Junior School: Our Trip to Cork

Our Trip To Cork. (Click on any of the pictures below for a bigger version).   U 11s' Report. We caught the train at 10.30a.m. after buying our refreshments for the train in the station. Once we boarded, we packed our bags on the train and played cards, Gameboys and read books, chatted or simply relaxed on the journey. When we got off the train in Cork, we walked to our accommodation – Isaac’s Hostel – which was just across the road from the Metropole Hotel where the Irish U21 Team was staying. It was March 3rd and we were getting ready for the big match against CBC Cork. We walked up the steep hill to the school grounds and from there got a bus to the pitches, which were outside the city. After the Bs had notched up the first victory of the tour, the As came on to play. They also had a convincing victory and played well considering their early start that morning and the long journey. Following the matches, we had a feast in Christians Junior School and we returned to Isaac’s Hostel to prepare for the U21 International in Musgrave Park. We had great interest in the Irish squad because two past pupils of St. Michael’s – Aidan Kearney and Simon Keogh- had been selected. As the game progressed, it became obvious that Ireland was far superior to Italy and we hoped that they would reach 100 points before the final whistle. However, the Irish team was just 2 points short of reaching this target at the end of the game. After the game we were thrilled to meet our two school heroes – Simon and Aidan – who kindly had their photos taken with us. We were very proud to have such great players representing St. Michael’s and to have seen them play so well. Following this we travelled by bus into the city to McDonald's and had a much-welcomed meal of burgers and chips. We walked from there to the hostel where we fooled around for a while before going to bed. Isaac’s was very nice and very warm at night, and most importantly, the beds were very comfortable. Eventhough we were tired, we were afraid to fall asleep incase we would miss some action, but eventually we snoozed off. The next morning we had a very nutritious breakfast in preparation for our challenging match against Cork Constitution in Temple Hill. Having watched the Under 12s draw 10-10 in an exciting and hard-fought game, we took to the field full of enthusiasm. This was however a much tougher match than the previous day’s and was very physically demanding. We won, but because of our opponents’ strength we had to wait until the second half before scoring most of our points. After experiencing the wonderful hospitality of Cork Con, we boarded the bus and set off for Leisureplex. We bowled for an hour or so and then had lunch before dropping our bags at the train station and watching the Ireland v Italy match nearby. After what seemed like days we took the 5.30p.m. train to Dublin and arrived back in St. Michael’s before 9.00p.m. We had a very enjoyable and successful trip and we would like to thank, on behalf of the Under 11 squad, the coaches and teachers who organised this tour – Mark Byrne, JP Byrne, Pat Cleary, Brian Travers, Gareth Crowe, Mr. Knaggs, Mr. Carrigy, Mr. Barr, Mr. Wilson and Ms Burke. We would also like to thank the parents who travelled to support us. We have great memories of our first rugby tour with St. Michael’s and we look forward to next season. Conor Cleary, Conal MacMahon, Patrick Mallon and Alex Walsh. * * * * * U 12s' Report. It all started when we lifted our heavy bags on to the train. Most of us played cards or chatted about the big rugby match we had to play that day. We arrived about 3 o’clock and we stretched our legs for the first time in a while. We all started to think about the match. We had a short walk to Isaac’s Hostel . It was very nice and there were about 10 beds in each room. There were big windows to look out at Cork city. Once we had our rugby gear on we were set to go. The C.B.C. rugby coach met us at the door of the hostel. We climbed up a very steep hill to their club where we got a bus to their grounds. Without delay the match got underway. It was an easy enough match with St. Michael’s Under 12As winning 39-5. However, C.B.C. Cork put up a very good fight especially in the second half. We went back to the club where they had lots of tasty food for us which was very thoughtful of them. We waited outside for a while kicking the rugby ball around and then off we went. We walked back to the hostel where we had a rest for about an hour. Most of us talked to each other about the match. Then we were called to go to the Ireland Under 21 match against Italy. Most of us wanted to see the two St. Michael’s College past pupils- Simon Keogh and Aidan Kearney. They beat Italy with an amazing 98 point win. Straight after this we went to McDonald’s where we had a lovely meal. We went back to the hostel and stayed up for a while but went to bed soon enough because we had another big match early the following morning. In the morning we got up early and had breakfast and got our things packed to go. When we arrived in Cork Constitution we got changed into our rugby gear and got ready for the match. It was a good match but in the end the Under 12s drew 10-10. After that we had a fun game of bowling in Leisureplex…and also had chips and a burger there. Sadly it was time to go – we picked up our heavy bags and walked to the train station. Our train was late so we watched the first half of the Ireland v Italy match. We just rested on the way back to Heuston Station. We arrived there at 9.00 p.m. and we went home after a very successful weekend. David Moran. * * * * *