OF PITTSBURGH AS CONNECTIONS TO THE EMERALD ISLE. ONLY ON FOUR TONIGHT. STEELER PRESIDENT THE SECOND ON HOW THE ROAD TO GAME DAY BEGAN WITH THE ROONEY FAMILY’S IRISH ROOTS. THEY CAME FROM COUNTY ARMAGH, NORTHERN IRELAND, AND THEY CAME BACK IN THE 1850S. THEY LEFT, ACTUALLY WENT TO WALES FIRST, THEN TO SCOTLAND BEFORE THEY GOT TO PITTSBURGH. IT WAS HIS FATHER, DAN ROONEY HAS RETURNED TO HIS IRISH ROOTS THAT CREATED THE INSPIRATION TO BRING THE FAMILY BUSINESS TO IRELAND IN THE LATE 90S. HE CONVINCED THE COMMISSIONER TO AT LEAST LET US HAVE A PRESEASON GAME IN IRELAND. HOW DIFFICULT WAS THAT? BECAUSE I THINK AT THE TIME I MEAN, THERE WERE GAMES IN LONDON. I THINK MAYBE MEXICO, YOU KNOW, IRELAND WAS NOT ONE OF THOSE COUNTRIES. I THINK THEY WERE WAS ON THEIR RADAR AT THE TIME. I THINK THAT’S FAIR TO SAY. BUT OBVIOUSLY IT WAS ON MY DAD’S RADAR. THROUGH DAN ROONEY’S EFFORTS, THE NFL AGREED TO HAVE THE STEELERS AND CHICAGO BEARS PLAY A PRESEASON GAME IN DUBLIN IN 1997. YEAH, AMERICAN FOOTBALL WAS DEFINITELY NEW TO IRELAND IN THE 90S. AND YOU KNOW, WE HAD GOOD ATTENDANCE FOR FOR PRESEASON GAME. BUT, YOU KNOW, JUST THE OVERALL BUZZ AROUND THE THE GAME WAS YOU KNOW, THEY WERE THEY WERE PAYING MUCH CLOSER ATTENTION TO HURLING AND GAELIC FOOTBALL AND THEIR SPORTS. THE NFL RETURNS TO IRELAND NEXT MONTH. THIS TIME THE STEELERS AND VIKINGS IN A MODERNIZED CROKE PARK. AND UNLIKE THE LAST VISIT, WHICH INCLUDED EXPERIENCING IRELAND’S PASSIONS, THIS WILL BE LESS OF A VACATION AND MORE OF A BUSINESS TRIP. IT WILL BE A LITTLE DIFFERENT FOR THE PLAYERS. THEY WON’T HAVE AS MUCH TIME TO, YOU KNOW, TO ENJOY THE COUNTRY. IT’S A REGULAR SEASON GAME AND SO COACH WILL BE TREATING IT, YOU KNOW, LIKE A NORMAL ROAD TRIP, I WOULD SAY WITH, YOU KNOW, A LITTLE EXTRA TIME IN THERE. I THINK THE TEAM IS PLANNING TO LEAVE ON THURSDAY, ARRIVING IN DUBLIN FRIDAY MORNING. SO WE’LL HAVE TWO PRACTICES FRIDAY AND SATURDAY AND THE GAME ON SUNDAY AND LEAVE RIGHT AFTER THE GAME. BUT THERE WILL BE PLENTY AT STAKE, PERHAPS EVEN A TROPHY FOR THE WINNING TEAM, SAYS ROONEY. THE WATERFORD CRYSTAL TROPHY, PRESENTED IN 1997, CERTAINLY INSPIRED THE STEELERS. AND SO MY MOTHER STARTED TALKING. HOW MUCH YOU’D LOVE TO HAVE THIS WATERFORD CRYSTAL TROPHY, AND THAT WORD GOT TO BILL COWHER AND BILL. BILL SAID HE HAD TO PUT IN A WHOLE NEW GAME PLAN FOR A PRESEASON GAME THAT HE OTHERWISE WOULDN’T HAVE BEEN PURSUING. SO THE TROPHY IS IN OUR TROPHY CASE, AND THE CHERISHED PART OF TEAM HISTORY, AND WE WILL CONTINUE OUR COVERAGE OF THIS HISTORIC GAME AND THE STEEL CITY’S IRISH CONNECTIONS EVERY WEEK LEADING UP TO GAME DAY, THEN CATCH THE STEELERS AND VIKINGS IN DUBLIN RIGHT HERE ON CHANNEL FOUR. THAT GAME, THE MORNING OF SEPTEMBER 20TH. WHEN YOU’RE THERE, YOU’RE GOING TO LEARN HURLING. I’M GOING TO T
Road to Ireland: Steelers embrace Irish roots ahead of historic Dublin matchup
Pittsburgh Steelers game in Dublin to mark new chapter in NFL’s global journey
Updated: 11:50 PM EDT Aug 6, 2025
The Pittsburgh Steelers will make history when they play the Minnesota Vikings in the first regular-season NFL game in Ireland.Steelers President Art Rooney II told Pittsburgh’s Action Sports how the road to gameday began with his family’s Irish roots.”They came from County Down, which is in Northern Ireland,” Rooney said. “Back in the 1850s, they left, actually went to Wales first, then to Scotland before they got to Pittsburgh.”It was his father Dan Rooney’s return to his Irish roots that inspired bringing the family business to Ireland.”In the late ’90s, he convinced the commissioner to at least let us have a preseason game in Ireland,” Rooney said.”How difficult was that?” Pittsburgh’s Action Sports director Andrew Stockey asked. “At the time, there were games in London, I think maybe Mexico. Ireland was not one of those countries that was on their radar.”I think that’s fair to say,” Rooney said. “But obviously, it was on my dad’s radar.”Through his father’s efforts, the NFL agreed to allow the Steelers and Chicago Bears to play a preseason game in Dublin in 1997.”American football was definitely new to Ireland in the ’90s,” Rooney said. “We had good attendance for a preseason game, but just the overall buzz around the game was — they were paying much more attention to hurling and Gaelic football and their sports.”The NFL will return to Dublin in September. This time, the Steelers and Vikings will be playing at a modernized Croke Park.Unlike the Steelers’ last visit, which included experiencing Ireland’s passions and culture, this will be less of a vacation and more of a business trip.”It will be a little different for the players. They won’t have much time to enjoy the country,” Rooney said. “It’s a regular-season game, so coach will be treating it like a normal road trip, I would say, with a little extra time in there.”I think the team is planning to leave on Thursday, arrive in Dublin Friday morning, so we’ll have two practices Friday and Saturday, the game on Sunday and leave right after the game.”There will be plenty at stake, perhaps even a trophy for the winning team.The Waterford Crystal Trophy, presented in 1997, certainly inspired the Steelers.”My mother started talking how much she would love to have this Waterford Crystal trophy, and that word got to (then-Steelers coach) Bill Cowher, and Bill said he had to put in a whole new game plan for a preseason game that he otherwise wouldn’t have been pursuing,” Rooney said. “So the trophy is in our trophy case, and a cherished part of team history.”WTAE will continue our coverage of this historic game and Pittsburgh’s Irish connections every week leading up to gameday.Each week, WTAE will share stories on the “Road to Ireland” about Pittsburgh and its connections to the Emerald Isle.The Steelers-Vikings game in Dublin can be seen on WTAE Channel 4 on Sunday, Sept. 28.Road to Ireland: See more stories below
LATROBE, Pa. —
The Pittsburgh Steelers will make history when they play the Minnesota Vikings in the first regular-season NFL game in Ireland.
Steelers President Art Rooney II told Pittsburgh’s Action Sports how the road to gameday began with his family’s Irish roots.
“They came from County Down, which is in Northern Ireland,” Rooney said. “Back in the 1850s, they left, actually went to Wales first, then to Scotland before they got to Pittsburgh.”
It was his father Dan Rooney’s return to his Irish roots that inspired bringing the family business to Ireland.
“In the late ’90s, he convinced the commissioner to at least let us have a preseason game in Ireland,” Rooney said.
“How difficult was that?” Pittsburgh’s Action Sports director Andrew Stockey asked. “At the time, there were games in London, I think maybe Mexico. Ireland was not one of those countries that was on their radar.
“I think that’s fair to say,” Rooney said. “But obviously, it was on my dad’s radar.”
Through his father’s efforts, the NFL agreed to allow the Steelers and Chicago Bears to play a preseason game in Dublin in 1997.
“American football was definitely new to Ireland in the ’90s,” Rooney said. “We had good attendance for a preseason game, but just the overall buzz around the game was — they were paying much more attention to hurling and Gaelic football and their sports.”
The NFL will return to Dublin in September. This time, the Steelers and Vikings will be playing at a modernized Croke Park.
Unlike the Steelers’ last visit, which included experiencing Ireland’s passions and culture, this will be less of a vacation and more of a business trip.
“It will be a little different for the players. They won’t have much time to enjoy the country,” Rooney said. “It’s a regular-season game, so coach will be treating it like a normal road trip, I would say, with a little extra time in there.
“I think the team is planning to leave on Thursday, arrive in Dublin Friday morning, so we’ll have two practices Friday and Saturday, the game on Sunday and leave right after the game.”
There will be plenty at stake, perhaps even a trophy for the winning team.
The Waterford Crystal Trophy, presented in 1997, certainly inspired the Steelers.
“My mother started talking how much she would love to have this Waterford Crystal trophy, and that word got to (then-Steelers coach) Bill Cowher, and Bill said he had to put in a whole new game plan for a preseason game that he otherwise wouldn’t have been pursuing,” Rooney said. “So the trophy is in our trophy case, and a cherished part of team history.”
WTAE will continue our coverage of this historic game and Pittsburgh’s Irish connections every week leading up to gameday.
Each week, WTAE will share stories on the “Road to Ireland” about Pittsburgh and its connections to the Emerald Isle.
The Steelers-Vikings game in Dublin can be seen on WTAE Channel 4 on Sunday, Sept. 28.
Road to Ireland: See more stories below