On August 30th, Dublin will host an American college football game between Pennsylvania State University and the University of Central Florida. The highly anticipated Croke Park Classic will see Dublin’s city centre rolling out the green carpet for fans from all over the world, having sold over 40,000 tickets already to the 69,000 seat capacity game. Irish officials have expressed their enthusiasm to introduce many in Ireland for the first time to the thrilling experience that is American college football, and numerous tailgating events have already been scheduled.
The connections between Ireland and Pennsylvania, and Ireland and Florida span cultural, historical, and economic spheres. 2.1 million Floridians and 2.4 million Pennsylvanians claim Irish heritage, with the namesake and founder of one of the states, William Penn, once residing in County Cork. The economic connections are impressive, amounting for billions of dollars in exchange annually.
Check out the infographic below that outlines just a few of the many fascinating interactions and commonalities.
Croke Park Classic
To promote and grow these connections even further, the American-Irish business Forum will be held at Croke Park on August 28th. Prominent figures on both sides of the Atlantic have expressed their excitement at new trade opportunities between the three regions, while the cultural exchange centred on the football game occurs simultaneously.
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