AMERICAN FOOTBALL: Navy 10 Notre Dame 50:FORGET THE game for a minute, for college football is about so much more than four quarters. In the build-up to Saturday afternoon's Emerald Isle Classic, the estimated 35,000 Americans in Dublin were given just what they wanted.

At the Notre Dame tailgating party that got under way in Temple Bar at 10am, there was a thick strand of Paddywhackery running right through the core of the city. Amidst the huge crowds and limited space, stalls were set up in mock thatched cottages, a High Nelly society showed off their wares, one person promised fans that he was actually pushing Molly Malone’s cart and all the while a choking smell of burning turf wafted past the men dressed in famine clothes that tap danced on top of old wooden kegs.

There was even a cow being led into a pub by a boy in a traditional outfit. Seriously. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Dublin, the local time is 1890.

This was always going to be an event and an occasion rather than merely a game to take a look at. And there was something here for everyone who had travelled.

The night before, Trinity College played the Navy in a rugby match, boxed against them too, there was a tennis event, and a warship was docked down the quays dotting the city centre in black and white uniforms like a chess board. There was even the contradictory choice of evening mass or mid-morning pints as this catered for all kinds.

But if those in attendance got the Ireland they wanted in abundance, the majority got what they had hoped for come kick-off too. Since the mid-1990s, Notre Dame have cautiously tip-toed towards seasons without the confidence and swagger of previous generations and this year was no different.

Their defence was expected to match-up with some of the best in the game, but their offence caused more than a few worried looks amongst the majority of their supporters, despite technically being the away team. They were wasted expressions though for the first half was a massacre and that was the most disappointing aspect of it all. This was a contest for just a few minutes.

The Fighting Irish took nearly six minutes off the clock on their first drive before Theo Riddick ran in for the opening touchdown. Navy’s response was to go for it on fourth and one on the opposition 30 but they came up short and it was the game killer.

Before the quarter was up, George Atkinson had gone in from 56 yards and there was more of the same after the change of ends with Everett Golson finding Tyler Eifert for six and Stephon Tuitt recovering a fumble to run a marathon of 76 yards to make it 27-0. A late Nick Sloan field goal for the Navy was no better than a change of socks after being caught out in a downpour.

Knowing the game was a formality thereafter, the full house made the most of the interval show as the Notre Dame band played Wild Rover and something called The Wearing of the Green, got into a shamrock formation and then marched into the shape of Ireland. Even those in uniform celebrated while they were allowed out. After this, the Navy were under lockdown and curfew because of strict rules from up the chain of command.

At least they got a touchdown to remember here by. Shawn Lynch was found in the end zone by quarterback Trey Miller in the third quarter. It was a moment in America that might have been greeted by fighter jets but it was probably for the best that celebrations were more subdued given sonic booms and the thousands of glass panels that surround Lansdowne Road tend not to mix.

But back came Notre Dame. Atkinson and Riddick added touchdowns and by then, even those who had gone with the 15-point spread had long relaxed and were making small talk with those around them. The most conclusive sign that this was long over was the Mexican Wave that started to keep people contented.

By the end, a nine-yard Robbie Tome run rounded off the rout.

Earlier in the week, Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly had noted that while it was great to be coming to Ireland, it was a pity that it was for a football game. He may have changed his mind by the end though because this was a holiday on the field as well as off it. Afterwards he noted, “It’s been a magical trip. Our players will have memories to last a lifetime. It’s great to be part of it.”

Within hours of the final play, he and his team were in Dublin Airport and made a quick return home. But as those left behind took down the set and power hosed the remnants of the game from the pitch, the city was again full. By then, with the game over, the party could continue for this was about so much more than four quarters.