DUBLIN — About 20,000 Iowa State fans purchased tickets through the school for the Aer Lingus College Football Classic in Dublin. It felt like a few thousand of them jammed into Merrion Square Park for a pregame pep rally Friday afternoon.

Cyclone and Wildcat football fans have taken over Dublin ahead of Saturday’s opening game (ESPN, 11 a.m. Central Time, 5 p.m. Irish Standard Time).

Here are some of the fun things Cyclone fans have gotten to do this week:

Ride a double-decker bus

Jackie Caffrey has been a Cyclone fan since 1971 when her husband attended the university. It's her first time in Ireland this week and she got to do something she's always wanted to do.

"Ride the double-decker bus," Caffrey said. "I’ve never done it before so I was on the top."

Tour the Jameson Distillery

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