American football: Sightseeing, shopping and music for visitors ahead of Saturday game

Thousands of visitors from the United States have arrived in Dublin ahead of Saturday’s American college football game at the Aviva Stadium.

While recent crime in the capital caused the US embassy in Dublin to issue advice last month to its citizens to “keep a low profile” and “exercise good personal security practices” in Ireland, travelling fans who spoke to The Irish Times played down the fears.

“A friend texted me the news [about an attack on an American tourist] some weeks ago but I told him I’ve always felt safe in Dublin,” said Joe Flanagan, from Los Angeles. This is Flanagan’s seventh time visiting Dublin and he is going to see the game with an Irish friend. “I never thought not to come because of that story, I don’t feel threatened.”

Kevin Walsh and his daughter Cara said they had read the warnings issued by the embassy after that attack but they weren’t worried. “We’re from Chicago,” laughed Kevin. “I’d say it’s just like any other urban context, you have to be aware of potential dangers,” added Cara, “But I feel like everyone is doing the best they can to make it enjoyable for tourists.”

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Steven McCartan, from Kansas city, expressed a similar opinion. “Like in any other city in the US too, people have to be careful,” he said, adding that his trip was also a chance to meet up with his daughter who’s studying at Trinity College Dublin for the semester. “We wouldn’t let her be here if we felt like the city is unsafe,” he said.

More than 40,000 overseas visitors are expected to attend the Aer Lingus College Football Classic between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Navy Midshipmen.

For many of them, Thursday was the first day of the trip and it was spent sightseeing and shopping in Temple Bar and other tourist spots.

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Janet and Keith Brown, from Indiana, plan to head west after the match for a tour along the Wild Atlantic Way. They said they didn’t know of any security concerns in Dublin. “We’ve only been here a few hours but everything feels fine,” said Janet.

The city looks “different” from his last visit some years ago, according to John Crist, from Virginia, but he said he hasn’t felt any threats, although he only walked through the city centre.

In the meantime, members of the US Navy Europe and Africa Band took part in a music exhibition in Dublin City University’s Drumcondra campus on Thursday. The group had a three-hour rehearsal with the Irish Defence Force Band as they will play together on the LÉ Samuel Beckett ship on Friday.

“It shows how music can bring people together like nothing else does and also the historic bond between our countries,” said Lieut Commander Kelly Cartwright, director of the US Navy band.

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The American sailors and marines who played at DCU have university qualifications in music and organised a workshop for Irish students of Music Generation, the national music education programme, while also teaching them “a bit of American jazz”, he said.

Besides “enjoying the cooler weather” – the band is based in Naples – and sightseeing throughout the city like the game-watchers, members of the US Navy band will also play on Grafton Street this Saturday at 3pm.

On the upcoming fixture, Tanáiste Micheál Martin said: “I would like to convey a warm welcome to the many thousands of visitors who have travelled to Dublin to celebrate this season-opener game.” He added that it would be an occasion to “showcase once again the hugely significant ties that bind Ireland and the United States”.

According to Mr Martin, the fixture “offers the potential to position Ireland as the European home of college football”, and “will put Ireland, and Dublin in particular, in the spotlight as it is estimated to be seen by more than three million viewers overseas”.