I wanted to start a separate thread about the Friendship Series in Belfast on Nov. 28-29, 2025.
Here’s the release again:
Miami Hockey to Participate in 2025 Friendship Four - Miami University RedHawks (miamiredhawks.com)
Barring any major life event, we’re in.
Who else is interested? And has anyone been to Belfast that can offer some insight?
I have been to Belfast a couple of times. Our son and I are planning a trip to Ireland including Belfast in September of ‘25. I will try to make a list of highlights (there are many)as the game approaches. Do you know yet how long? Will you rent a car? The trains and buses are great.
Completely preliminary at this point but we’ll probably spend a week there, starting in Dublin.
Our biggest questions were about getting around and/or the need for a rental car. I haven’t driven a stick in 25 years and it was on the right side of the road.
Anything you can add would help.
@bluehawks and I are interested! Thanks for starting this thread, it’ll be my first time in Europe!
Went and applied for my passport already!
Trains run between Dublin and Belfast. My advice is to stay away from rental cars for the reasons you listed. Fly overnight, get a car, get out of the parking lot. Traffic circles. VERY narrow roads. Nope. Not me. Public transportation is the way to go. I’ll try to come up with a list of non tourist pubs. A tourist must, however, is to tour the Guinness facility. The tour sucks, but the bar at the top of the building is a 360 degrees glass place. One free beer, a great view.
My kid’s Eaglebrook School hockey team did a 10 day tour of Ireland, Northern Ireland and England in 2008. They played two games in Belfast. His favorite point of interest in Belfast was seeing where the Titanic was built and launched.
My wife and I did a guided tour of the southern half of Ireland this past summer: Dublin, Galway, Killarney, Waterford, Kilkenny. In Dublin, do the Book of Kells experience at Trinity College. And of course, do Temple Bar and Grafton Street. If you’re into museums, we did the Museum of Archaeology and the National Art Gallery. I’m not big into art, but the art is around Ireland’s complicated history, so that made it interesting for me.
We had the benefit of a guided tour, so we were on a bus, but riding around, buses and trains were plentiful.
Everyone make sure to go to a bar in a Catholic part of Belfast and order a black and tan.
Chuck - are you trying to get someone killed?
This is not the single best piece of advice Chuck has ever given
My lovely wife and I were two of three customers in a pub in Belfast (The Crown, I believe). The gentleman with us at the bar explained how he felt as a child the bombings at the hotel across the street were something that were going on as everyday occurrences everywhere in the world. It was only after he grew older he realized differently. We drank and conversed, he loved country music, and in the end he gave me a pub polo shirt out of his bag. Turns out he was a partner in the business. “We love Americans who can carry on a knowledgeable conversation about The Troubles.”
My goodness, that’s horrifying.
I’m a strong maybe! Not really the time of year I was hoping to explore Ireland, but the tradeoff of some Miami hockey isn’t too shabby…
Same here but I’ve got to do it.
I looked it up: 50/41 averages. 13 days of rain, 3.0 inches in November.
Looks like doing a Monday-to-Tuesday to Dublin is less than half the cost of Saturday-to-Sunday on Thanksgiving week.
Flights are around $600 from Cincinnati, $500 from Chicago (and direct to Dublin out of ORD). Saturday before to Sunday after is over $1,300 from Cincinnati.
Hotel prices look pretty reasonable. Mid-100s range for some 4.2 and 4.3s.
That’s exactly what I was thinking. Would have been great if they could have done it to start the season in October! Regardless, I’m a strong maybe as well!
And pound your fist on the bar and yell, “Now, William of Orange…that was a real arse kicker!”
I adore Ireland, and the Irish people are among the best in the world! I encourage anyone who can get there to make the trip, either for the ball game or just a vacation. However, if you are going to Northern Ireland, you simply must take the time to learn about The Troubles and the reasons for the division of this island nation. And if you get to Dublin, take in Kilmainham Gaol before or after your stop at the Guinness brewery. Then, keep your opinions on the subject to yourself. Americans have little business sounding off about political tensions in somebody else’s back yard. Besides, the best part about visiting other countries is returning home with terrific memories, not bruises.
I had a trip to Ireland planned for April 2020, you can guess how that went. Still trying to find a time to finally go and use my Aer Lingus credit.
(To be clear, everyone, I was making a dumb joke above. If you go, don’t do that unless you want your face rearranged. Be a nice guest to your hosts!)