The Ireland History page

Ireland, Soccer and International Competition

The Long Road to the World Cup, 1878-2002

The chapters of this history bring us from the foundation of the IFA to the Republic of Ireland's first qualification for the World Cup Finals in 1990.

Chapters to be added will cover the rest of the Jack Charlton era, the (now) three Finals tournaments Ireland has qualified for, and the Mick McCarthy era.

Read the history:
From the Beginning
Free State to "Emergency"
Struggling to find a role
So near and yet so far
The Charlton years

Ireland's International Matches 1882-2002

Listed decade by decade, this list is necessarily incomplete, but it is planned to complete the series in the future by including, as a separate list, the Internationals played under IFA auspices from 1922 onwards.

Match line-ups and reports is a long-term project we would like to undertake, and any help would be warmly welcomed.

Further information about the early matches (1882-1921) would be appreciated.

Check Ireland's international record:
1880s 1890s 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s

A History of League Football in Ireland

This essay covers the development of the game domestically, concentrating on the Republic after 1922.

It will be updated as required.

Go to the History

Much of the material in these history pages was culled from a number of principal sources, notably