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by Niall O'Dowd

20,000 Notre Dame fans set for Dublin in September 2012 ---Incredible reaction from Fighting Irish fans to Navy game in Ireland

Posted on Sunday, October 23, 2011 at 06:29 AM
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South Bend: Notre Dame are expecting an incredible 20,000 Fighting Irish fans to come to Dublin in September next year Notre Dame officials say.

It will be the largest ever 'invasion' by US sports fans of Ireland.

The last time Notre Dame played in Ireland in 1995 only 4,000 or so fans traveled.

The Fighting Irish will play Navy on September 1st at the Aviva stadium in Dublin, in their first game of the 2012 season.

It is billed as the "Emerald Isle Classic."

The buzz around South Bend about the game has already begun.

Dolly Duffy, Executive Director of the Notre Dame alumni confirmed to me that the numbers are expected to break all expectations.

"There has been an incredible reaction to the Dublin game," she told me."We have been overwhelmed by the interest in traveling to Ireland."

Micheal Seamon, Associate Vice President also confirmed the number and stated that the weekend in Dublin is shaping up to be a spectacular occasion.

Some Notre Dame officials believe the final total could be 25,000, an amazing number.

On Saturday $400,000 was pledged from Irish supporters to bring the Fighting Irish marching band to Dublin as part of the celebration.

A massive concert and pep rally will take place at the O2 arena in the Dublin docklands the night before the game.

Top Irish acts have already been signed up.

There will also be a special Notre Dame mass which is expected to pack Dublin's main cathedral to the rafters

The day of the game will be spectacular with the trendy Temple bar area turned into a massive Notre Dame tailgate party.

The marching band will march through Dublin's Grafton Street, the main shopping thoroughfare, and will surely be a sight to behold.

The game is being played the same weekend as the All Ireland hurling final, Ireland's second biggest sporting weekend meaning that Dublin will be chock a block with both Irish and hurling fans.

Notre Dame's Irish campus at O'Connell House in Merrion Square will also feature prominently with a major conference on America and the 1916 Rising set for the week of the game.

All in all it is easy to get excited by the game which Notre Dame is billing as 'The Fighting Irish are coming home."

It will be an incredible bonanza for Ireland in terms of tourism in particular.

I predict there will not be a hotel room to be had from Cork to Dublin.

Roll on September 2012!

See more: Brian Kelly, Notre Dame, American Football, Fighting Irish



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34 Comments

15 - 34 | See all comments

jackinny | Nov 02, 2011, 11:44 AM EDT
@NiallO'Dowd-you have always used your bully pulpit to rattle ivory towers & champion important causes. Anyone remember the peace process,civil rights for ILGO among many others? I've always hoped someone would go after ND for that mascot as native americans did with St Johns with & their insulting mascot.I know this kind of money will be great for Dublin. But be careful,I was at the Emerald Isle in '91 when Fordham played.If the american chancer who ran that is still involved you can expect overhype about turnout that never appears.I recall Brian Rohan covered the Fordham game for the IV,I'm not sure if he wrote about the poor turnout but I know I talked to him about it.In closing Niall please go back to fighting the good fight you're pretty damn good at it!

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Siobhan39 | Oct 31, 2011, 11:01 AM EDT
There will be other football (USA style) games played in Ireland that same weekend. St. Norbert College, DePere, WI (five miles from where I live) will be playing John Carroll University on August 31 in Dublin.

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citizen69 | Oct 26, 2011, 01:29 PM EDT
The tourism should help boost the economy a little. I usually find hotel rates in Dublin pretty reasonable these days, though i'm rarely in town for a big event.

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billie061 | Oct 24, 2011, 01:13 PM EDT
I work in tourisim here, and believe me when anything major pops up the room rates rise, as does everything else, I have had it out with some of the major hotel chains here, even sept 11 was cause for ripping off people. I hate this biz at times, I love my country, and want to show it at its best but not to the cost of the tourist, I want to bring them where it costs fZZZZ all and show them the real Ireland.

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antoman | Oct 24, 2011, 11:28 AM EDT
@gobshitepaddy- Style can't be changed. The question I and others have here is why don't you use your georgedillon nic anymore?

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gobdawpaddy | Oct 24, 2011, 11:17 AM EDT
Jeez anto, just sharing my observations about my experiences in Ireland. Your own Eddie Hobbs christened the country 'rip off Ireland', not me. Your new government in a sensible move reduced VAT on transactions involving the hospitality sector but ev en theyrealize that this has not been passed on by many businesses. Every year I read stories of outrageous hotel/guesthouse rates being charged at Galway races, the Rose of Tralee, Cork Jazz Festival etc. Of course the price of alcohol goes up for those events also. Three (Danish I believe) students visiting Dublin stayed at a hostel and ended up being stuck there for 3 additional nights due to the ash cloud only to be told that the nightly rate was now 3 times what it was for their original nights stay. I could provide more examples but you obviously take issue with my pointing out how greedy many Irish people in the hospitality sector are. As for D4 seeing me coming, it was the advertised rate on their website. Ended up staying at The Shelbourne which didn't cost me a cent because I used Marriott Reward points.

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antoman | Oct 24, 2011, 08:07 AM EDT
@gobshitepaddy- 200 euro's, LOL! They saw you coming. Posters like you who project inner angst and have issues in general with Irish, Americans, Argentinians or mental health issues. Should consider not posting on forums where your words can be interpreted and your character weighed up by intelligent posters.

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gobdawpaddy | Oct 24, 2011, 07:55 AM EDT
I do a lot of business in Ireland and was in Dublin at the end of the queen's visit. I believe it was a wednesday night and there was a big soccer game on in the Aviva and a concert in the Point the following evening. Usually when I am in the Ballsbridge area I stay at one of the D4 hotels which are usually reasonably priced. This particular day I checked and if I recall correctly, they were looking for over EUR 200 each night.

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TiocfaidhArmani | Oct 24, 2011, 06:50 AM EDT
I'd be happy to help with any advise any visitors may have and know some hotels that charge the same prices every night and every day of the year regardless. Just stay out of Temple Bar and you'll be fine. Retaurants etc won't just jump up their prices for one day because there's a game with 50,000 people at it. We have these big events with a lot of people from outside Dublin coming in but it would be good if this site could set up a section for people to advise incomers on where best to stay and eat out etc. My email is padraigdonohoe@hotmail.com I'd be happy to advise people. One tip is try the Clarion in Clondalkin, there's an airport bus that goes right to it, it's four star with a free leisure centre and is a set price of 59 euro for the room.

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esatdigiwank | Oct 24, 2011, 04:20 AM EDT
Fightin' Irish huh? We're better at drinking nowadays..

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seagreen | Oct 24, 2011, 12:33 AM EDT
I'm a bit tongue in cheek about this event ! I think the actual football game will be the least interesting aspect of the entire deal....

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antoman | Oct 23, 2011, 06:13 PM EDT
Tippboy- I've been on my knees like many since the economy tanked. I'll get to my feet when the Yanks arrive.

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Mairin67 | Oct 23, 2011, 06:06 PM EDT
I could'nt agree with you more, Tippboy.....there are huge profits to be made here. I think you missed my point entirely....which is the absurd connection between a university and Irish culture that is based on nothing more than the name of a football team and their fighting leprechaun mascot. Of course this is all about advertising...didn't the Bears just beat the Bucs in London today? Go Bears!

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tippboy | Oct 23, 2011, 05:30 PM EDT
Antoman, look in the mirror before you talk about greed! It wasn't a Yank who coined the phrase "rip-off republic", that would be well known Cork economist, Eddie Hobbs, I believe. The country is n desperate straits, you should be down on your knees to every Yank who chooses to visit and spend his hard earned dollars, putting money into the pockets of your fellow citizens.

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tippboy | Oct 23, 2011, 05:18 PM EDT
Hey Mairin, enough with the xenophobic nonsense, especially when you realize that Irish soccer fans are famous for singing their rebel songs on the streets of every capital in Europe. Believe me when I tell you that publicans, restauranteurs and hoteliers in Dublin couldn't be happier at the prospect of 20,000 ND fans in Dublin. Also, you should know that ND alumni have a huge presence in Wall St and in the higher echelons of business in the NoertthEast and Chicago areas. These are the kind of visitors we need - welcome all ND fans!!,

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