Recently Jude made a trip back to Ireland, it was a working trip but he still made time to catch up with friends and family. Here he is having fun with his big brothers Paul and Martin.
When Jude saw this banger was charged with flying him from Boston to New York he thought he might not make the flight to Ireland. But make it he did.
First things first. As discussed before on the blog Jude has two strands to his work at the Irish International Immigrant center - Wider Horizons work and J1 visa work. Wider Horizons work brings young Protestants and Catholics from North and South of Ireland to Boston to work in Youth and Community placements. Here is Jude (back row, extreme left) in Omagh meeting the next Wider Horizons group due in Boston in August.
Each night in Omagh Jude took himself out for a wee run along this roadside path here....about a 5 miler..............wha? He is used to running around the streets and parks of Boston and beautiful and all as they are........well ye just can't beat the green fields of home for a good run.
Jude's hotel was The Silverbirch, which was very nice indeed, and it was parked very nicely on the edge of the town thereby providing easy access to that auld run path.
While in Omagh Jude's work involved multiple locations in and around the town but his favourite was here at the History Park.
Jude's auld mate Liam McGinley is a Wider Horizons supervisor with TDP and was in Boston in Sep/Oct 2009 (see blog post Oct 2009). Here he is making a wee cup of tea for himself and having a wee laugh too.
Later that day and Liam is trying to find the restaurant in Omagh that he and Jude are to meet the other group leaders for dinner but he has managed to get lost and then spent an hour running around looking for the place........
........before eventually finding it. 'Here it is Jude, I knew it had to be around here somewhere, wha?'
Next Jude had some more work duties to fulfill and he stayed in a cool wee B&B in Letterkenny......eh...the house was actually parked nearby this sign, but have you ever tried taking a pic with a camera while driving a car around a bend at 40mph? Well that's why he got the 'Fairview House' sign and missed the house!!!
After all that hard work Jude eventually made it back to Belfast to good auld Brooke drive. Here he is with Neices Grace, Rhiannon & Leah, and Nephew Cormac.
And before long he was in Downpatrick at Paul's house. Here Paul is cooking a BBQ before the lads headed out for the night.
Tonight was the night Jude had been looking forward to for a long time.......meeting up with his brothers. Here are Martin and Paul. They spotted this Euro millions jackpot sign and started rambling on about how it would be great to win.......but the two tight gits wouldn't even buy a ticket!!!!
'Wha......a tight Git......who me? 'You must be joking', rambled Paul as he took out 20 quid to do the whole night!!!
'Look you're a tight git ok, I saw ye only lift 20 sheets outta the hole in the wall back there', said Marty.
'Who me, you must be mixing me up with Jude, he's a proper tight git', replied Paul.
Big bro, wee bro......
Tonight Paul, Martin and Jude did a little pub crawl. They made their way around Downpatrick visiting as many wee spots as possible before settling here at Denvir's Pub.
It was good to be home!!!
'Here Marty, I swear I took out 40 quid, it's your auld eyesight it's failing ye mate', cried Paul.
It was a great evening even if Paul and Marty couldn't stop debating over whose round it was. Two tight gits!!!
'Here.....you must think I came up Strangford Lough in a rubber dinghy weh no paddles, you must think I'm stupid', says Marty, this time after Paul suggests Marty may have missed his round again.
Paul tee-hees all the way home in the knowledge that he has cleaned Marty out goodo by convincing him to buy extra rounds. Poor Marty is disgusted!
Before long Marty is smiling again. Why? Well because.........he's found a chip shop.
Talking of Wider Horizons........it's a small world. Here Jude is with Ciaran who just happens to be group supervisor for the Clanrye Wider Horizons program. Ciaran visits Boston every year and spends 6 weeks working with IIIC (see blog post May 2009 and May 2010). Ciaran and Jude had met earlier in the pub but forgot to take a pic so a cool pic from the chip shop would have to do.
Left to right - Ciaran's brother, Paul, Ciaran, Jude and Marty have a group pic in the chippy.
Paul and Marty make their way home with enough food to feed a family of six........
After all that hard work Jude eventually made it back to Belfast to good auld Brooke drive. Here he is with Neices Grace, Rhiannon & Leah, and Nephew Cormac.
And before long he was in Downpatrick at Paul's house. Here Paul is cooking a BBQ before the lads headed out for the night.
Tonight was the night Jude had been looking forward to for a long time.......meeting up with his brothers. Here are Martin and Paul. They spotted this Euro millions jackpot sign and started rambling on about how it would be great to win.......but the two tight gits wouldn't even buy a ticket!!!!
'Wha......a tight Git......who me? 'You must be joking', rambled Paul as he took out 20 quid to do the whole night!!!
'Look you're a tight git ok, I saw ye only lift 20 sheets outta the hole in the wall back there', said Marty.
'Who me, you must be mixing me up with Jude, he's a proper tight git', replied Paul.
Big bro, wee bro......
Tonight Paul, Martin and Jude did a little pub crawl. They made their way around Downpatrick visiting as many wee spots as possible before settling here at Denvir's Pub.
It was good to be home!!!
'Here Marty, I swear I took out 40 quid, it's your auld eyesight it's failing ye mate', cried Paul.
It was a great evening even if Paul and Marty couldn't stop debating over whose round it was. Two tight gits!!!
'Here.....you must think I came up Strangford Lough in a rubber dinghy weh no paddles, you must think I'm stupid', says Marty, this time after Paul suggests Marty may have missed his round again.
Paul tee-hees all the way home in the knowledge that he has cleaned Marty out goodo by convincing him to buy extra rounds. Poor Marty is disgusted!
Before long Marty is smiling again. Why? Well because.........he's found a chip shop.
Talking of Wider Horizons........it's a small world. Here Jude is with Ciaran who just happens to be group supervisor for the Clanrye Wider Horizons program. Ciaran visits Boston every year and spends 6 weeks working with IIIC (see blog post May 2009 and May 2010). Ciaran and Jude had met earlier in the pub but forgot to take a pic so a cool pic from the chip shop would have to do.
Left to right - Ciaran's brother, Paul, Ciaran, Jude and Marty have a group pic in the chippy.
Paul and Marty make their way home with enough food to feed a family of six........
........and talked keek all the way home.
Up bright and early the next day the lads met up with cousin Gabriel for around of golf at Bright golf course in County Down.
Gabriel tries to sink one at the second with the beautiful views off to Ardglass and the Irish Sea behind him.
What's this? It's only Marty and Gabe looking for their balls in thon hedges. Dodgy players to say the least!!!!!
Talking of dodgy players.........here's Paul trying to nail one at the 3rd.
Up bright and early the next day the lads met up with cousin Gabriel for around of golf at Bright golf course in County Down.
Gabriel tries to sink one at the second with the beautiful views off to Ardglass and the Irish Sea behind him.
What's this? It's only Marty and Gabe looking for their balls in thon hedges. Dodgy players to say the least!!!!!
Talking of dodgy players.........here's Paul trying to nail one at the 3rd.
Jude shows the lads how to hit a bunker shot.........just like the pros.
Paul, Jude and Marty at the 10th tee box.
Today's game was 50p each a hole. That means that the winner of each hole collects 50p each from the losers of each hole. Todays winner was Paul as he was hot on the greens. Here he sinks a put to win a hole while Gabe and Marty are praying he misses!!!!!
....and again.
Rule number 1 of golf etiquitte - never practice your swing when your partner is playing his shot. Paul would do anything to win today.....including putting everyone of by stunts like this.
But win he did!!!!
On the next night the lads headed out again. It was just like the first night.......only slightly different. Paul was still rambling on about the lottery as he passed this sign again. Even though he won all those 50p's today!!! What a melter!!!!
Then for fear of missing something they ventured to the same bar, sat in teh same seats, talked the same keek, and had the same amount of fun all over again.
Week one of Jude's trip to Ireland ended with another BBQ at Paul's house. This time Jude tried his hand at it.
Now that's a well cooked sausage if I ever saw one.
Today's game was 50p each a hole. That means that the winner of each hole collects 50p each from the losers of each hole. Todays winner was Paul as he was hot on the greens. Here he sinks a put to win a hole while Gabe and Marty are praying he misses!!!!!
....and again.
Rule number 1 of golf etiquitte - never practice your swing when your partner is playing his shot. Paul would do anything to win today.....including putting everyone of by stunts like this.
But win he did!!!!
On the next night the lads headed out again. It was just like the first night.......only slightly different. Paul was still rambling on about the lottery as he passed this sign again. Even though he won all those 50p's today!!! What a melter!!!!
Then for fear of missing something they ventured to the same bar, sat in teh same seats, talked the same keek, and had the same amount of fun all over again.
Week one of Jude's trip to Ireland ended with another BBQ at Paul's house. This time Jude tried his hand at it.
Now that's a well cooked sausage if I ever saw one.
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