Sold out: In Dublin, a Navy-Notre Dame rivalry

By Cian Molloy

DUBLIN — A sudden influx of American visitors has alerted Ireland that it is home to the annual Navy–Notre Dame football match Sept. 1.

Navy and Notre Dame first played in Dublin in 1996. They meet again Sept. 1, this time at Aviva Stadium. (CNS photo/Courtesy University of Notre Dame Athletic Department)

Billed as the Emerald Isle Classic, the game takes place in Aviva Stadium, home to Ireland’s national rugby and soccer teams. The stadium, opened in 2010, is Ireland’s second-largest sporting arena, but it was promoted in the U.S. as “an intimate venue” because its 51,700 capacity is smaller than many of the stateside stadiums where these two college teams have met.

In fact, each locker room has only 28 lockers — far fewer than the more than the number of players on the team’s travel roster.

The game has been sold out since March. More than 35,000 fans are traveling across the Atlantic for the game, making it the largest ever American audience at an overseas sporting event — topping even the U.S. attendance at Olympic matches. The 15,000 not coming from the U.S. include many groups of Notre Dame alumni from mainland Europe.

Notre Dame leads the rivalry with a 72-12-1 record. The two teams first met in Dublin in 1996.

On game day, some 5,000 Notre Dame fans will attend Mass in Dublin Castle, and the Notre Dame pre-match tailgate takes place in Temple Bar, dubbed Ireland’s Cultural Quarter. Navy fans will make their presence felt on the streets of Dublin when 1,000 midshipmen march from the USS Fort McHenry in Dublin Port to Aviva Stadium.

Whoever wins the game, the Irish will come out winners: The game and surrounding events are anticipated to bring $100 million to the Irish economy!