For the UB men's rugby team, who spent Spring Break in Ireland for an international tournament and were in Dublin on the weekend of St. Patrick's Day, life couldn't be sweeter.
The 39 young men spent a week across the Atlantic Ocean on their first trans-continental tour as a team, paid for with the help of fundraising. The trip took them through Dublin and several neighboring towns -- and pubs.
"Ireland was fantastic," said Aaron Burberry, a sophomore biochemistry major. "The (people's) accents were so much fun."
After checking into their youth hostel on March 11, the team's first test of endurance was not experienced on the field, but rather in dragging their suitcases across Dublin at 7 a.m. in search of their first taste of Ireland.
The hungry athletes breathed sighs of relief when they found two drunken Irishmen stumbling into the only open pub. Breakfast was served and the first pint of real Guinness proved a pleasant welcome.
Six days later, on St. Patrick's Day, the narrow streets of Dublin were packed with an extravagant parade and masses of Irishmen celebrating by the mug-full. -- all of Dublin seemed to be jubilantly intoxicated.
One teammate, junior accounting major Fitz-James Adams, merrily made his way onto a giant float and waved to his teammates from up in the air.
Forget Cancun, they were experiencing the true college student's dream spring break.
"It was like one giant party all over the city," senior teammate Danny Ryan said.
For the team, St. Patrick's morning began with a trip to the Guinness factory. The guys decided that a tour would delay valuable celebration time, so they skipped it and went straight to the finale -- taste-testing at the bar.
"It blew me away how prestigious the Irish bars were compared to American ones," Burberry said.
Besides enjoying the three-level, impressively decorated pubs, the rugby team's foremost incentive for going to Ireland was to win their three games and experience rugby in a country that celebrates it with intense national pride.
Two of the games were great victories, demonstrating why the UB men's rugby team is number one in New York State. The team lost the third game by only a few points, but that failed to dampen their spirits.
The opportunity to cheer along with men in kilts at the Ireland v. Scotland international rugby match was the highlight of the trip for many men on the team.
"It was one of the craziest things I've ever seen," said Ryan. "The entire stadium was singing songs together. They have so much pride."
The match took place at Lansdowne Road, one of the oldest rugby stadiums in the world. The game they saw was the last ever to be held there, marking a momentous part of their trip as well as the history of rugby.
"We got to watch phenomenal rugby," Burberry said.
When not in their rugby uniforms earning fresh bruises, the team traveled beyond Dublin. While staying for a game in Castlebar, the group lived with local college students that were happy to accommodate the foreign rugby players.
"Everyone knew about us," said Rob Mercurio, the club's president who helped initiate the oversea voyage. "We were even in the news."
Admiring the rolling green hills and countless sheep throughout the countryside gave them the opportunity to appreciate Irish culture and atmosphere outside the pubs.
"Everybody was a lot more chill," Burberry said, comparing the small town lifestyle with that of the city.
After seven days of living with 38 other guys, most team members were exhausted and ready to return home. Upon his return, Mercurio was severely disappointed to drink a pint of American Guinness, which he feels cannot touch the quality of the genuine Irish brew.
"When I had my first sip, I almost choked on it," Mercurio said.
Photo: Courtesy of Matthew Messina, from the RMBERS' Instagram page
