Needs to be SMU-Notre Dame as Bob Hope put it “An atheist is a man who buys a ticket to the Notre Dame-SMU game and doesn’t care who wins”

(05-05-2013 10:00 PM)TerryD Wrote:  Then why did the Irish Prime Minister, Edna Kenny, speak at ND's Pep Rally?

Why did a number of Ireland's best musicians and actors perform there?

Why was it televised live across Ireland on RTE', Ireland's state owned television network?

Why was it heavy promoted by the Irish government as part of The Gathering?

Do you guys know everything about Ireland and ND?

Look, I wish PSU and UCF well in their game but you are way off on this stuff about ND and Ireland.

Mostly, the Irish are intrigued by American football but much prefer rugby, hurling and soccer.

They indeed have heard of ND, though,

There's a difference between the Irish government promoting their country to get tourism dollars from Americans with Irish heritage and ND being "Ireland's team" in college football. There are many people in the UK and Ireland love (American) football and there are local club teams, but absolutely nothing approaching the level of the NCAA or NFL. When the opportunity comes to see top athletes playing the sport live, people jump at it, people won't have seen anything approaching the quality of a DIII game, so any top teams would be a draw. The fact that ND can pull 35K American fans across to Ireland because they associate with the place is a big plus for the people organizing locally, who doesn't want that many extra tourists?

That does not mean that the feeling is reciprocated with anything approaching the same level. Sure, if you're told that one of the teams is a Catholic university called the Fighting Irish then you'll support them, but I think you will struggle to find Notre Dame fans in Ireland. Pro sports is a much bigger deal in Europe and most (the vast majority, more than 95%) football fans would follow the NFL.

Now, I may be wrong, but as a Brit I have some authority as to how people in the British Isles view American sports. The governments of Ireland and Scotland know that Americans who descend from their countries are a giant cash cow and promote themselves as much as they can. Most of the things you list are all about Ireland promoting itself. How many Irish universities can the average American name? If you ask an average Irish person how many US universities they could name, the list would be of a similar size. You'd probably hear Harvard and Yale, possibly Stanford but you wouldn't get much further than that.

The point relevant to this thread is that you don't have to have an 'Irish' team or teams with coaches whose names are O'something to attract a crap ton of local fans to go to a game in Dublin, London or most other places in Europe. However, if you are the Irish government then you want Notre Dame to come as that brings more money than any other team, no other team will bring 35000 people with fat wallets to their country.

I would encourage any ND fan to go watch a 6 Nations rugby game in the Aviva. If you want to feel Irish, then that would be special, it is an incredible stadium and a game against France, England or Wales would get some real passion. If you're prepared to leave the family at home then go to a Celtic-Rangers game in Glasgow, that would take passion to yet another level, just don't walk in to the wrong bar.

(05-05-2013 10:00 PM)TerryD Wrote:  Then why did the Irish Prime Minister, Edna Kenny, speak at ND's Pep Rally?
She was probably invited.

Why did a number of Ireland's best musicians and actors perform there?
They were probably paid to perform there.

Why was it televised live across Ireland on RTE', Ireland's state owned television network?
Because it's American Football in Ireland. Something that doesn't come along all that often.

Why was it heavy promoted by the Irish government as part of The Gathering?
Probably because they're a hospitable people

Do you guys know everything about Ireland and ND?
No, but neither do you, regardless of how much you believe you do. Who cares if you plan to retire there?

Look, I wish PSU and UCF well in their game but you are way off on this stuff about ND and Ireland.
I'm not way off, you're way overrating yourself, as usual.

Mostly, the Irish are intrigued by American football but much prefer rugby, hurling and soccer.
No argument there, but that really wasn't the argument was it?[color=#000000]

They indeed have heard of ND, though,
No doubt ND ensured that.

I may not be that average American citizen" you refer to.

I hold Irish citizenship, have traveled throughout Ireland and will be back there in two months.

I have been to Scotland as well, Glasgow included, and also be back there in July.

So, I know a bit more about the topics than you may think.

Not everything, but I have talked to quite a few people in Ireland about American football and ND.

The Irish are intrigued about American football. They also know about ND, a lot of them.

The poster who thinks the Irish have never heard of ND is plain wrong. That was the point of my last post.

I do wish PSU and UCF well. I hope the game is a success

(05-05-2013 10:47 PM)Knightsweat Wrote:  

(05-05-2013 10:00 PM)TerryD Wrote:  Then why did the Irish Prime Minister, Edna Kenny, speak at ND's Pep Rally?
She was probably invited.

Why did a number of Ireland's best musicians and actors perform there?
They were probably paid to perform there.

Why was it televised live across Ireland on RTE', Ireland's state owned television network?
Because it's American Football in Ireland. Something that doesn't come along all that often.

Why was it heavy promoted by the Irish government as part of The Gathering?
Probably because they're a hospitable people

Do you guys know everything about Ireland and ND?
No, but neither do you, regardless of how much you believe you do. Who cares if you plan to retire there?

Look, I wish PSU and UCF well in their game but you are way off on this stuff about ND and Ireland.
I'm not way off, you're way overrating yourself, as usual.

Mostly, the Irish are intrigued by American football but much prefer rugby, hurling and soccer.
No argument there, but that really wasn't the argument was it?[color=#000000]

They indeed have heard of ND, though,
No doubt ND ensured that.

Edna Kenny is a man.

We probably both overrate ourselves.

(05-05-2013 10:54 PM)TerryD Wrote:  I may not be that average American citizen" you refer to.

I hold Irish citizenship, have traveled throughout Ireland and will be back there in two months.

I have been to Scotland as well, Glasgow included, and also be back there in July.

So, I know a bit more about the topics than you may think.

Not everything, but I have talked to quite a few people in Ireland about American football and ND.

The Irish are intrigued about American football. They also know about ND, a lot of them.

The poster who thinks the Irish have never heard of ND is plain wrong. That was the point of my last post.

I do wish PSU and UCF well. I hope the game is a success

Thank you, that's all you had to say.

BTW, I'm also of Irish descent, and still have close family members who live in the Dublin area. I've visited there quite a bit over my lifetime, and find it to be a wonderful place to visit, and the locals will gladly sit down and get pissed with you. Nothing wrong with that.

(05-05-2013 10:59 PM)Knightsweat Wrote:  

(05-05-2013 10:54 PM)TerryD Wrote:  I may not be that average American citizen" you refer to.

I hold Irish citizenship, have traveled throughout Ireland and will be back there in two months.

I have been to Scotland as well, Glasgow included, and also be back there in July.

So, I know a bit more about the topics than you may think.

Not everything, but I have talked to quite a few people in Ireland about American football and ND.

The Irish are intrigued about American football. They also know about ND, a lot of them.

The poster who thinks the Irish have never heard of ND is plain wrong. That was the point of my last post.

I do wish PSU and UCF well. I hope the game is a success

Thank you, that's all you had to say.

BTW, I'm also of Irish descent, and still have close family members who live in the Dublin area. I've visited there quite a bit over my lifetime, and find it to be a wonderful place to visit, and the locals will gladly sit down and get pissed with you. Nothing wrong with that.

We do in fact agree on something, after all.

(05-05-2013 10:54 PM)TerryD Wrote:  I may not be that average American citizen" you refer to.

I hold Irish citizenship, have traveled throughout Ireland and will be back there in two months.

I have been to Scotland as well, Glasgow included, and also be back there in July.

So, I know a bit more about the topics than you may think.

Not everything, but I have talked to quite a few people in Ireland about American football and ND.

The Irish are intrigued about American football. They also know about ND, a lot of them.

The poster who thinks the Irish have never heard of ND is plain wrong. That was the point of my last post.

I do wish PSU and UCF well. I hope the game is a success

Well apparently you speak to different Irish people than I do. Your experiences seem to be the very opposite of mine, but I'm prepared to take your points at face value. That said, I haven't spoken to anyone about this point since well before the game last year, I have no clue as to how well advertised it was, or what effect that game had short term or long term to the perception of ND.

I'm still of the opinion that in "Notre Dame vs Navy college football game" the important words to Irish fans are college football game and not Notre Dame (or indeed Navy). So therefore I think that PSU and UCF would be very well attended from that side of the pond, but there would be far fewer traveling fans. I guess we will see if and when the game goes ahead.

PS, his name is Enda, not Edna.

EDIT: I should concede that as a Brit, the Irish that I speak to don't ask me about football, rather we talk about rugby, so they don't often bring up US collegiate athletics. Maybe many are closet football fans and relish the opportunity to talk to you (who I assume is American too) about such things. I can't speak for all Irish people, just those that I have met and had US sport based conversations with.