The Original Shamrock Rovers

 

Shamrock Rovers are among the League of Ireland clubs that have competed in European tournaments and are the most successful club in the Republic. According to their website, Shamrock Rovers was founded in the Ringsend/Irishtown area in 1899. The website states,

‘the name of the club was taken from Shamrock Avenue where the committee had a facility for staging their meetings.’

There is the terrace chant ‘there’s only one Shamrock Rovers’ but alas this is not factually correct as we search through the archives.

 

A search through the newspaper archives shows us that there was a Shamrock Rovers club operating in Ireland a decade before the Rovers of Ringsend were formed. In 1887, Joseph Boylan, a future curate at St. Patrick’s catholic church in Lisburn founded Shamrock Rovers FC as a junior soccer club playing their home games in Lisburn, just south of Belfast. As a result, the team was often referred to as the ‘Catholic Rovers’. In 1888 Shamrock Rovers won the local Lisburn District League, taking the step up to junior football the following season. The club seemed to go from success to success and were now fielding a reserve side as well. By the early 1890’s their fixtures included games against Glenavon, a newly founded Linfield and a second Linfield catholic club ‘The Lingfield Swifts’. There move up divisions initially started with success with The Ulster Football News reporting in September 1890,

‘Shamrock Rovers had a visit from the Melrose team at Lisburn on Saturday and licked them 5 goals to nil.’

But in subsequent years the efforts to keep a winning side together proved difficult for Rovers. In their league were teams like Distillery, still operating in the northern league, Washington, a very successful junior club in Belfast and other clubs like Emerald Star, Glenville, Ligoneil, Botanic and Woodland.

By 1894 when they were playing against Roseville, they were favourites to win the junior cup competition known as The Oliver Medals Competition. Alas they were beaten in the quarter finals, but they did attract a large crowd of spectators for a friendly match against a visiting Blackburn Rovers.  

 

In March 1889, the then club Secretary Joseph Rice wrote a letter to the newspapers refuting allegations from Oxford FC that they were ill treated by both Shamrocks Rovers players and spectators and countering that the Oxford team stormed of the pitch at Lisburn following a dispute a possible handball prior to Rover’s goal. No VAR in those days.

 

For many years the club’s secretary was Richard Waring who lived on Sloan Street with his wife and eight children. An engine fitter by trade, his father was a publican at one time in Lisburn. One of Rovers’ great rivalries was against Woodland who played their home games at Ormeau Park. Woodlands FC originated from the Belfast shipyards, with deep connections to former shipyard workers and a traditional East Belfast identity.

 In 1915 the Ringsend based Shamrock Rovers defeated Derry Celtic Swifts to win the Irish Junior Cup. However, their win was tainted when their talented centre half James Sims when he was killed in a boating accident off the Pigeon House. Back in Lisburn their Rovers team had slipped from league status by the early years of the twentieth century, but another Shamrock Rovers emerged in the 1930’s in Armagh with Ireland’s Saturday Night sports newspapers reporting in 1936,

‘A fair-sized crowd saw Lisburn whack Shamrock Rovers by four goals to two at the Wallace Park in their opening fixture in the Minor League competition but they bounced back a week later.

SAVOY UTD. v. SHAMROCK ROVERS. Played at Victoria Park, Teams: Savoy Utd: Cleland: Shaw, Kirkwood, Rainey, Lappin, Millar, Davidson, Johnstone, White. Cranston, & Clarke. Shamrock Rovers: Chambers, Connor, Vennard, Lemon, Curragh, Scott, McAllister, M'Creery, Braden, Clarke, & Campbell. After a brisk opening. Braden scored with a fine shot which beat Cleland well. The same player scored a second. Campbell scored a third. Half-time-Shamrock Rovers 3: Savoy Utd. nil. Clarke scored with a fine shot from the wing. Braden was fouled inside the penalty box and, from the resulting free. McCreary scored. Result—Shamrock Rovers 4; Savoy United 1.’

A Shamrock Rovers appeared in the sports pages during the war years in 1944 playing in the Mid Ulster league with league games against a local RAF team and both Glenavon and Portadown juniors. Yet another Shamrock Rovers appears in the sports pages of the Derry Journal in 1948. The under 18 minor cup final run under the auspices of the North-est of Ireland Football Association was between Shamrock Rovers (Derry) and Iona Swifts (Waterside). Admission was 6d with the notice ‘all must pay’ and there was a 3d supplement for anyone who wanted to be seated in the stand of the Brandywell.

 

In 1983 Newry based Shamrock Rovers played in the Irish Junior Cup Final against Crewe United from Lisburn. Rovers, sponsored by the Bass Brewery the game was played at Mountainview Park in Lurgan. Crewe however beat Rivers one nil to win the trophy. Meanwhile in 2025 the now Tallaght based Shamrock Rovers collected their first league and cup double since 1987 and reached the group stages in Europe competition.