This March, Super Holiday Tours is taking two groups on special St. Patrick’s Day trips in two different countries.
At the high school level, the Riverview High School Kiltie Band is a unique ensemble from Sarasota, Florida that consists of over 200 students, including drum majors, musicians, bagpipers, drum corps, bagpipers, color guard and dancers. Since 1958, the Kiltie Band has earned consecutive overall Superior ratings in the Florida Bandmasters Association District Marching MPA.
Led by director Tamara Lewis, with 23 years of music education experiences, the band is heading to Boston this March to perform in the South Boston St. Patrick’s Day Parade, excited to bring their signature Kiltie sound to the holiday.
The other trip is led by Dr. Sue Samuels, director of bands at Furman University. They’re heading to Ireland to perform in the Dublin St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Having participated once before, 10 years ago, Samuels is excited to bring a group of 75 students/alumni/staff to this special occasion.
With both trips on the horizon, we chatted with these two impressive leaders about what they’re looking forward to, and their past experiences:
What are the plans for the band while on your trip?
SAMUELS: Some of the trip highlights include marching in the Dublin St. Patrick’s Day Parade, of course—the streets are lined and packed with happy people celebrating….and they really appreciate the international bands’ performances! Some of the other highlights include seeing the Cliffs of Mohr—just stunning… seeing the beauty of Dublin, Limerick, and Galway… and of course, seeing the grounds of Blarney Castle and kissing the Blarney Stone!
LEWIS: We are excited to visit many of Boston’s historical places, including walking the Freedom Trail and the Salem Witch Museum. And we get to see the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Blue Man group.
What are you most looking forward to with this trip to Ireland?
SAMUELS: We took the band at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) 10 years ago. Our students had a fantastic time—there’s nothing like shared experiences through travel to bring a group closer. I think that’s what I’m looking forward to most with this upcoming trip with my Furman students—watching the different personalities of my students as they get to know each other better and in places and experiences that are new to them.
Having performed there before, what’s it like to be in Ireland for St. Patrick’s Day?
SAMUELS: To be in Dublin for St. Patrick’s Day is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Literally everyone is celebrating—kids, families, people of all ages… the crowd claps along and shouts appreciatively. And it’s not just on St. Patrick’s Day. Literally everywhere you go, the Irish people are warm and welcoming and glad to have you there.
Can you talk about what makes the Kiltie Band well-suited to this parade?
LEWIS: Each member of the band wears a unique uniform that pays homage to Sarasota’s Scottish history. The MacDonald dress, adopted from the clan background of some of the first settlers in Sarasota, is a tartan selected for the band’s kilt. The British bright royal scarlet was selected as the traditional battle jacket, the same worn by current and traditional Scottish regiments. This year, the Kilties plan to perform “Shipping Up to Boston”, originally by the Dropkick Murphys, in the South Boston St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
What value do you find in student travel?
SAMUELS: Shared experiences bring people together. Sharing those experiences while being exposed to different cultures, while being pushed outside of your comfort zone, and while understanding that any particular trip with any particular group of people is a unique experience has incredible value. Group travel changes the group. That type of experience enhances individual growth and group cohesion—there’s nothing else like it!
LEWIS: Students get the opportunity to see other parts of the country (or world), and get to experience culture that they would not normally get to experience.
Are there any challenges you’ve had to prepare for or overcome in planning for this trip?
SAMUELS: This particular trip to Ireland is taking place the week AFTER our spring break at Furman. While the university did give us permission to miss a week of classes, it’s still hard on the students to make up all of those classes. Many students opted not to travel because of their concerns of missing classes. Timing is tough. On the other hand, we planned this trip in 2021—but of course, Covid prevented any group travel. So after 3 years, to be able to bring this trip to reality is exciting!
LEWIS: Fundraising has been challenging this year. Our area suffered from Hurricane Ian – we were out of school for 2 weeks during football season and our home stands were damaged. Our band boosters run the concession stands at games and we lost quite a bit of revenue as a result.
Anything you’d like to say about working with Super Holiday?
LEWIS: The band has worked with Super Holiday Tours for many, many, many years. They have always done a great job with our trips and we look forward to continue to work with them in the future!