Dame Street to be closed off to traffic as College GameDay comes to Dublin

In preparation for the opening game of the college football season in Dublin on Saturday between Georgia Tech and Florida State, ESPN's College Gameday will be broadcast live from the city centre.

The 3hr live broadcast (2pm -5pm) is American College Football’s premier pre-game show and last season the programme reached 30 million viewers.

The live show from Dublin is the first time ever that the programme has been broadcast outside of the USA.

In preparation for the event, Dublin City Council said Dame Street will be closed to vehicle traffic between 8pm on Friday 23rd and 6am on Sunday 25th of August.

Foster Place will also be closed from 3pm on Wednesday, August 21st until 6am on Sunday, August 25th.

The event is family-friendly, free, non-ticketed and open to the public.

As part of the College GameDay event experience on College Green, Dublin City Council will provide entertainment including traditional Irish musical performances, and dancing.

In addition, the street will be dressed with College Football and GameDay branding and material to promote Dublin as the host city, providing all visitors with their own photographic/Instagram memories.

Lord Mayor of Dublin James Geoghegan said: “I am delighted to welcome so many of our American friends to the city of Dublin this weekend, and this event once again proves how capable our capital city is of hosting major sporting events.

"The presence of ESPN this weekend will help showcase the beauty of our capital city to a worldwide audience”.

“Travelling College GameDay overseas and sharing the excitement and traditions of college football with sports fans from other countries is something we’ve always wanted to do,” said Seth Markman, ESPN vice president and executive