Dublin city dazzled by College Football's oversized spectacle

For the uninitiated, it might have felt like there was an All-Ireland final on this weekend in Dublin.

However, if you took a closer look at the signs and banners you will quickly realise that American College Football has descended on the capital city.

The Georgia Tech Yellowjackets and Florida State Seminoles officially kicked off the season as they did battle at the Aviva Stadium.

It was a special day for Georgia's Tech punter David Shanahan, who played his first game in his home country.

The Kerryman played for his county at under-17 level, winning the Munster Championship in 2017.

In 2019, he decided to join the ProKick Australia kicking Academy, which has produced a number of NFL kickers and punters through the years.

He joined the Yellowjackets back in 2021 and has enjoyed three successful years with the team from Georgia.

The game was a sell-out again this year with thousands of Americans making the trip across the Atlantic to support their teams.

With kick-off at 5pm, there was plenty of time for fans to soak up the atmosphere as Dame Street came to a standstill for ESPN's kick-off show College Gameday.

For the first time, it was broadcast from outside the US as fans gathered near Parliament House to cheer on their own team and boo anytime any other team was mentioned.

While things were certainly loud and rowdy, there was a family-friendly feel as multiple generations of college football fans were able to soak up the atmosphere.

While rain was forecast, it managed to stay dry for most of the day, meaning fans did not have to worry about getting out the ponchos.

For many, it was their first time outside the US, so they might get the false impression that Ireland is a generally dry country.

The pre-match