It's touchdown for the NFL at Croke Park

BEING in Dublin on a Sunday for a game and seeing the town flooded in a sea of black and amber groups mixed with groups of purple and yellow.

You would be remiss to think Kilkenny and Wexford have made it to Croke Park. But instead, it was the NFL that had came to town.

The Vikings of Minnesota and the Steelers in Pittsburgh had made to the trek across the Atlantic to experience the day out that is a Sunday in Croker.

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Arriving in Heuston that morning was an experience in itself. There wasn’t a single NFL team between Colbert and Heuston that was not represented. Texans, giants, Seahawks and even the Cleveland Browns had at least one fan on display on the train journey.

When you arrived to O’Connell Street, the buzz could be felt all the way down in Dingle. You had a perfect mix of your die-hard football fans mingling with the new-found interested fans just enjoying what was going to be a spectacle.

Team-sponsored bars like J.R Mahons, who hosted the droves of Vikings fans, were full out the door of gridiron lovers.

Then it was game time. Once it was time to make the walk down to the front of the Davin Stand to our seats, the sound and sight of the “Terrible Towels” being waved for Pittsburgh as the home team thanks to their Irish heritage of the Rooney family, was simply breathtaking.

Prior to kick-off, Lyra performed what I can only describe as an all-timer performance of Amhrán na bhFiann that had everyone in silence glued to the notes. Then it was time to get the ball rolling.

Seeing stars like Justin Jefferson and Aaron Rodgers in real-time was mind-blowing in the least. Not to mention when Rodgers fed former Seattle Seahawks receiver, D K Metcalf, for an 80-yard touchdown which had every member of 'Steelers nation' on their feet.

Minnesota did not go away without a fight, however, as they clawed back in the second half to bring it right down to the wire. But they did not do enough as Pittsburgh emerged 24-21 winners.

Coming back to Limerick after the game did not mean anyone lost their energy. It felt like everyone knew they had just witnessed history.

And if I can say anything about what I experienced on Sunday last, it is that the NFL absolutely needs to return to the Emerald Isle in 2026.