Georgia Institute of Technology is scheduled to play its football opener against Boston College in Dublin next year, marking the first international game ever for the Yellow Jackets and the ninth time an American college football game has been played in Ireland.
Prime Minister Enda Kenny, flanked by city, tourism and corporate officials, made the announcement Thursday in Dublin.
Mr. Kenny hinted at further cooperation with Georgia college football teams during a visit to Atlanta in March. In 2014, then-Minister of Tourism and Sport Leo Varadkar said football’s popularity is growing in Ireland and that he’d like to see a game in Ireland between Georgia Tech and its cross-state rival, the Georgia Bulldogs.
Paul Johnson, Georgia Tech’s head coach, will be coaching his second game on the Emerald Isle — he was Navy’s defensive coordinator when the Midshipmen lost to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in 1996 in Dublin, according to a news release.
The game will be sponsored by Irish airline Aer Lingus, which is working with partners to provide travel packages for Tech fans. Visit GT2Ireland.com for more travel information.
To learn more about the Aer Lingus College Football Classic, visit http://collegefootballireland.com or follow on Twitter at @cfbireland.
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