The In-Between

Notre Dame vs Navy at Aviva Stadium

Between the Celtic Woman 20th Anniversary recording and Éabha's forum, I went to the Notre Dame vs Navy at Aviva Stadium. I wont write this one up in detail, but I'll give some highlights.

Dublin was a zoo that weekend. Tens of thousands of fans came over to watch the game. Dame Street (aka Notre Dame Street) was decorated for the occasion and was packed.

Before the game, there was a fun mini Irish drum and dance show and Lisa Lambe sang the Irish national anthem. I was in the upper deck on the opposite side of the field, so I could barely see her with my phone even fully zoomed in. She sounded fantastic though.

There were also some performances by the school bands before the game and during half time. I love the Notre Dame fight/victory song.

The setting sun had a nice effect shining through the top of the stadium.

Joe Montana (who won a national championship with Notre Dame before his career in the NFL) made a brief appearance.

Notre Dame won convincingly.

Kilruddery House and Gardens

We also paid a visit to Powerscourt (the gardens looked MUCH better than I remember them in 2018) as well as Kilruddery House and Gardens. Both grounds are large and really pretty.

Kilruddery House is where Lisa Lambe did an artist residency a few years ago, and also where Celtic Woman filmed I Saw Three Ships for the Postcards from Ireland: Holiday Edition / Christmas Cards from Ireland music video. We did a tour of the inside, including the statue room. The tour was pretty good. The gardens were also excellent. There were wooded trails, a cliff-top overlook of the mansion, and some cool hedge paths. It was on the same level as Powerscourt (maybe even better). I'd definitely recommend this for anyone in there area.

Mansion House

We took some photos outside the Mansion House in Dublin, where Celtic Woman: Destiny was filmed. That PBS special was a defining moment for some in our group.

Riverdance

We went to see Riverdance and got to meet Emma Warren after the show!