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Notre Dame Fighting Irish Leprechaun Daniel Collins: My season so far

The Fighting Irish mascot's inside eye view of this 'heart-attack inducing season."

Published Friday, October 30, 2009, 11:43 AM

Updated Saturday, October 31, 2009, 2:00 PM

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Read more: Notre Dame Fighting Irish (Football), San Antonio, IrishCentral.com, Notre Dame Stadium, Raghib Ismail

Daniel Collins leads the Irish charge!

Photo gallery / Notre Dame Leprechaun Dan Collins in action / Click here

Before Fighting Irish Leprechaun Daniel Collins headed to San Antonio for this weekend's game, IrishCentral caught up him to get his feedback on the season this far.

IC: Can you describe seven games in, how much your life has changed - on and off the field. Does being the Notre Dame Leprechaun have any unforeseen benefits?

DC:First of all, it is unbelievable to think that I will be the leprechaun for only two more games inside Notre Dame Stadium. I consider it an ultimate privilege and honor to represent Notre Dame in the way that I do. I cannot imagine a better atmosphere to be a part of, a better fan base and student body to share all of the emotions of being a Fighting Irish fan with, or a more determined, ambitious, and exciting football team to follow. This year has been remarkable for me both on and off the field, and my role as the Notre Dame Leprechaun has definitely elevated my outlook on life. We have something special here at Notre Dame, a mystique and an inspirational power that can’t quite be described, but I can definitely feel it from my unique perspective.

I live and die with every play out there, and I invest my full energy into every moment of every game. The emotions I have felt throughout this heart-attack inducing season have been unreal. I have prayed many Hail Marys to myself as each game seems to come down to the final drive, I have laughed, I have cried, and I have loved every second of it.

The greatest benefit that I get out of representing the Fighting Irish in the way that I do comes from knowing that I am contributing to the most legendary tradition in all of college sports. I am truly blessed to be in a position where I get to watch the spirit that drives our tradition come to life right before my eyes when I witness the looks on faces of fans both young and old as they get swept up in the emotions on campus during game day, when I hear the roar of the crowd as they will our team onward to victory, or when our team takes on a true Fighting Irish spirit as they fight to the very end of every game.

IC: What has been the best and worst moment of the season so far for you?

DC: The best and worst moments of the season took place nearly simultaneously for me. A fiercely loyal group of diehard fans and I had been working intensely all week to amp up the energy on campus preceding our rivalry game against Southern Cal. Our efforts were noticed and the anticipation took on a snowball effect which carried everyone into game day atop a roaring wave of emotion. Rocket Ismail reminded everyone at the rally on Friday night that this was “not a game” but “some legendary stuff” was about to take place. He was right, and I will remember that game as a legendary moment for the rest of my life. I came out of that tunnel ready to be all that I could be for Notre Dame, our student section came out wearing green and chanting “Here come the Irish”, and our team came ready to fight. As we fought back within yards of tying the game, the overwhelming emotion of it all washed over me and I cried uncontrollably. They were not tears of sadness, but of amazement and joy as I stood in awe of the power of that moment. When the game ended I was stung with sadness and my tears continued, not out of disappointment but because of pride. That short span of time, during which I felt a strange mixture of great and awful feelings all at once, was one of the most powerful experiences of my life.

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Irish sport is popular and widespread. Levels of participation and spectating are high on the island of Ireland. Throughout the country a wide variety of Irish sports are played, the most popular being Gaelic games (such as Gaelic football, hurling and camogie), soccer, rugby union and boxing. By attendance figures Gaelic football and hurling are by far the most popular sports in Ireland, (34% of total attendances at sports events being to football and 23% to hurling), while golf and soccer (including 5-a-side) are the most played at 17% of the population each. Many Irish sports, such as boxing, cricket, rugby union, Gaelic football and hurling, are organized in an all-island basis, with a single team representing Ireland in international competitions. Other Irish sports, such as Association Football, have separate organizing bodies in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. At the Olympics, a person from Northern Ireland can choose to represent either Ireland or Great Britain. The various GAA discipline finals are easily the largest sporting events regularly held in Ireland, in both terms of attendance and media coverage. The biggest national sporting event in Ireland is the final of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, held annually in Croke Park in September. It usually attracts a sell out crowd of 82,500 to Croke Park. Many of the matches in the championship attract crowds of 50,000, depending on who is playing. Aside from the GAA, the biggest multi-sport event held in Ireland regularly is the Community Games. The games are organized every year from a local level, where hundreds of thousands of young people compete in different disciplines such as athletics, swimming, cycling etc., in the first half of the year. Winners progress to county level, and then to the Community Games finals. One of the biggest international Irish sport events is international Association Football. The Republic's national team has punched above its weight in recent years, qualifying for the 2002 World Cup, and performed well against such teams as Brazil and Portugal. In rugby union, Ireland's national team has been ranked in the top five teams regularly over the last few years, and has produced major stars such as Keith Wood and Brian O'Driscoll. In golf, Ireland is home to several top golfers such as Padraig Harrington.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish Leprechaun Daniel Collins: My season so far

The Fighting Irish mascot's inside eye view of this 'heart-attack inducing season."

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