Dáil to host 200 US politicians and legislators

The US politicians are due to meet Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin during their visit.

The Dáil will hold an unusual event this week when around 200 US politicians and legislators converge on the Leinster House Chamber.

The group are travelling to Ireland ahead of a sold-out American Football game in the Aviva stadium on Saturday.

Following a letter from Paul McAuliffe, co-convenor of the Oireachtas United States Ireland Parliamentary Friendship Group, and Senator Mark Daly, the Oireachtas Liaison to US State Legislator, the Dáil chamber will see the largest meeting of State and Federal Legislators ever to take place in Ireland.

It is expected that the group of federal and state legislators, which includes approximately 20 members of the Senate, will take part in an event in the Dáil on Friday.

The politicians are also due to meet Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin.

However, details of the full itinerary have been kept under wraps for security reasons.

Tickets for the college football classic between Notre Dame and Navy have been sold out for months with almost 40,000 US fans expected to arrive in Dublin for the event this week.

With the majority of fans expected to spend at least a week in Ireland, this year's game is set to boost the economy by around €147m.

The fixture, which is the opening game for the 2023 college football season, will be broadcasted by NBC with an expected TV audience more than 10m viewers.

The teams previously met in Dublin in 2012, with Navy hosting Notre Dame in a sell-out fixture which saw 35,000 US visitors travelled to Ireland to watch Navy V Notre Dame – a world record of US fans to travel outside the US for one singular sports event, greater than any Ryder Cup or World Cup.

Paul Keeley of Fáilte Ireland said: “These games are of critical importance to our economy, not just in Dublin but regionally too as fans will travel and visit other parts of Ireland."