Following rugby aces in Chicago
LAST weekend’s rugby match played between Ireland & Italy in Chicago may not have been a spectacular affair but for two Boyne members, Don Byrne and Seamie Briscoe, it was a memorable trip.
The reason being, Don Byrne was the lucky winner of Boyne Rugby Club’s all expenses paid trip for two to the game. The friends have been going to Ireland & Leinster games for nigh on 50 years and this was a fitting reward for the two rugby enthusiasts.
As Seamie says; “It really was the opportunity of a lifetime and whilst the game itself saw Ireland win comfortably, it was worth the admission price alone to witness the mercurial performance of Jordan Larmour. What a talent!
They call Chicago “The Windy City” strangely enough, not because of its climate, but because of some other fable attached to its history”.
As Don says; “it’s a beautiful city and so popular to visit we really enjoyed the experience”.
According to the lads there were several reasons for this. The Irish from all over America came to Chicago to support the team. The Soldiers Field is a magnificent stadium with wonderful facilities and lastly, there was a meeting up with local man now resident for twenty years in Chicago, Niall Little. As Niall say; “I came here for a month twenty years ago which, will probably last a lifetime”.
Niall is a prominent member of Chicago RFC and is also a top referee in the American Rugby Union leagues.
There was a pre-match reception at the Soldiers Field which included food, beverages & entertainment and the locals who travelled to game were invited by Niall and his wife Triona to attend.
The trip included a four day stay in the Windy City which, by all accounts, was fantastic. CAR sales in Louth are continuing to buck the trend as official statistics released by the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) last week showed a 12.12% increase in total new car registrations for the month of October compared to last year, while nationally new car registrations were down 11.2%.
Registrations year to date for the county also showed a slight increase, up 0.91%, at 2,776, compared to the national trend of a 4.4% decrease on the same period last year.
Unsurprisingly given the county’s location close to the border and the strength of the Euro there has been a 5.02% increase in used car imports with 3,036 used cars registered so far this year.