Tag: Ireland

History of Notre Dame’s rivalry with Navy

This rivalry is filled more history than nearly any other rivalry in college football.

Few rivalries in college football have as much history and prestige as Notre Dame-Navy.

Except for the COVID-19-affected season, these programs have played each other every year since 1927. Even with the college football landscape seemingly always in flux, there’s no reason to think this rivalry will stop anytime soon. Most fans on both sides are fine with that, even if the Irish have won the vast majority of the meetings.

If for no other reason, Notre Dame owes it to Navy to keep the rivalry going. When Notre Dame faced financial difficulties during World War II, the Navy opted to use the university as a training ground for its V-12 program. The money the Navy paid for that usage kept the university from going under, so Notre Dame feel it’s forever in its debt.

The result is many memorable moments over the years. Here are some of them:

Notre Dame-Navy: Field design for Saturday unveiled

Notre Dame will have a slightly different looking end zone when they serve as the home team in Saturday’s opener vs. Navy!

Notre Dame and Navy have met twice previously in Ireland with the Midshipmen serving as the home team both times. That changes Saturday: Notre Dame will be listed as the home team. The Fighting Irish are bringing a little bit of their field at Notre Dame Stadium to Aviva Stadium in Dublin and putting an Irish twist on it.

The end zone will somewhat resemble the usual look you see at Notre Dame home games, but the twist will be a nod to Ireland. See in the video that Notre Dame football put out on social media on Wednesday:

Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. ET between Notre Dame and Navy.

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Notre Dame football has landed in Ireland ahead of its season opener

The Irish have touched down in Ireland

[autotag]Notre Dame football[/autotag] has touched down in the Emerald Isle and it is ready to get to work.

The long trip from South Bend, Indiana, to Ireland is complete, the Irish have landed. A trip of over 3,600 miles for the Notre Dame football team is behind it, and it can adjust to the time change and get ready for the season-opening game against [autotag]Navy[/autotag].

How do we know that the Irish have arrived? Notre Dame’s social media posted pictures of the Irish on a tarmac in Ireland. The team looks excited for the opportunity to begin the season and so are we. Check out below the post shared for everyone to see.

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Looking back at Notre Dame’s 2012 trip to Ireland

Irish eyes were smiling that day…

With Notre Dame back in Ireland to start the 2023 season we can’t help but look back just over a decade ago when one of the most memorable seasons in recent Fighting Irish history took place.  11 years ago Notre Dame opened what would turn into a 12-0 regular season with a dominating 50-10 victory over Navy in Ireland.

The Irish return to play in front of the Irish (and a ton of Notre Dame fans making the trip abroad) this weekend.  Will it be the first step in another memorable season for Notre Dame?

Enjoy a look back at some of the best photos from Notre Dame’s trip to Ireland back in 2012.

Notre Dame-Navy: Fall weather expected for Irish opener

While it’s nearly 100-degrees back home, Notre Dame preps for very fall-like weather during their opener against Navy in Dublin.

As record heat bakes the Midwest and temperatures near 100 degrees at home, Notre Dame football will open the 2023 season with much more fall-like conditions in Dublin, Ireland.

Rain is expected in Dublin on Saturday morning with clearing in the afternoon before rain resumes in the evening. The Notre Dame-Navy contest (1:30 p.m. ET) kicks off at 7:30 p.m. in Dublin. Temperatures are expected to drop to the low 50s during the evening with rain expected.

Though the game is being played in August, it certainly appears more traditional fall weather will greet the Irish and Midshipmen for this one.

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Watch: Notre Dame-Navy hype video

A great hype video just over a week before Notre Dame and Navy start the 2023 season. This will get you ready for the 2023 college season

College football season officially kicks off in just over a week. For Notre Dame fans it’s the Irish traveling to Ireland to take on Navy in the Week 0 battle.

Notre Dame and Navy have a historic rivalry. This will be the 96th edition of the series. It’ll also be the third to be played in Dublin.

Although the two meet annually, the series has hardly been competitive.  Notre Dame holds an 81-13-1 edge all time and won every game in the series from 1962-2006.

Despite the one-sidedness of the affair, Navy nearly completed what would have been an epic comeback in last year’s game. We’re just over a week away from kickoff and JWP Sports has put together a rather outstanding hype video ahead of kickoff. Check it out below.

After watching that it will likely come as a shock to some casual observers to learn that Notre Dame is nearly a three-touchdown favorite.

8 days to go. Almost there!

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Wrexham signed a player too good for League Two, because they’re Wrexham

The Wrexham effect is a real

Typically, when someone is named their club’s player of the season, the next logical step would not be a transfer to a team two divisions down the ladder.

But when that team is Wrexham, anything is possible.

On Friday, Wrexham announced the signing of veteran midfielder James McClean — who, as mentioned, is coming off a season in which he was named Wigan Athletic’s player of the year.

McClean, 34, is also still an active international for Republic of Ireland, having earned his 100th cap over the summer.

After impressing in the Championship (it should be noted that Wigan was relegated last year), McClean is moving to League Two with Wrexham after the club won promotion from the National League last term.

Wrexham, of course, has gained global notoriety after actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney purchased the team in 2021 and made it the protagonist of the popular docuseries “Welcome to Wrexham.”

In an interview with Wrexham’s YouTube channel, McClean said the club’s growing profile was a major factor in his move.

“With everything surrounding this club at the moment, it’s a project that’s very exciting,” the longtime Premier League player said.

“The hype and excitement is clearly more now that the club’s back in the Football League. And I’m sure there’s ambitions here to go even further than this league. I’m a very passionate person, someone who’s very driven. And I want that as well. I want to be part of that and that’s obviously one of the main reasons for coming here.”

He added: “It’s a great story. … There’s just so much positivity that surrounds the club at the moment and it’s obviously a great thing. Like I said, the ambition is not to just stop here, but to keep going. And that’s obviously an exciting thing to be a part of.”

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NBC mostly has same Notre Dame broadcast team for 2023

We know some of you don’t want to hear this.

Notre Dame fans who were hoping to hear new voices broadcasting home games in 2023 are out of luck. NBC Sports has announced that nearly every broadcaster from 2022 will be calling the action from South Bend as well as the season opener in Ireland. That means Jac Collinsworth on play-by-play, Jason Garrett as color commentator and Zora Stephenson reporting from the sidelines. The only difference is the departure of coverage host Kathryn Tappen, who will be on NBC’s Big Ten broadcast team.

Despite some sports media critics willing to give the broadcast team a chance in 2022, Irish fans were far more critical. After the season’s final home game, more than a few folks expressed that they were fed up with this group. Although rumors swirled about Garrett and the Stanford head coaching job, that arrangement didn’t materialize. So we’ll have mainly the same people on the call in 2023.

For those disappointed by this, remember that you’re not tuning into games to hear the announcers. They merely provide the soundtrack to what you’re saying. If you really can’t stand them, the mute button is right there on your remote. Problem solved.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

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2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup Day 1 Recap: Host countries get it done

Day 1 of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup has come and gone, and the host countries took care of business.

The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup is officially underway! The ninth edition of the event, which is being hosted in Australia and New Zealand, got started on Thursday. Both host nations helped kickstart the event, with New Zealand facing off against Norway and Australia taking on the Republic of Ireland.

A quick reminder before we get into the games, you can keep up with the entire World Cup right here at Pro Soccer Wire! You can find the TV/streaming schedule, an updated list of the group stage standings, and the race for the Golden Boot here at all times.

Now, let’s get into the action from Day 1.

O’Sullivan injured as Ireland-Colombia abandoned due to ‘overly physical’ play

Ireland will now face a nervous wait over their star midfielder

A pre-World Cup friendly between Ireland and Colombia was abandoned after just 20 minutes due to what the Irish FA called “overly physical” play.

The behind-closed-doors game in Brisbane, Australia, may have been a costly one for Ireland: Star midfielder Denise O’Sullivan was taken to the hospital for a scan on her shin after a tackle from a Colombia player.

Ireland will now face a nervous wait over the 29-year-old’s status ahead of the country’s first women’s World Cup, which will kick off on Thursday against co-host Australia.

In a statement, the Irish FA said: “The behind-closed-doors game between the Ireland women’s national team and Colombia on Friday evening was ended after 20 minutes of play.

“The game, which was held in Meakin Park, Brisbane, became overly physical and it was decided, following consultation with the match officials, to end the game.”

Colombia, which will kick off its World Cup on July 24 against South Korea, disputed the Irish FA’s characterization of the friendly in a statement of its own.

“The Colombian Football Federation informs that the friendly match that was to take place as part of today’s training between the Colombia women’s national team and Ireland was suspended because the Irish national team preferred not to continue playing when 23 minutes of the first half had elapsed,” the statement said.

“Although all the processes and training of our teams are framed within the rules of the game, healthy competition and fair play, we respect the decision of our rival team.”

North Carolina Courage midfielder O’Sullivan has been capped 101 times for Ireland, scoring 19 goals.

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