A Letter from Ireland: Music and Spirit are Parts of a Compelling Mix

Friday, 31st August
As I was walking through St. Stephen's Green in Dublin this afternoon, I saw a stage and other equipment being set up. Given the beautiful setting and the even more gorgeous weather (maybe it seemed so gorgeous because it was so unexpected!), I had a little pang of jealousy when I heard that it was where Navy was going to have its pep rally prior to Saturday's Navy v. ND football game. Little did I know what the rest of the evening would entail ...

If you have not had a chance to see Notre Dame's Pep Rally, I would highly recommend that you watch it!!, I have not attended a Notre Dame pep rally (or any other kind, for that matter) since the first few home games of my freshman year (seven football seasons ago). I was fully expecting to grab my seat for the pep rally, sit in it for all of five or ten minutes, and then sneak out in the midst of the thousands gathered in the sold-out O2 Arena to do something else. Two hours and several standing ovations later, I could hardly believe the performance was over, much less that it had been two hours. It felt like 30 minutes. My favorite act was the Irish step dancer who faced off against the Irish drumline (41:16-46:50 in the above link).

From Drew Clary, Assistant Director, Institute for Educational Initiatives