50,000 Americans Hit Dublin For Notre Dame vs. Navy Classic

Up to 50,000 college football fans travelled to Dublin over the weekend to see the Emerald Isle classic between Notre Dame and Navy - and to party Irish-style in bars across the city.

The game was won by the Fighting Irish 50-10, but the Dublin economy was the big winner - to the tune of almost €100m.

Hotels were busy, restaurants were packed and the bars - especially around Temple Bar - were thronged.

At one stage on Sunday, the queue to see the world-famous Book of Kells at Trinity College snaked around the college grounds in manner not seen all year.

For many of the attendees, it was their first time in Ireland - indeed one man said it was his first time out of the United States.

For some it was the fulfillment of a lifelong ambition to make it to Ireland.

Notre Dame fan John O'Hanlon, from Indianapolis, told ESPN it was his families first visit to Ireland.

"My great-grandfather left Kerry in the 1890s. As far as we can tell, I'm the first of his descendants to return home.

"We were supposed to come to Ireland for the 1996 game, but, unfortunately, my daughter Amy was ill and we had to cancel our trip. Thankfully, she made a full recovery and has her own daughter here this week, so, for three generations of my family, this really is the trip of a lifetime."

On the night before the gig, a musical event called "The Gathering" was held at the O2 venue, featuring among others, The High Kings, Brian Kennedy, Damien Dempsey, Anuna, Anthony Kearns and the Notre Dame Folk Choir.

Addressing the audience, Taoiseach Enda Kenny said he'd been told the Emerald Isle Classic was the "biggest ever overseas mobilization of US citizens for a single sporting event" - although he didn't say whether he believed it to be true or not

He used the occasion to remind people of The Gathering tourism event next year, when the Irish government is hoping thousands of ex-pats from around the world will visit Ireland to boost the tourist industry.

He used the example of Kathleen Fox, proud mother of the Fighting Irish's number 48 Daniel Patrick Fox, who had used the event to organize a gathering typical of the ones they're hoping will be replicated next year.

"Daniel's grandfather, Richard Gregory Mary Power, left Rathkeale in County Limerick in 1932, arriving in Chicago at the height of the depression in search of work," Mr Kenny said.

"He was told 'They hire the Irish at Notre Dame'. True to those words, he was hired as a groundskeeper at Notre Dame University and worked and lived on the Notre Dame campus until 1934.

"Kathleen is using tomorrow's game to have her very own Gathering. More than 20 of Daniel's aunts, uncles and cousins have travelled to Dublin from the US and from county Limerick to cheer on the Fighting Irish tomorrow.

"They and you are our people our distant cousins you are part of us because you are part of who we were in past times difficult times in rebellion in famine and emigration while our people hoped and dreamed of a new life a better future."

The event was a roaring success - not just for Dublin. It seemed to get the thumbs up from the travelling contingent as well.