Fans enjoy Emerald Isle atmosphere

The Aviva stadium packed was packed to the rafters for the Emerald Isle Classic between the University of Notre Dame and Naval…

The Aviva stadium packed was packed to the rafters for the Emerald Isle Classic between the University of Notre Dame and Naval Academy yesterday.

While the game was the main event, many of the 35,000 American visitors in Dublin came  to soak up the atmosphere surrounding it.

This is more than just a college football game, the rivalry between Notre Dame and Naval Academy is fierce.

On Thursday, it kicked off when supporters staged a pep rally from Stephen's Green to Trinity College.

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On Friday, , Notre Dame and Naval Academy hosted their own pep rallies. Navy's rally took place at the St Stephen's Green bandstand while the Notre Dame rally took place in the 02.

Yesterday morning Notre Dame hosted a mass at Dublin Castle which was followed by a tailgate party in Temple Bar.

Notre Dame won the match 50-10.

For fans who couldn't get tickets to the game, Temple Bar was the go - to destination as fans settled in for over four hours of American football.

Eileen Ganley and Alio DeCarolis are American football fans.

Ms DeCarolis said that although they were from Canada, they love following American football. They said they had tickets to the game but were touring Dublin while the weather stays good. "College football is exciting, young and amateur but fiercely competitive. There's a lot of true fans. We follow Notre Dame, Michigan and Penn State. I'm a Michigan fan so I didn't want to wear Navy colours so I wore Irish ones instead."

They said that while the game is important, most of the fun centres around the celebrations after the event.

"If Notre Dame win, Ireland will never be the same again!" said Ms Ganley.  "That's right, if they win you should get out of town at 6pm! We'll meet our friends and family in Temple Bar later on and join in the celebrations later if Notre Dame win"