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Tar Heels
in Ireland
in Ireland
Published Aug. 24, 2026; Updated Aug. 29, 2026
The Tar Heels kicked off the football season with their first-ever international game. Carolina beat Texas Christian University 15-10 Aug. 29 in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic in Dublin.
But this historic season opener was far from the only way Tar Heels turned Ireland Carolina Blue. The trip to Dublin shines a global light on our university and gives UNC-Chapel Hill students, faculty and staff, alumni and fans the chance to engage in a one-of-a-kind experience — from sports and culture to research, academics and community service.
Explore how the Tar Heels’ time in Ireland is about “Much More Than a Game.”
Tar Heels win!
Carolina’s defense shined as the Tar Heels beat TCU 15-10 in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic, starting the season off with a victory.
Read more about the game in this GoHeels recap and see photos from the week in this gallery.
We are proud to have our student-athletes represent our university on this international stage and for our fans and alumni to cheer on the Tar Heels in Ireland. This is a remarkable educational and cultural opportunity for our students, our program and our community.
Chancellor Lee H. Roberts
The Emerald Isle goes Carolina Blue
Read about how Carolina came to participate in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic, and how Tar Heels spent their week in Dublin exploring Irish history, culture and connections to North Carolina.
Read how the Emerald Isle is now touched with Carolina Blue.
Live from Ireland
Throughout the week, Lee Pace, a longtime Carolina football writer and sideline reporter, shared updates from events around Dublin that involve Tar Heels. On Thursday, leaders stopped by women’s soccer practice, attended Investicon and visited Trinity College Dublin.
Trip to Ireland is ‘Much More Than a Game’
Before the Aug. 29 Aer Lingus College Football Classic, Carolina students, faculty and staff, alumni and fans participated in academic collaborations, community service and cultural events.
Learn how Tar Heels are turning Ireland Carolina Blue beyond the field of play.
The Ireland experience
Tar Heel football players get passports for Ireland
Some team members took advantage of the Phillips Passport Initiative, a program that funds first passports for undergraduates.
Tar Heels take their music to Ireland
Football may be the main event in Dublin, but Carolina Bluegrass and the Tar Heel Marching Band are going to play, too.
Tar Heels in the know give Dublin tips
Irish alumna Sinéad Loughran and senior Wilson Weingast share their experiences in Ireland’s capital.
Tar Heels from Ireland
This Ireland native is a Tar Heel for life
Trans-Atlantic Masters graduate Vinnie Hourihane puts his Carolina degree to good use in his post-grad life in Brussels.
Dublin’s Sandymount Hotel has a Carolina connection
A former Tar Heel field hockey player’s family owns a hotel near the stadium hosting the Aer Lingus College Football Classic.
Carolina Global Launch
Located in Ireland’s third largest city, the University of Limerick gives first-year undergraduate students the chance to enjoy city life and an idyllic campus before enrolling at Carolina in the spring semester.
Read more about the Carolina Global Launch program in Ireland.
Press the play button above to watch the video
Irish and global collaborations
Barbara Stephenson helps Carolina spot opportunities
Three decades of assessing risk and benefit allows the University’s chief global officer to lead strategy in Ireland and beyond.
Irish-born duo fights antibiotic failure
Microbiologists Brian Conlon and Sarah Rowe-Conlon of the UNC School of Medicine search for treatments for stubborn bacterial infections.
Eshelman builds global connections in Ireland
The pharmacy school used a trip to Ireland for Carolina football to build global partnerships in research and education with academia and the pharmaceutical industry.
Carolina and Dublin City University collaborate on antibullying research
UNC School of Education professor Dorothy Espelage works with Irish counterpart James O’Higgins Norman to make an impact in schools.
UNC-Queen’s partnership promotes inclusive fitness
Carolina education professor Kara Hume worked with Queen’s University Belfast researchers to co-design more accessible gyms.
Carolina’s ties with Ireland go back centuries
Did you know the University’s first leader was Irish?
Students hone creative writing skills in Belfast
In partnership with Queen’s University Belfast, the Carolina creative writing program offered three-week courses in Northern Ireland this summer.
New partnership sparks trans-Atlantic research innovation
Three interdisciplinary projects unite UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy and Queen’s University Belfast.
