Why Is the University of Notre Dame Associated with the Irish?

Notre Dame Cathedral is in Paris, France—it has no Irish connection. The University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, USA, was founded in 1842 by French priest Rev. Edward Sorin of the Congregation of Holy Cross. Its early students and faculty were largely Irish-American Catholics, and its athletic teams adopted the "Fighting Irish" moniker in the early 1900s, cementing the Irish identity.