As they were from Austria, Germany, Hungary, Sweden, England and Brazil, to name just a few among numerous other exotic points of origin represented in Ireland for the spectacle that was Steelers-Vikings last Sunday.
As anticipated, most were Steelers fans.
What was surprising was how many were there for the game, not necessarily Terrible Towel waving or "Renegade" or anything else that had more to do with entertainment and fan engagement than it did the actual playing of American football.
One Brazilian, in particular, betrayed the depth of understanding and knowledge of the game many Steelers fans from all over the world brought with them to the Emerald Isle, even those who showed up despite not in possession of tickets.
"They need to invest more in the offensive line."
He was reminded offensive tackles Broderick Jones and Troy Fautanu are both former first-round picks and center Zach Frazier is a former second-round selection, but was still not deterred.
The boys from Brazil would like to focus on the continued development of the offensive line, and that wasn't the only time such nuance and detail were passionately discussed in an overflowing pub where someone was singing Cranberries songs and the decor included a "John F. Kennedy for President" poster from 1960 on one wall and a bronze representation of James Joyce in front of another.
Welcome to Dublin.
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This wasn't, after further review, where the streets had no name.
And the names were all recognizable to the Steelers fans crowding up and down the cobblestones of the Temple Bar district, touring the Guinness Storehouse or visiting Christ Church Cathedral, Trinity College or any of the numerous other local attractions.
The nameplates and numbers on the backs of authentic jerseys were omnipresent.
"Roethlisberger 7," and "Bettis 36" and "Greene 75" and "Russell 34," to name just a few; almost every era of Steelers football, it seemed, was on display.
And it wasn't just fans celebrating their favorite players.
A host of former Steelers were there in the flesh.
The group included Bettis, Mark Bruener, James Farrior, Brett Keisel, Carnell Lake, Maurice Pouncey, Roethlisberger, John Stallworth, Max Starks and Ike Taylor.
They enthusiastically showed up for events such as football camps (including one in Belfast, Northern Ireland), Q&A's at Fitzsimons Pub, a flag football event at the U.S. Ambassador's residence and a tailgate. The ex-players sampled a pint or two and served as good will ambassadors throughout.
They didn't want to miss this, either.
Fitzsimons served as an unofficial headquarters for Steelers fans and hosted broadcasts on Steelers Nation Radio and WDVE-FM in Pittsburgh, the flagship station on the Steelers Audio Network, and Steelers fans responded.
According to Romy Carroll, manager of sales and marketing for Fitzsimons, business was up about 50 percent over an average weekend and surpassed annual events such as St. Patrick's Day and the All-Ireland Finals for rugby and Gaelic football (which draw sellout crowds to Croke Park, the venue for the Steelers-Vikings game) in terms of attendance and, perhaps, merriment.
"We are known as the biggest and best live entertainment venue in Temple Bar and have been nominated for many awards, including 'The Best Live Entertainment Venue' in Dublin," Carroll explained. "But this weekend the award has to go to the outstanding Steelers fans who came over to Ireland in droves because of the passion they have for Pittsburgh, the love of the game and most of all the historic Irish connection the Steelers have to our country."
Did anyone expect anything less?
"It just shows the support that Steelers Nation gets, from not only the crowds but the former players," maintained Bruener, a former tight end, a current scout for the Steelers and the father of rookie Steelers linebacker Carson Bruener. "It also shows how the players are treated by the organization, by the Rooney family. You could probably poll a lot of players that have played for a lot of different (Steelers) teams and I think the common comments that you're going to get from former players is the way they're treated by the Rooney family.
"This is a tough business, let's be clear, but you can still treat people the right way. And former players, if they played with us for a year or they played with us for a decade, they all have the same type of sentiments toward the team and the way they're treated by the team. And that allegiance carries over to a game like this here in Ireland."
Bruener was asked if the Steelers reach out to alumni in situations such as the historic Ireland trip.
"I think it was more (the former players) saying, 'Please, can I come? And is there anything I can do?' That's the way we are, the way the Steeler family is."
Added Pouncey: "I'm beyond grateful. The people here, the hospitality, this has been beyond a blessing for us."
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For this writer, and some others, the journey across the pond started in, of all places, Cleveland.
Direct flights on Aer Lingus bound for Dublin were available at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport and many western Pennsylvanians took full advantage.
No wonder an exasperated bartender at one of the Hopkins' establishments wondered aloud, "Why is everyone in here wearing a Steelers jersey?"
There were fans from all over the world at the game, especially the host nation.
But there was an atypical number of Steelers fans in attendance for such an NFL event, fans whose next game is as likely to be at Acrisure Stadium as anywhere else.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell detailed the departure from the norm in an interview with sideline reporter Missi Matthews on the Steelers Audio Network Pregame Show.
For international games, "We normally have most of our fans coming from the country that we're playing in, and that's why we're playing it," Goodell maintained. "This game is different. I think one-third of the crowd here today came from the (United) States, and I think it'll be pretty Steeler-heavy.
"I'm not surprised, they travel better than any team in the NFL, probably."
He wasn't wrong, either.
In what was officially a home game for the Steelers, the Steelers' crowd took over at Croke Park.
The Vikings were the team that had to resort with regularity to the silent count (although the Steelers had to on occasion, as well, such was the level of exuberance).
And the Steelers played, not a complete game but one that was much more in tune with what they've been after all along than what they'd been able to muster in the season's first three weeks.
They may have let a 24-6, fourth-quarter lead dwindle to three, the game may have come down to one final defensive stop and ended up being "a little more entertaining than maybe it should have been," as head coach Mike Tomlin acknowledged.
But in the end it was a beautiful day.
They found much if not all of what they're looking for.
Re-Joyce.
Sometimes, the longest way 'round really is the shortest way home.
