A Homecoming of Sorts
Explore travel packages and book single game tickets for the Aer Lingus College Football Classic on August 27, 2022.
From the moment Leslie Jabara Wrenn ’95 stepped onto campus, the Northwestern University Marching Band (NUMB) has been a critical part of her experience. It was an interaction with a future bandmate during a prospective student visit that quickly solidified her decision to commit to Northwestern and, of course, the marching band.
“The news about the ’Cats coming to Dublin has made my year,” Wrenn said
“I was a drum major in high school,” Wrenn says. “When I saw someone in a NUMB jacket, I flagged them down and explained that I might join if I go to Northwestern, but I was on the fence. They basically described the band and indoctrinated me right away.
“I decided the minute I met the people in NUMB that I would attend Northwestern.”
Wrenn played tenor sax in the marching band all four years at Northwestern, in addition to participating in musical theater and Sigma Alpha Iota, the University’s musical fraternity for women. Every experience shaped her time at Northwestern, eventually leading her across the pond to Ireland, she says.
After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in music from the Bienen School of Music in 1995, Wrenn briefly taught music and later decided to pursue a master’s degree in music therapy at the University of Kansas. Between trips back to Evanston to watch the Wildcats with her former roommate at Northwestern, she also made several visits to Ireland to play Irish trad music. On one of her trips, she met Dubliner Tony Wrenn in 2013. The couple dated long distance until Wrenn made a permanent move to Ireland in 2015.
Today, Wrenn and her husband live in a village just outside of Dublin with their daughter, Niamh. When she is not working as a music therapist, she sings for the National Symphony Chorus in Dublin.
Below, Wrenn shares some Ireland travel tips and talks about what she is looking forward to most about the Northwestern versus Nebraska matchup at the Aer Lingus Football Classic on August 27, 2022.
How did you find out about the Aer Lingus College Football Classic in August, and what was your reaction?
I was in a group music therapy session. In between sessions, I checked my phone and was surprised to see tons of notifications from people reaching out to share news about the game. Once the news sunk in, I was literally on cloud nine.
It was even more exciting to see posts from Taoiseach Micheál Martin, the prime minister and head of government in Ireland. He posted a video on Facebook, and it was just surreal to see a Northwestern helmet behind him and to hear him talking about welcoming fans. The news about the ’Cats coming to Dublin has made my year.
What are you looking forward most to about the game?
I am looking forward to catching up with my classmates and bandmates. I am planning a mini-reunion for our band friends with my classmate Jim Leonard ’97, a dual Irish-American citizen. Over the last few years, many alumni have visited Ireland and reached out to grab lunch or a pint, and even though I haven’t seen them in 20 to 25 years, it is always such a lovely experience and nice to reconnect.
I am a diehard NUMB alum, so I would be lying if I didn’t say I am most excited to see and hear the band in person. I also love the community aspect of college football, and I look forward to sharing the experience with fellow Wildcats and my Irish family and friends. In general, I’m excited to see just the pageantry of everything, be amongst it all, and hear the sounds and be right there. I watch many Northwestern games here in Ireland at all hours of the night, but I haven’t seen anything in person in six years.
Can you share some local travel recommendations?
There are so many great little spots off the beaten path, and I think finding those yourself is part of the fun of travel. There are loads of pubs with live music. The Cobblestone and O’Donoghues Bar both have excellent trad music. There’s a great sketch comedy group called Foil Arms and Hog that is one of my favorites. There is also a great restaurant in the center of town called The Bank. Usually when I am meeting friends and they are sightseeing in Dublin, we go to The Bank because it is such a beautiful location and a really great place to meet.
Don’t leave Ireland without eating a toastie! It’s just a ham and cheese sandwich, which sounds very plain, but it is more about the experience of eating it. It is often served in pubs with pints, and it is the perfect snack when you’re having a great conversation—or as the Irish say, ‘having the craic’ with your friends. It’s warm and cheesy, and it’s a lovely kind of thing. Grogans Pub does an amazing toastie.
Of course, there are must-sees like the Book of Kells at Trinity College, but along with that, there are other sights that aren’t always noted in the guidebooks, like St. Michan’s Church on the north side of Dublin. There are mummified bodies there because of the limestone, and you can touch the mummified finger of a crusader for good luck. This is the quirky stuff that sticks in your memory long after you’ve visited a place!
If you have the time, go to the countryside. Spend a few days in Dublin and then go to the Wild Atlantic Way to see the Cliffs of Moher and Galway, and all the beauty that’s in Connemara and the Burren. That’s the Ireland that you see in films. It is breathtaking scenery, and it’s like a different world.
A little closer to Dublin, there are two sites in County Wicklow that I highly recommend. Glendalough, an ancient monastic site, and the world famous Powerscourt Gardens, both are just an hour outside Dublin and easy to do via a short bus trip
Visit Cats2Ireland.com to explore travel packages. Don’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime chance to root for Northwestern while exploring the Emerald Isle.
Bonus: Practice saying “Go ’Cats” in Irish Gaelic before the game!