Photo Diary: “The MIZ to IRE experience” – Marching Mizzou travels to Ireland for the 2024 St. Patrick’s Day Parade
May 7, 2024
By Kolden Lam
Maneater photographer Kolden Lam documents his time with Marching Mizzou as they travel to Ireland to march in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade
In 2012 and 2016, Marching Mizzou marched in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Dublin. They returned to Ireland for the third time in mid-March, where they marched in Tipperary and Dublin for the 2024 St. Patrick’s Day Parade and toured the many hotspots that “the Emerald Isle” has to offer. I am a freshman journalism major and, as a member of Marching Mizzou’s color guard, I documented our trip and this extraordinary experience.
Senior Taylor Holmes and members of Marching Mizzou rehearse on the band practice field on March 13, 2024, in Columbia, Missouri. Along with this practice, we had two other practices from 4:15 to 6 p.m. on March 6 and March 7 to prepare for the two-and-a-half hour parade. We played our traditional tunes while circling back and forth on Providence Point.Marching Mizzou members arrive at the Dublin Airport on March 15, 2024, at approximately 9:10 a.m. The day before, we spent about 10 hours traveling to the Chicago O’Hare International Airport by bus with a lunch break at a Walmart in Bloomington, Illinois. The band was split into two separate flight groups. The first group departed at 5:30 a.m., and the second group at 9:30 a.m.Marching Mizzou members Mia Grant and Isabela Cruz pick up equipment at CLG Na Fianna. Upon arrival, we were greeted with pastries, coffee and tea by the staff. We also learned about Ireland’s native Gaelic games, hurling and Gaelic football. After a presentation about the rules and customs, we were separated into smaller groups and taken outside for an interactive session with athletic players.Sophomore Parker Hammerschmidt and freshman Elia Martindale practice their routines in preparation for the performance on the Gaelic Athletic Association grounds. We used the space for our last practice as Band 138. Some of the routines we practiced were “Eye of the Tiger” and “Stars and Stripes,” and we marched around the track to prepare for the two-and-a-half hour parade. An interesting fact about our tune, “Every True Son/Fight Tiger,” is that it is based off of the classic tune, “It’s a Long Way to Tipperary” by Jack Judge and Harry Williams. It’s a fun connection to the town of Tipperary because of its popularity during World War I.Freshman Ace Roach takes a picture of freshman Lyn Crow at The Rock of Cashel in Cashel, Ireland. Upon arriving at our first tour spot, we got a chance to look around at the ruins of the cathedral. The historical significance of the site was incredible. It is the site of King Aengus of Munster’s baptism by St. Patrick in 432, making Aengus Ireland’s first Christian king.Senior Libby Newman and junior Bre Magnuson hold up the Irish Daily Mail, featuring the Golden Girls on March 18, 2024. As we were traveling, we stopped at Texaco for a few moments to gather some snacks for the drive to the Cliffs of Moher. Looking around, a band member stumbled upon a newspaper with a story about the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, and the Golden Girls were mentioned: “Golden moment: Glitzy cheerleaders smile as they parade in Dublin.” I was surprised by how fast the story was published, and I have a lot of respect for the Irish Daily Mail’s timeliness.On the fourth day of our trip, we hiked across the famous Cliffs of Moher. After marching in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, we spent the last few days touring many hotspots of Ireland, such as the Guinness Storehouse, St. Patrick’s Cathedral and many historical buildings in Dublin. One aspect that made the cliffs special is that a few movies such as “The Princess Bride” and “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” were filmed there. We were hit with pouring rain as soon as we arrived, but we still appreciated every minute of our time there.An employee of EPIC, an Irish emigration museum, explains how to proceed through the museum to Marching Mizzou members. In each room, we learned about the history of Irish culture and why around 10 million people emigrated from Ireland. The attractions were uniquely designed and very engaging, taking us through many different stories of women’s history, literature and arts and activism.Amy Knopps, director of athletic bands, announces that Marching Mizzou received “Best Overall Band” out of the 13 participating bands in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade on March 19, 2024, at Taylors Three Rock. On the final day of our trip, we had our farewell dinner and watched the Irish Cabaret, which performed many songs and dances. Some of the band members, including me, got to go up on stage and learn a few moves from the performers. We concluded Band 138 by singing our alma mater, and celebrated President Mun Choi’s birthday, which happened to be on the same day.
“It’s been a phenomenal tour of Ireland,” Knopps said. “The St. Patrick’s Festival Parade was very special because we had half a million spectators along the route, so we got to share our gift of music with that many people that were so full of joy and energy and celebratory feelings regarding St. Patrick’s Day.”
Copy Edited by Jae Green and Briana Iordan | biordan@themaneater.com
Edited by Emily Skidmore | eskidmore@themaneater.com
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The Maneater has the right to remove comments that do not comply with policies surrounding hate speech.