Dec. 29, 2004
Notre Dame's official athletic website, www.und.com, will be the place to follow the University of Notre Dame men's swimmers and men's and women's divers, as they train, compete, and sightsee in Ireland from Dec. 29-Jan. 9. Frequent updates from the road - including diaries in the words of the student-athletes, photo galleries, and feature stories - will be posted on und.com over the next two weeks.
The Irish reconvened after Christmas break on Tuesday, and they will leave campus today, heading to Chicago's O'Hare International Airport for a non-stop flight into Dublin. The divers will stay in the Irish capital throughout the training and competition trip, while the swimmers will travel across the island nation to Limerick on Dec. 31 to train at the University of Limerick until Jan. 2. That group will then return to Dublin, with a shot stop in Kilkenny along the way. Among the highlights of the trip will be a tour of Dublin on Jan. 3, a tour of the Guiness Brewery on Jan. 5, and a visit to Kilmanem Jail on Jan. 6.
The trip culminates on Jan. 8 with a meet against various members of the Irish National Team, with diving beginning at 3:30 p.m. local time (Ireland is five hours ahead of South Bend) and swimming commencing at 4 p.m. The contest will take place in the beautiful National Aquatic Center.
The Irish will then return to campus on Jan. 9 in time to begin spring-semester classes on Jan. 11.
