palace, the place where the queen stays when she visits Scotland.
We played our final game tonight, and were able to win again. We finish our trip 3-1 and are certainly disappointed with the first game, but overall thought we played all right.
Sunday, Aug. 21
This morning, we went to the historic golf course St Andrews, where golf was invented. I'm pretty sure Coach Martin, a golf enthusiast, thought he died and went to Heaven. After playing a mentally-challenging 18 holes (of putt putt), we were exhausted and ready to go back to the hotel.
After relaxing all afternoon, the players decided to make a reservation to the Hard Rock Café in downtown Edinburgh. Although we did our best to appreciate local culture and cuisine all trip, we were all ready for a traditional American meal.
We're excited for a relaxing day tomorrow before we make our way home on Tuesday.
Monday, Aug. 22
Today was pretty much a free day. However, a group of us decided to wake up in the morning and climb a hill in Edinburgh that was the summit of the city and overlooked the whole region. It took a little bit of work to reach the top, but it was definitely worth it for the view at the summit.
At night, our whole group took in the Royal Military Tattoo, which was a great show of bagpipes and bands. As the "Fighting Scots," we definitely appreciated the bagpipes. This show was a great way to wrap up the trip.
Tuesday, Aug. 23
Back home today! It was a once in a lifetime opportunity and we all had a great time, but I think we're equally excited to be home.
We'll miss the beautiful Irish countryside, seeing new things, European night life, and some local food. We're excited to be back to sunny weather, home-cooking, and the start of I.S. (ha, ha, ha).
A special thanks to Frank Knorr for organizing the trip, the coaching staff for giving the players the opportunity to participate in the trip, and all those who donated time, energy, or money to allow the trip to happen. I speak for the whole team in saying we genuinely appreciate everything, and we look forward to seeing everyone back on campus.