Jan. 8, 2005
As the Notre Dame men’s swimmers and men’s and women’s divers continue their training and competition trip to Ireland, junior Doug Bauman and sophomore Louis Cavadini chronicle the middle part of the journey, which featured a trip to Limerick and sightseeing in Dublin.
Check back soon for more from Doug and Louis on this part of the trip, as well as further diaries, photo galleries, and features on und.com.
Friday, December 31
14:00 in Ireland/9 a.m. in South Bend
Dear Diary:
We finally get done packing the bus for Limerick and leave the Travelodge. Luckily for assistant coach Matt Tallman, Rob Seery left his mesh bag at the pool so he (Matt) had a reason to stop by the pool to get the clipboard he had left. Oops! On the way to Limerick, we have to stop, because a group of college guys forgot to use the restroom before leaving Dublin. We reload the bus, and after Tim counts everyone, we come up with one extra. This lady got on our bus instead of hers … and her bus left. Idiot! The second part of the bus trip was a little bit more interesting than the first. Eoin (our bus driver) asks us if we would like to watch a “horror” movie that he started earlier. Interested in what “Irish Horror Movies” had to offer, we said yes. Little did we know, this “horror” movie was actually “Scary Movie,” starring the Wayans brothers. Whammy! Watching genital shots with your coaches and their wives … awkward. Coach Tim Welsh said, “That was the worst bus movie ever,” and was relieved when teammates Frank Krakowski and Dean Fernandez agreed. Boom!
19:30 in Ireland/2:30 p.m. in South Bend
The Kilmurry Lodge is a site for sore eyes after being at the Travelodge. The inside smelled of rich mahogany, and there were many leather-bound books. With the Kilmurry Lodge at three stars, our combined star hotel status (with the Travelodge) was up to four stars! We had a nice dinner with the choice between salmon and chicken … take that Little Chef! That night some guys went out to discover Limerick for themselves, but most of the team embraced the coming of the New Year watching the T.V. clock turn from 23:59 to 00:00. (Hmmmm … dejá vu of last year?) This provided for a festive atmosphere, causing everyone to fall asleep in their rooms. Happy New Year Irish … Boom!
Saturday, January 1, 2005
7:10 in Ireland/2:10 a.m. in South Bend
Good morning Irish! We decided to break in 2005 with a two-hour workout at the 50-meter pool at the University of Limerick. This pool is very interesting, with its co-ed open changing rooms, hot pool, and moveable floor that is always 0.9 meters deep … great for wading. Boom!
12:00 in Ireland/7 a.m. in South Bend Dear Diary:
We decide to get a little taste of Irish cuisine and leave our American tastebuds behind for lunch. Our choices were to walk to either Domino’s Pizza, McDonald’s, or – for a real Irish treat – Chinese take-out! Oh yeah. Boom!
15:20 in Ireland/10:20 a.m. in South Bend
Second practice included a potpourri of more swimming and then a session of weights with staff member #5, Lisa “Bench Presser of Houses” Shall. At this point in time, some of the guys with weak shoulders were getting a little upset with staff member #6, Sal [our trainer], for not packing ice with him. Great going Sal.
**Note for next year’s trip: Go somewhere where they have ice.
As we board the bus to brave the four-minute journey to the hotel, Tim has some bad news. Apparently a cyclone made its way to Dublin for the first time in the modern age and damaged the two things that we needed to complete our training trip to Ireland: Aer Lingus and the pool in Dublin. Noise from the back of the bus lasts for up to 10 minutes, when Tim interrupts us to say that we will head back to Dublin tomorrow as scheduled, but without a pool. Our itinerary that was made a year in advance was basically shot. We were now on our own and had to learn to plan a training trip hour by hour. Boom!
Sunday, January 2, 2005
10:00 in Ireland/5 a.m. in South Bend
After our morning practice, we are told that lunch is negotiable, so if we want to eat we have to ASAP. We arrive at McDonald’s (famed for its Irish food) at 10:30, just in time for breakfast to close and lunch to begin. Sorry. No tots. Next we pack and make our way to church (which was non-negotiable). The Eucharist was popular that afternoon, as there were no lines, but more of a moving mob. We had to bum-rush the priest to get a little Jesus in us. Amen. Boom!
13:00 in Ireland/8 a.m. in South Bend
We leave for Dublin. On the way, we stop and tour Cashel Rock. The tour included: winds of 40 mph, Blue (Justin Barber) getting pooped on by a bird, finding that Roman architecture was started “somewhere in Italy,” and that sarcophagus is Latin for “flesh eater.” We leave Cashel well informed and head back to the Travelodge to meet our stranded divers. Boom!
22:00 in Ireland/5 p.m. in South Bend
No practice for a day and a half. Downtown Dublin – the party capital of the world – until then … that’s what I’m talkin’ about! Boom!
Monday, January 3, 2005
9:00 in Ireland/4 a.m. in South Bend
We get up and have breakfast at Little Chef (finally some good food) and start our exploration of Dublin. We first tour the Guinness factory. The tour was pretty cool, I guess, and our favorite part was getting a free sample at the end of the tour. Sweet! Ted Brown went up for seconds … lucky! (Just kidding.) Then we went to the Kilmainham Jail, an important Irish historical site that our tour guide claims has no ghosts living in it. Our tour guide informed us that many great Irish political figures were hanged at this very place. This actual very spot! There was only one way to conclude this afternoon … (by doing what most guys would do) shop in downtown Dublin for three hours! During our shopping spree, we saw such sites as Alan Carter and Bryan Guarnier splurging at overpriced shops and Frank Krakowski holding hands with a girl … (another thing we haven’t seen in 150 years). Boom!
19:30 in Ireland/2:30 p.m. in South Bend
Dear Diary:
Dinner was either fish or a vegetarian dish. Sal claimed that his fish hade a dorsal fin and Nemo (Louis Cavadini) had to leave dinner after getting squirted with ink by his fish. Boom!
22:00 in Ireland/5 p.m. in South Bend
Downtown Dublin, part two! You can say that again. Boom!