Green as in Erin

Some folks will do anything for a homecooked meal, and Mary Corrigan Twyman is no exception. In early September, Twyman led her varsity field hockey team on a 10-day, six-game tour of Ireland. A native of Dublin, Twyman arranged matches in Limerick, Cork, and Dublin, where her mother and sister live.

It was the third such trip in nine years for the Big Green, and the fund-raising is a continuous process. "We began right at the end of the last trip," she said. "It's not something you can leave until the last minute."

Funds were raised through the usual ways bake sales and car washes but there was another important source. "The biggest contributors were alumni," said Twyman. "Without their support, we just couldn't have made the trip."

About 15 players made the trip, including co-captains Paula Joyce and Fran O'Donoghue, who also captained their high school team at Silver Lake Regional High in Massachusetts. "We play top teams in Ireland," added Twyman, "and while we may lose some games, we learn more than we would beating less talented teams over here."