Baseball fans who find themselves in Ireland in October are well advised to find their way to Greystones (Irish: Na Clocha Liatha), a little town in County Wicklow on Ireland’s east coast, five miles from Bray and a half hour south of Dublin. There, on the evening of Thurs., Oct. 29, fans of the great American pastime, baseball, will gather in the town’s sparkling new Greystones Theatre to watch Game One of the 2010 World Series! For the first time ever, the big screen at the Greystones will show the full play-by-play telecast of the championship games. Because of the time difference, the telecasts will be on a one-day delay, showing the game played the previous night (first pitch in the states will be around two in the morning, Irish time.) The Oct. 29 game is billed as "a social event and fundraiser for the Greystones Mariners Baseball Club," one of a number of Irish baseball teams that have formed across the island of Ireland. And therein lies a story. American baseball has begun to catch on in the Emerald Isle. Organized just 21 years ago under an umbrella organization, the current official governing body, Baseball Ireland, is responsible for the development and promotion of baseball on the island of Ireland. In 1995, visiting coaches brought formal baseball instruction to Ireland, and in 1996 Ireland played for the first time in the European championships in Hull, England. The sport has now grown into a ten-team adult league, with seven teams from Dublin, two in Belfast and one in Wicklow. (A brief history of baseball in Ireland can be found online at baseballireland.com.) Last month, the Senior Irish National Baseball Team and an Irish Little League team made a ten-day trip to New England to play some games with American teams in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. The adult men's team, with some assistance from some Irish-American players who hold dual citizenship, played seven games, beginning July 18 in Brockton and ending July 25 in Milton. The little leaguers played nine games against youngsters at two Rhode Island fields. In Milton, the senior team met a Yawkey League squad sponsored by Milton's Al Thomas and managed by Joe O'Hara. The Sunday afternoon game was played in near 90-degree heat at a diamond at Cunningham Park, and a well-played match it was as Milton squeezed out a 1-0 victory. But back to that World Series event in Wicklow next October: The promoters underscore that it is a delayed telecast from a previous day, and they warn theatre-goers to avoid checking the score of the game beforehand. "Anyone who reveals the score in advance will be fined 10,000 euro by the Commissioner of Baseball!" Since the National league won last month's All Star game, baseball fans know that the first two Series games will be played in the National League city. But Red Sox fans continue to dream that our olde town team will be the American League champs. Unlikely though that seems today, there's still a chance that they'll be watching games from Fenway at that small theatre in Wicklow next November! At least, we can dream. A shout-out to Mike Cummings Among the spectators at the game in Milton was old friend Mike Cummings, who proudly revealed that he had a relative playing in the contest. The Ballygar, Co. Galway, man, an outstanding GAA athlete himself back in the day, was one of the founders of the Boston Irish Famine Memorial. He has worked throughout his life to promote the legacy of marching band leader and composer Patrick Sarsfield Gilmore, also a Ballygar man who was a contemporary of John Phillip Sousa. It was a special occasion to see Mike, as he has been largely home-bound since being diagnosed with ALS-Lou Gehrig Disease. Thanks to the excellent care provided by his wife Noreen and his many children, grandchildren, friends, and neighbors, Mike has been living with ALS now for almost 13 years. PA announcer Dave McKay gave a shout-out to Mike between innings of the game, causing many to seek him out and have a brief reunion. Welcome to Madeline Last month, I told readers that I was awaiting the arrival of my first granddaughter. The magical moment for this happy papa arrived on Tues., July 13, when Madeline Casey Forry was born at 4:38 in the afternoon. Her parents are Bill and Linda Dorcena Forry, her proud maternal grandparents are Andre and Annie Dorcena. Her late grandmother, Mary Casey Forry would be so happy for her. And I am especially delighted to note that she will bear Grandma Mary's name as her middle name. I can almost hear Mary singing that sweet Stevie Wonder tune, "Isn't She lovely." And life goes on. ...