There are five television sets at the Eire Pub in Dorchester, andon Saturday afternoons in the fall, one is always tuned in to NotreDame football. It's been that way for about three decades.
But pub owner and Notre Dame alumnus John Stenson won't be thereto watch Saturday's game against Boston College. He's headed toSouth Bend, Ind., with another Notre Dame alumnus and 48 BC grads tosee the game. He and other Notre Dame fans insist the game meansmore to BC than the Fighting Irish, but Stenson is not downplayingits importance.
'It's the only game I'll go to this year,' he said. 'It'simportant enough for me to go. It's bragging rights for a year.It's more important to me than it is to the university.'
If you watch the game at home Saturday, don't be surprised if youhear cheering next door or down the street when the Fighting Irishmake a big play. Notre Dame fans in the Hub are like state trooperson the Mass. Pike -- chances are, there's one near you.
There are 2,100 Notre Dame alumni in the Boston area. Some, likeStenson, are members of the national alumni chapter. Another 450 aremembers of the Notre Dame Club of Greater Boston.
Notre Dame boasts 202 alumni groups around the world, includingones in Europe, Asia and Australia.
'The Chicago group has its own office and secretarial support,'said vice president Mike Joyce of Quincy, whose local group sponsorsgame parties at Champion's Bar in Copley Square.
'Be it football, basketball or field hockey, if there is a game inthe area, we hold a reception at thegame,' said Joyce. 'For biggames like the BC game, we get a block of tickets and we hold alottery for some and raffle off others.'
The group received 40 tickets for the BC game, which they considerbig while insisting the two most important regular-season games areMichigan at the beginning of the year and Penn State at season's end.
'This game is big, but we're really looking forward to the NotreDame-BC game in 1994, which will be played at BC,' said Joyce.
Those who are not members of the local alumni group had to workharder for tickets, but some, such as Stenson, were able to acquirethem. He and his group are renting a recreational vehicle andstaying in Chicago, more than an hour away from South Bend.
Local alumni group president John Rudser of Westborough said thechapter was started about 50 years ago, 'by a group that spearheadedthe efforts to build the Knute Rockne Memorial Gym at Notre Dame.'It is also involved with many non-sports matters.
'We sponsor three Notre Dame students to work at community centersand homeless shelters like the Pine Street Inn,' said Joyce. 'We gethousing for them and give them a stipend. Most alumni groups sponsoronly one or two students, so we're happy to sponsor three.
'We also hold a communion breakfast at Faneuil Hall. And wesponsored a book drive for the Norfolk County Jail.'
Notre Dame also is famous for its 'subway alumni' -- people activein organizations and activities who neither graduated from the schoolnor have relatives who graduated.
'I think the term started in the 1930s or 1940s,' said JackCurtis, a Notre Dame alumnus from Winchester. 'Large groups ofpeople adopted Notre Dame as their university back in the 1920s and1930s, and they were mostly Irish immigrants living in New York City,hence the term, `subway alumni.' '
How do Notre Dame graduates feel about non-graduates in theircircle?
'It feels great; it's amazing what they do,' said Joyce. 'Whenyou see the work they put into it, the activities they take part in,you figure it's great considering they didn't go to the school. Iknow I wouldn't do that for someone else's school. My wife went toBoston College, and I wouldn't do anything for them.'
It won't be easy for BC and ND alumni working in the same officesto keep their opinions to themselves this week.
'It's been rough,' said Joyce, who works at the Quincy law firm ofMurphy Hesse Toomey and Lehane. 'Three attorneys in this office wentto Notre Dame, while four went to BC as undergraduates and anotherfour went to BC law.
'We keep saying that the BC grads won't get much work done thisweek. To them, this is the game of the decade. To us, it's justanother Saturday.'
