DJ Uiagalelei talks first FSU start, Georgia Tech game in Dublin, Ireland
DJ Uiagalelei talks first FSU start, Georgia Tech game in Dublin, Ireland
Florida State football fans have descended on Ireland.
The Seminoles purchased 11,000 tickets for No. 10 FSU’s season opener Saturday against Georgia Tech in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic in Dublin.
Fans haven’t been wasting any time, quickly adjusting to the time difference – Dublin is five hours ahead of Eastern Time – and visiting must-see attractions as the program plays its first-ever game overseas.
The National Flag of Ireland, a tri-color of green, white and orange, has been flanked by a wave of garnet and gold. Smithfield Square, in fact, has been renamed “Seminoles Square” for the weekend,
Former Seminole (1980-83) David Ponder and wife Christine landed Wednesday in London, where they watched the changing of the Guards at Buckingham Palace, walked the city and enjoyed fish and chips and The Mayfair Chippy.
They caught a 90-minute flight into Dublin, checking into their hotel Thursday morning and and circling a trifecta of distillery/brewery stops – the Teeling Distillery, Jameson Distillery and the Guinness Storehouse. The couple planned to meet friends for dinner at Osteria Lucio.
“I am actually sore from the 12 miles we walked in London,” laughed Ponder, whose son Christian quarterbacked the Seminoles from 2006-2010.
“I am officially old.”
The FSU football team practiced in Tallahassee Wednesday morning, chartered to Ireland and landed Thursday. Georgia Tech was also scheduled to land Thursday.
The noon game between the ACC rivals is on ESPN and sold-out (47,000).
Must-see places in Dublin, Ireland for FSU football fans
The country is known for its dramatic landscapes, warm hospitality, and countryside charm. And there are numerous events in Dublin planned over the next few days for the teams and fans.
FSU’s acclaimed Marching Chiefs (170-plus members, mainly upper classmen) also arrived in Dublin and checked into their housing Thursday morning following a 24-hour travel day. The group had a day of sightseeing planned in the City Centre, followed by dinner and a show at a local pub called Johnnie Foxes. Their instruments were shipped earlier in the week.
Former FSU baseball player (1996-99) Zach Diaz and wife Heather are attending the game –and celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary.
Despite sleeping just one hour on the overseas flight, they arrived Thursday morning and pressed on. The couple caught a a Hop On Hop Off bus and saw multiple sights just as Christ’s Church, Trinity College and Phoenix Park. They ate dinner at former Ultimate Fighting Championship Connor McGregor’s restaurant, The Black Forge, even posing for a photo with McGregor’s title belt.
The couple planned to stroll Grafton Street, the city’s main shopping district, and have lunch at Fitzsimmons Pub Friday.
“My wife texted our family group chat that we might as well be in Tally for the game because there are so many Noles fans here,” Diaz said. “Everywhere you go it’s Seminole fans. All up and down the sidewalks of Dublin, inside every pub. Going in and out of the hotel, it’s Noles fans everywhere. We ran into friends of ours from Lakeland who also went to FSU on the Hop On Hop Off bus yesterday by random pure chance.”
Former Tallahassee sports anchor John Peterson, who now resides in Tampa and is the host/CEO of The JP Peterson Show, broadcast live Thursday at a fundraiser for William Floyd’s Bar None Foundation at Fitzsimons Temple Bar. Floyd is a former FSU and NFL fullback and the color analyst on FSU football radio broadcasts. Radio guests included former FSU quarterback Casey Weldon.
“We have seen a ton of Noles fans,” said Peterson, who also initially visited London prior to arriving in Dublin.
“You’d be walking by ‘Big Ben’ (clock tower of the Palace of Westminster) and someone would scream ‘Go Noles!’ It was the same in the airport (Thursday). I also met a 1989 graduate who has been living in Denmark for 31 years and meeting up here (Dublin) with his frat buddies.”
Weather conditions are known to change quickly and often in Ireland. The locals are fond of saying visitors can experience all four seasons in a day,
While August in Ireland on Wednesday was rainy, windy and chilly, Thursday’s weather was an improvement at 61 degrees, generally cloudy. with a slight chance of rain.
The forecast for the next two days, including Saturday’s game, features sunny weather with temps in the mid- to low-60s.
“It’s overcast but no rain where I am standing,” Ponder quipped.
Georgia Tech will fly home after the game. Because FSU plays on Labor Day Monday night at home against Boston College, the Seminoles will stay Sunday and Monday for sightseeing before returning to Tallahassee.
How can I watch Florida State football vs Georgia Tech
- Date: Saturday, Aug. 24
- Time: Noon ET
- Where: Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland
- TV: ESPN
- Streaming: ESPN+ ($10.99 per month), WatchESPN and the ESPN app (TV provider subscription needed), fuboTV (7-day free trial), YouTube TV (2-week free trial), Hulu + Live TV (7-day free trial)
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