We started the weekend by going to the Derry F.C. game against Bohemians F.C. (who are one of three teams based in Dublin). The game is a big rivalry. Our taxi driver helped us find the shop that sells tickets, saving us from wandering the neighborhood, and a family of season ticket holders showed us a section of seats near mid-field that were marked "Reserved" but which are always empty. The stadium isn't as large as I had expected and I think all of the seats would have a good view of the field.
One section at the end of the stadium was reserved for Bohemians fans, who were a noisy and aggressive crowd. At the end of the game, we met Caroline and Mike, Derry residents and avid fans, who told us that because of the rivalry, the defection of the Derry manager to Bohemians, and a little racist attitude on the part of a few Bohemians fans toward Derry's top scorer Eamon Zayed (who scored two of Derry's 3 goals on Friday and who M tells me is the league's top scorer), the visiting fans on Friday night behaved much worse than fans usually do at the games. Caroline was worried that a fight would break out in the street after the game and insisted on giving us a ride home rather than have us wait for a cab. Another example of how kind people are here. In talking, we learned that Caroline has several aunts in the Minneapolis area. What a coincidence!
And, of course, it's always good when the home team wins.
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