Trekking around Ireland

I know its been awhile since my last post, but I've been busy on and off the court recently (Jersey shore season three just started)  Currently my dad and uncle are visiting and I have gotten a chance to see some amazing  sights, such as the Ring of Kerry (The Ring of Kerry is on the Southwest coast and is a beautiful drive along the Atlantic Ocean) . We toured around Cork City and went to a local pub for a few pints and listened to a traditional Irish band.  We also went to the Blarney Castle, where we kissed the Blarney Stone, which is supposed to give you the gift of gab (dont know how thats working out) While Ireland is a hot tourist destination in the Summer, lets just say that its not too desirable in the winter months. When stopped in a small town off the  Atlantic coast called Waterville, we realized that we may be the only three tourists in Ireland in January (Its absolutely freezing here!)

a couple pics i took on the Ring of  Kerry

On the court The Eagles suffered a crushing defeat a few weeks ago. We lost in the National Cup Semifinals (The national  cup is a single elimination tournament that spans throughout the season, with the final being at the end of Jan.) Playing in front of  a rowdy crowd in Cork, we lost a hard fought game, falling by 11 pts. We bounced  back the next weekend as we travelled up to Belfast, Northern Ireland to take on Belfast Star (sorry Kyler, I didn't see any murals)  We came out firing on all cylinders and opened up a 15 pt. lead in the first quarter and we never looked back. We played tough defense all game long and won 91-55. Despite our loss in the national cup, we still have a chance to win the conference and the league. We are currently in 1st place in the South Conference and control our own destiny at 11-2.

The Holidays..... and Spain

After almost four months of straight basketball, we got a well deserved break for the holidays. It was too far and expensive for me to get back to Portland, so I decided to make a 4 day trip to Barcelona, Spain. The trip began with me and this 60 year old alcoholic Irishmen named Franco drinking in the Dublin Airports pub at 8 in the morning before my flight. We met at the train station and decided to split a taxi to the airport. Franco ended up paying for the entire taxi, but told me I had to buy him a pint. I’m thinking “A pint? Its 8 in the morning” But I guess in Ireland that doesn’t matter. A bit drunk and tired, I nearly missed my flight to Barcelona, but luckily made it on to the plane. I had a great time in the city. Barcelona is an amazing place with tons to do and see. During the day I walked around and saw many interesting sites. I was especially impressed with the numerous cathedrals around the city.  The nightlife was awesome as well. I went to a few swanky clubs with people who i met at the hostel I was staying at. I definitely recommend going to Barcelona if you ever have a chance
                                  

                                       Cathedral in Barcelona


I arrived back in Dublin on Christmas eve and my roommate had me over to his house for christmas. I had a great time in “The Big Smoke” as they call it and am very appreciative of Scott for letting me stay at his house.
    Now I am back to work in Limerick. Our first game after break was against 1-10 Moycullen from Galway. While our offense was a little stagnant in the first half, we eventually got hot and put away Moycullen, winning 79-45. Next up we take on the Saints of DCU in Dublin. They are a hot team, as they recently handed Killester its first loss of the season. The game is set for Sat. Jan 8 at 3 in Dublin. Updates to come...