By Owen Sproule
In Dublin, the annual Aer Lingus College Football Classic 2025 attracted 47,226 people, with 25,999 of the attendees coming from overseas, and 22,910 coming from the U.S alone. Many U.S. tourists stayed in Ireland for a week, travelling to counties like Kerry and Galway, with Sligo seeing fewer tourists.
At the Sligo County Council meeting, the Council approved a motion for representatives on the Sligo Destination Forum to, in partnership with Fáilte Ireland and industry stakeholders, bring forward a coordinated initiative to position Sligo within the official pre- and post-game tour packages to benefit from the rise in U.S. Tourism during the annual college football games.
The motion was raised by Fine Gael Councillor Fergal Nealon, stating that last year, Sligo let the wave of U.S. tourism pass them by, and that cannot happen again.
Cllr Nealon explained that if Sligo was able to attract at least five hundred of these visitors, the economic impact it would bring, detailing, “ Capturing 500 of these visitors for a two-night stay in Sligo would deliver an estimated €645,000 in direct spend and €875,000 in total economic impact for our county, using the same methodology Fáilte Ireland applied to the Dublin fixtures. Repeated annually, that represents over €4 million for Sligo businesses across five years.”
He revealed that the Minister of State for Public Procurement, Digitalisation and eGovernment, Frank Feighan, had already planted the seeds for such an opportunity in his role as Government representative at the Super Bowl, where he had conversations with U.S. event organisers. Cllr Nealon noted, “ This is not a pipe dream. The groundwork at national level has begun. Today’s motion ensures that Sligo, at local level, is ready to meet that work halfway.”
Cllr Nealon outlined what Sligo can offer U.S. tourists, in particular, the golf courses in the County Sligo Golf Club at Rosses Point, Strandhill Golf Club and Enniscrone Golf Club, remarking they are only forty minutes from each other. He highlighted a proposed Stout and Oyster Festival and a plan for a chartered culture train from Dublin, “packed with traditional music and craic.”
Labour Councillor Ann Higgins seconded the motion, saying that college football games can at times be bigger than the NFL games. She discussed that at these games, Tourism Ireland runs promotional videos for Ireland, and it would be a great opportunity for Sligo. Cllr Higgins listed the three As of tourism: “access, accommodation and activities,” signifying the importance of a train to get them here. She suggested developing a plan to offer a bundle package of activities for tourists.
Independent Councillor Marie Casserly said she would generally welcome the idea, but from her experience organising a train from Dublin to Sligo and back requires a lot of manpower and resources. She questioned whether Cllr Nealon had a plan for funding it, as it was a big undertaking that requires a lot of financing, advising that a team would need to be set up to organise it.
Cllr Nealon clarified they are looking to August 2027 to implement the strategy, with the motion requiring the Council to report back to members within six months on progress, partner engagement and projected economic impact for the August 2027 fixture.
