AMES, Iowa — With kickoff for the 2025 college football season taking place overseas, featuring the Iowa State Cyclones, Irish pubs are finding ways to give cyclones an Irish experience at home.

Dublin Bay is opening up early at 8 a.m. to serve Irish breakfast and swap over to its regular menu right at kickoff. Irish pubs are not traditionally sports bars, but the owner wanted to have enough screens for Ames fans wanting a taste of the Irish on game day. Four new televisions are on the outdoor patio, with plans to serve Guinness out there as well.

“I happened to find out quite a while ago that, uh, Cyclones were going to be playing in Dublin. So we’ve kind of thought about preparing ourselves since then,” said Don O’Brien, the owner of Dublin Bay.

The pub is also looking for help from Iowa State fans that are overseas to grow the restaurant decor, with experiences tourists have in Ireland.

“We’d love to have some pictures. Capture yourself and in Ireland, be at the Cliffs of Moore, be it, you know, kissing the Blarney Stone, whatever. We’d love to have those pictures. And we’re going to take those Iowa State pictures and dedicate a wall to it,” said O’Brien.

The Mucky Duck Pub on South Duff Avenue is planning an Irish brunch special leading up to the game as well. There are several Irish pubs in the city limits that will look to make the Dublin game a chance to highlight their local business.