Notre Dame for Dublin

A RUMP of the Artane Boys Band were playing at Croke Park last night, but there was no sign of the Meath or Mayo colours. Instead, the halls were decked in the red, white and blue of Amerikay and the blue and gold of Notre Dame as details were announced of the Smurfit Shamrock Classic American football match.

The Fighting Irish of Notre Dame take on the Naval Academy at the home of Gaelic games on Saturday, November 2nd. There have been several American collegiate games here over the years, most notably when Boston College played at Lansdowne Road. But, the promotional hype not withstanding, it's fair to say that the organisers have staged quite a coup in luring Notre Dame to Dublin.

This will be the 70th meeting of the teams, and is a full, division A league match. As `the Irish' are, to date, undefeated this season, the game could have a real bearing on the destination of the national championship.

Notre Dame have not played outside the US since 1979, when they hammered Miami, who were then only emerging, in Tokyo. It's Navy's first game on foreign shores.

The organisers say 15,000 tickets have been sold in the US, with another 6,000 confirmed here, despite little promotion so far. That number of American visitors roaming the streets of Dublin for the weekend will make the visit of the JFK pale in comparison.

Needless to say, coming along or the ride will be the usual cavalcade of bands and cheerleaders, and the RDS will play host to a virtual Camp America, including the utterly American "pep rally" on the Friday night.

The visit will also be marked by a number of official functions. The Navy will formally acknowledge the 50th anniversary of the Irish Navy and recognise John Barry in his native Wexford, while Notre Dame will play host to an academic conference (the subject of which was not divulged last night).

Tickets for the Shamrock Classic are available from HMV. Prices range from £15 to £40 for seating, while terrace tickets are £8 for adults and £5 for children.