MINNEAPOLIS — After a year of planning and practice, the Lakeville South marching band is spending St. Patrick's Day in Ireland.
The Marching Cougars were there for a once-in-a-lifetime performance in Dublin.
"When we were lining up to get ready to step off, everyone was like, 'This is crazy. This is real. This is happening,'" said Angie Born, a junior at Lakeville South High School.
While the Lakeville South marching band is used to playing for thousands around Minnesota each summer, this St. Patrick's Day, they performed in front of more than half a million.
"You have people packed on the sidewalks. You have people on the roofs of every building. You have people hanging out all the windows. You have people on top of bus stops," explained Chad Bieniek, co-director of bands at Lakeville South.
"It makes me get really excited. I love to perform. I love to not necessarily show off, but show my skills," said Ryleigh Papacek, a senior at Lakeville South.
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"One of the cornerstones of this band is interacting with the crowd. And to see all those little kids with their hands out for a high-five, breaking the barrier just to touch hands is a pretty awesome feeling," said Nick Castonguay, co-director of bands at Lakeville South.
Since arriving in Ireland Friday, the 100 band members also experienced Kilkenny, where they marched in a parade and had a standstill performance outside a castle.
The opportunity to connect to the world around them isn't lost on these students.
"Me and the other drum majors going to pet dogs on the street and chatting with people and they were all just really kind and really welcoming," said Jay Rief, a senior at Lakeville South.
"The surreal feeling of just both the impact that this trip has on our lives and individually and as a person through the experiences and relationships that we're building and the impact that we get to have on everyone around us and the many people that get to attend and experience our music," said Born.
Monday, the Lakeville South Marching Cougars will compete in an international band competition in Limerick.
After that, they'll enjoy several days of sightseeing — including dinner in a castle — before leaving Ireland on Friday.
