THE BIG DAY

Dan Fynes looks back at a great St Patrick’s Day

From Wednesday to Sunday of the week of St Patricks Day, it was all systems go for the DFBSSC as we hosted visitors in for the festivities. On Wednesday, the rst of our group arrived in to Dublin from Southampton, New York, and were welcomed by DFB members Peter Fitzgerald, Richie Hunter and Aidan Leavy. ey were brought to Avoca in Malahide for some breakfast, then into visit the Castle in Malahide, swi ly on to Howth to see the sights and have a welcome drink in Findlaters. Once checked in, they were brought around town where they met up with some DFB personnel for a catch up and a pint. On ursday morning, the rest of the Southampton visiting party arrived in Dublin, all be it four hours later than expected... but for the crew already here, they got to enjoy our presentation to retired member Paul Hand and breakfast in the Training Centre. It was then into the city where our visitors got to enjoy a fantastic whiskey tasting experience by Derek King of Exploration Irish Whiskey in the enchanting setting of the Palace Bar that had celebrated its 200th birthday earlier that week.

Visits

Once all the late arrivals had checked in, we made our way over to Trinity College to visit the book of Kells and the long Library, then over to e Pavilion bar for some food and refreshments. anks very much to Cathal Ryan and Trinity College for looking a er our visitors so well. A er a quick change, it was over to e Church Bar on Jervis Street for welcome drinks with all the visitors who would be joining us for the parade the following day. It was there we met Fire ghters from all over the USA, Canada, and Europe who were marching with us. A great night was had by all and huge thanks to the Church Bar sta for accommodating us on such a busy night.

Parade

An early start on St Patrick’s Day had us all in Phibsboro station for 9am, where breakfast and co ee were just what the doctor ordered - thanks to Ken and co from C watch for their hard work on the morning. Following on, it was time to adjourn to the ball alley, where the now annual whiskey toast took place with all the visiting parties. Huge thanks to Lauren from Bushmills for providing this for us on the morning. en it was on to the ceremonial part of the morning and the main reason we meet and form up in Phibsboro: to remember all our colleagues who have passed away in the previous year. anks to Retired A/S/O Paul Greene who was our Grand Marshall for the day, for his role in this. When the time came, we all formed up and made our way to the start of the parade. Once in place, it was time to soak up the atmosphere which was a taste of things to come in the parade. It was as busy a parade route as I have ever seen, with amazing support and encouragement from all there to see the parade pass by. It was a great experience for all who took part, and one I would strongly recommend it to anyone who hasn’t done it yet. Following the parade, it was straight into Dicey’s in Harcourt Street for food and well-earned refreshments. anks to everyone who took part and helped in organising a great day for all. anks to the sta of Dicey’s for their hard work on the day too.

Experience

e day a er the night before, we met with our guests and regrouped in the Ha’penny Inn to gather our thoughts while the families who were visiting were whisked away for a treetop adventure in Avondale, Co Wicklow. A huge thanks to Maria Markey for organising, and to Brian Gunning who was on driving duty for the day. A day that was unlike all our visitors had ever encountered, and one hopefully they remember for a long time. For the rest of us, where better to watch the Grand Slam e orts of our rugby team in the Guinness 6 Nations than in the home of Guinness? Following the tour of Guinness organised by Ed Walsh, we watched the Irish team win a deserved grand slam, a feat that hadn’t been accomplished since 2018. Although, we watched that happen with visitors from

Southampton that year too, maybe they are good luck charms for the Irish rugby team, a point made by more than one of them on the day. anks to Guinness for looking a er us so well. Following on from Guinness, we made our way to e Giddy Dolphin in Temple Bar where we nished o the night with good company and great live music. A tting end to a busy few days. e following morning, we met for the last time to see o our visitors at the Trinity City Hotel and wish them safe travels for their journey. ere was plenty of water for the bus journey…

Thanks

A lot of organisation goes into trips like these from both sides, so I would like to thank all who made the trip to Dublin, and we hope you enjoyed your time here as much as we did having you. To all of those from Dublin, it wouldn’t be possible to organise a trip without the commitment and time given up by you all. Not only by the individual, but the people at home who enable it to happen, so a massive thanks to all who made it possible. While I acknowledge that it takes many people, I would like to pay a special thanks to Matt Shimkus from Southampton Fire Dept. Matt has put massive amounts of work into making this happen since our friendship with the SFD started in 2018. Not only for the trips here, but also the return visits we have had to the Hamptons, and he has been my point of contact for many months over the last six years. anks for everything. Lastly, I would like to thank all the DFBSSC committee, DFB personnel, DFB Management for their work and contribution in making this a busy and memorable trip for our visitors, with a special mention to Aidan Leavy, (our logistics manager who coordinated the collection and delivery of our guests for the duration of their visit) e Executive Committee of the DFBSSC (Simon, Paul and Ger) and Declan Rice, without whom, none of it would have happened.