US fans take over Dublin for Navy-Notre Dame game

DUBLIN — Saturday’s game in Dublin between Navy and Notre Dame has brought an estimated 35,000 Americans to the Irish capital for a road game like no other, and the novelty of the event has captured the Irish imagination.

The U.S. Navy docked an amphibious-assault warship in Dublin and their fans have rallied in the city’s central park, St. Stephen’s Green. Not to be outdone, the night-before Notre Dame pep rally is being broadcast live on Irish state TV, followed by an open-air Catholic Mass from inside the grounds of Dublin Castle. And many city-center pubs have decorated their fronts with balloons, banners and window paintings honoring the two teams.