Words: Chris Kelly // @ccalciok
Endurance and fortitude – qualities which supporters of football clubs the world over must embrace to one degree or another. Accepting the many lows that come with the all-too fleeting highs for many is a craft that is perfected over the years, though those vicissitudes become almost a badge of honour. We wouldn't have it any other way.
One club that certainly had to roll with the punches, adapt, evolve, and change with great regularity to either succeed or survive is Limerick FC, the ‘Superblues’ from the mid-west Irish province of Munster.
Here, lifelong supporter of the club and key figure behind the scenes over the years, Gary Spain (GS), gives us a unique, personal perspective of the club's fortunes and the impact on locals as we run through the timeline of its history, both tremendous and tumultuous in equal measure.
Talking of he and his family's involvement in the club, Gary said:
“I volunteered at the club in various roles for many years. I sold programmes, wrote in the programme. My father was secretary for a few years and I did most of the correspondence.”
Limerick - Luimneach in traditional Gaelic - has long been the third most populous urban setting within the Irish Republic - a diaspora punctuated by the River Shannon which flows through the city and out into the Atlantic Ocean.
Through charters, settlers in the area are known to long predate the Viking invasion of the early 800's, and though the Norsemen took the region for a time as they pillaged their way through the country, the native Irish later regrouped and regained control of the city and surrounding areas, with the Normans being responsible for much of the glorious architecture we find there today.
The Limerick United side at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Photo Credit: LimerickLive
Fast forward to the 1930's, and the introduction of association football which would lead to the city growing into a national sporting hotspot. Gary provides some context on the beginnings of football in the area:
“There was senior football in Limerick as far back as 1891 but the first club to play in a senior league was Limerick FC founded in 1937.”
This came about on the back of Limerick's regional management committee (LDMC) noting the growing popularity of the sport in other cities and provinces, and subsequently arranging some friendly matches between already established senior clubs and local junior (amateur) teams for locals to enjoy as a recreational activity in their spare time.
The success and attendances at these games paved the way for the LDMC to form a senior representative side of their own, ultimately entering the Free State League, today's League of Ireland in an earlier form, in 1937. In doing so, they took the place of Dublin-based club Dolphin FC, whose 16 years of existence was coming to an end.
Registered in July of ‘37, Limerick FC played its first senior game a month later, beating renowned Tallaght outfit Shamrock Rovers 1-0 in the Dublin City Cup in a match played at Markets Field, home of the Superblues.
Information on the club’s management, players and coaching staff from that era is scarce, but their first full league campaign saw them finish 10th in a division of 12 teams, competing against the likes of Sligo Rovers, Dundalk, Shamrock Rovers, and Cork.
GS: “In the early years, after a good start, there were some lean years.”
That good start, however, did include winning silverware in their inaugural season, beating Cork United by a solitary goal in the final of the Munster Senior Cup, a competition they went on to win on 12 more occasions throughout the following 78 years.
Markets’ Field, former home of Limerick FC.
Photo Credit: Galway United
Switching from red and white stripes to their renowned blue and white kit in the early 1940's, the decade saw huge strides made in performances on the pitch.
GS: (Limerick were) “runners up twice in the 40’s as well as (suffering) two cup semi-final defeats in close battles.
To add some detail to Gary’s comment above, the Munster club were runners up in the league twice in 1943/44 and 1944/45, as well as reaching the latter stages of the League Cup (then known as the FAI Cup) on occasion, too.
Limerick also fell at the final hurdle in the 1945/46 edition of the long-defunct League of Ireland Shield - a tournament that provided a gateway into European competition in the shape of the Fairs Cup - as Drumcondra got the better of them in the final.
A second Munster Senior Cup was won towards the end of the 40s (1948/49), before the following decade brought about a first League of Ireland Shield success in 1953, Limerick claiming a 3-2 victory at Dundalk to be crowned winners.
Gary adds context to the scale of this achievement at the time:
“There were some lean years in the 50’s but winning the League of Ireland Shield in 1953 was huge. It was a first national trophy. It was a single round league programme held before the league and very prestigious. My father left Limerick for the first time on the special train to Dundalk for the final game.”
While fortunes in the league remained steady, if unspectacular, the midwest Blues would exact revenge on old adversaries Drumcondra, as they beat them 4-3 In the 1958/59 season Dublin City Cup final to lift the trophy for the first time.
That was the prelude to an even bigger achievement, as the club won their first LOI Championship title the following campaign under the stewardship of Limerick native and former player Sonny Price, thus qualifying them for the following season's European Cup and a first opportunity to play in continental competition.
GS: “Winning the Dublin City Cup in 1958/59 set the foundations for the league win. It was won at fortress Markets Field. A 100% home record proved enough despite only winning 4 away games. The title win was a bit of an anti-climax though. Needing a point away to St Pats we lost to a late controversial goal. My father and other fans were walking to the train when word came through that Cork Celtic had beaten Shelbourne to make us champions.”
Despite that history-making triumph, the fact that many of the playing squad were from cities and towns further afield was frowned upon by the Board of Directors.
As a consequence, it was decided that Limerick would become an ‘all-local’ team, full of players from the surrounding region.
To formulate this transition, they entrusted Scotsman Ewan Fenton - a Blackpool legend and member of the famous Tangerines’ 1953 FA Cup winning team alongside the likes of Sir Stanley Matthews and Stan Moretensen - to take over as Player-Manager ahead of the 1960/61 campaign.
GS:”Ewan Fenton brought a different style of modern football. The directors let many experienced players go, which proved to be a mistake. (However), there were some hugely talented young players coming through.”
Ewan Fenton scoring from the spot for Blackpool against Chelsea.
Photo Credit: @TheLeagueMag
The club's first venture into the European Cup ended at the first hurdle as Young Boys of Switzerland beat the Irishmen 9-2 on aggregate over a two-legged Preliminary Round.
GS:”The visit of Young Boys was an eye-opener for Limerick people. They looked very exotic and very professional.”
Fenton remained in charge for around seven years in total, becoming a popular figure with all at the club and igniting the career of many local players who'd go on to play for the national team; Johnny Walsh, defender Al Finucane - who still holds the all-time LOI appearance record with 612, and goalkeeper Kevin Fitzpatrick to name but a few.
That era included consecutive FAI Cup final defeats to Shamrock Rovers in 1965 and 1966, though Rovers' success in winning the 1964/65 League Of Ireland Shield qualified them for continental competition (Fairs Cup), meaning beaten finalists Limerick took their place in the European Cup Winners’ Cup by default.
They were ultimately seen off 4-1 on aggregate by Bulgaria's CSKA Cherveno Zname in the First Round on that occasion, before Fenton eventually departed for Northern Irish side Linfield in 1968.
His time up north didn't last too long, however, and he returned to Munster in 1970, instantly guiding Limerick to a further Dublin City Cup title, beating champions Waterford United 3-2 at Kilcohan Park. More silverware was soon on the way in the shape of the 1971 FAI Cup in which they beat Drogheda United 3-0 in a replay, the late Hughie Hamilton scoring twice on the day.
Hughie Hamilton with the FAI Cup, 1971.
Photo Credit: Limerick Reader
It was around this era that Gary, a youngster at the time, first started to follow the fortunes of the club he'd go on to have a lifelong affinity for:
“I started going at the end of the 1970/71 season aged 4. We won the FAI Cup that season for the first time. I recall my Grandmother minding me as my parents went to the first game. However, I have no memory of Limerick winning the cup.
I have much more vivid memories of 1971/72, and I’ve been going ever since.”
While the start of the 70s led to the aforementioned trophies, the second of which brought about another European Cup Winners’ Cup appearance - a 5-0 First Round aggregate defeat to Italian side Torino, much of the decade proved difficult for the Superblues in many ways.
Fenton departed for a second time in 1972, before returning for a third before the 1975/76 campaign; one which saw their league form flatter to deceive, but brought more success in the shape of a convincing 4-0 League Cup Final victory over Sligo Rovers.
Frankie Johnston took Fenton's place in the Limerick dugout as the Dundee-born man departed Munster for the third and final time prior to the 1976/77 season.
1977 saw the first of many changes to the club’s name in more recent decades, as those fluctuations in fortune mentioned earlier become more frequent both on and off the pitch.
Again, league form was mediocre at best, but the club did reach another FAI Cup Final - though losing out 2-0 to Dundalk on the day.
Former Republic of Ireland and Portsmouth stalwart Eoin Hand took over the reins as Player-Manager in 1979, and immediately led Limerick to their second and final League of Ireland Championship title, something Gary recalls as one of his favourite moments following the club:
“Winning the league in Athlone in 1980 for the only time in my lifetime was special.
Limerick fans in attendance at a match.
Photo Credit: Limerick Reader
The “4-3 win away to Waterford on the run-in was crucial. A cracking game in the rain. 1-0, 1-3, 3-3 75 mins, 3-4 80 mins. The referee disallowed the winning goal to award a free kick to Limerick. Eoin Hand put the free (kick) in the same top corner to win it.”
This granted the Blues another shot at the European Cup, and they were to get a plum draw in the first round, as Spanish giants Real Madrid would be their opponents.
While they would lose out 7-2 on aggregate, it created lifelong memories for supporters, who saw their side push their illustrious counterparts very close in a 2-1 first-leg defeat in Dublin (played in the capital due to crowd safety concerns surrounding the stadiums available in Limerick), before losing the second-leg 5-1 as a huge crowd of around 60,000 packed in to the Bernabeu to see the home side secure their passage through to the next round.
GS: “Real Madrid was a huge draw. Moving the game to Dublin was a big mistake. At the time, Thomond Park (Limerick's larger local rugby stadium) had just a small wall and the club was concerned re large UEFA fines for pitch incursions. The economy was poor at the time with high unemployment. Many local fans boycotted the game and the Dublin public didn’t know the Real Madrid players. It was a shame as it was a fantastic game. We led 1-0 and had another chalked off for offside until a controversial penalty was awarded 15 minutes from time. Real got a late winner.
I was fortunate enough to be brought to the return leg as well. Seeing Limerick walk out in the Bernabeu was a real highlight. Des Kennedy (Limerick's goalscorer in the fist-leg) scored again but we lost 5-1.”
Des Kennedy, the man who scored against Real Madrid twice.
Photo Credit: Limerick Reader
This would be the first of three consecutive seasons in Europe for Limerick - in three separate competitions. Another good season in the league in 1980/81 led to qualification for the following year's UEFA Cup.
There, they would meet Southampton in the opening round. A Saints side containing England striker Kevin Keegan - voted European Footballer of the Year in 1978 and 1979 while with German side Hamburger SV, won the first-leg at Markets Field, though Limerick pushed them hard in the return clash, as Gary explains:
“We played Southampton in 1981 and packed the Markets Field. Temporary stands and all. We lost 3-0. The return was a cracker. Kevin Keegan put them ahead but Tony Morris equalised. Tony nearly snatched it at the death, blazing over from six yards. It remains the only time a League of Ireland side has avoided defeat in Europe away to English opposition.”
1982 brought success in the FAI Cup with a 1-0 victory over Bohemians in which Brandan Storan got the winner at the Dublin club's Dalymount Park home. It was also the final game of Kevin Fitzpatrick's 22-year career in the Limerick goal, one that saw the local legend turn out for the club on 675 occasions in all competitions.
That triumph qualified the Superblues for the following season's European Cup Winners’ Cup, their final foray into continental competition, where they gave Dutch top-flight outfit AZ Alkmaar an almighty scare over the two legs, as Gary recalls:
“We should have beaten AZ Alkmaar in Limerick. They were better in Alkmaar but we were always in it. Gary Hulmes rounded the keeper but was forced wide and couldn’t score. 43 years for European football is an incredible wait.”
There was to be drama off the pitch prior to the beginning of that domestic 1982/83 campaign, however, as a court battle for ownership of the club saw all football in the city suspended for two months while an outcome was awaited.
Eventually, Pat Grace, owner of the Irish franchise of Kentucky Fried Chicken, was awarded control of the club, changing the name once more, this time to Limerick City, and reverting the playing kit from the well-known blue and white to yellow and green. However, this wasn't at all straightforward, and, after an initial rebuffal of Grace (that was ultimately reversed on appeal), strike action of the playing staff took place, combined with supporter pressure, in what proved a successful attempt to have the decision changed.
GS: “It was a battle for control of the club. Pat Grace was paying the bills and wanted full control. It ended up in the High Court and he won on appeal. He had the support of the fans and the players. The original decision went against him so John McNamara and Peter Campbell cobbled together a team from outside. They lost 9-0 to Bohemians. The players picketed the Markets Field and Waterford refused to pass the picket to loud cheers from the fans and players.
The new name and colours brought some luck initially, as the club won both the Munster Senior Cup and the briefly re-introduced League of Ireland Shield under the club’s new moniker in 1983/84.
However, the changes also included a move of grounds from the club's long-term home of Markets Field to Rathbane’s Hogan Park in 1984.
The shift proved hugely unpopular with supporters, and performances and results on the pitch deteriorated, too.
Ahead of the 1985/86 campaign, the FAI announced that the League of Ireland would be split into two tiers - the Premier Division and the First Division - with promotion and relegation between the two on a seasonal basis.
Limerick City started out in the Premier Division, and in 1987, former Northern Ireland International and World Cup striker Billy Hamilton was brought in as manager.
The ex-Burnley man oversaw a steady couple of years in the league, and won The club another Munster Senior Cup in 1988, before resigning the following year.
Owner Pat Grace departed soon after, and the new Board of Directors, headed by Joe Young as Chairman, changed the name back to Limerick FC and returned the club to their traditional blue and white kit. Eventually, they'd return to Markets Field once again, too.
While the changes were welcomed by supporters, the club were soon to suffer relegation for the first time in it’s history in 1991, a disappointment compounded by defeat to Derry City in the League Cup Final.
Future England and Bolton Wanderers boss Sam Allardyce cut his managerial teeth with Limerick the following season, the veteran defender joining as Player-Manager ahead of the club's 1991/92 First Division campaign.
An old photo of a young Big Sam.
Photo Credit: The Mirror
The strength of the squad Allardyce had at his disposal by comparison to that of their second-tier rivals was key as the Superblues blitzed their way to an instant return to the top-flight.
While Allardyce’s time in Ireland was successful, it was also brief, as the Dudley-born man returned to England and a coaching role at Preston North End after just one season. Noel King stepped into the hot-seat for Limerick's return to the Premier Division, overseeing a comfortable mid-table finish and League Cup success, beating St Patrick's Athletic in the final.
Billy Kinnane took over for the following campaign, but it proved one of disappointment and frustration, as Limerick were relegated to the second-tier once more. Further financial difficulties added to their woes, with the club forced to go cap-in-hand to local Junior side Pike Rovers and seek a groundshare of their Crossagalla home stadium. Noel King returned for a second spell as boss, followed by Dave Connell and Tommy Lynch, before Joe Young left his role as Chairman in 2001 during what was a turbulent era for the club in every way.
Danny Drew was to be the club's new chairman. He opted to move the club back to Rathbane in an attempt to bring growth. On the pitch, a 2001/02 League Cup success in which they saw off Derry City in the final punctuated to very mediocre First Division league form under Noel O’Connor and Mike Kerley respectively.
As the League of Ireland moved from a winter league to a largely summer one played between February and November in 2003, more rocky times lay ahead as Limerick FC, on the back of winning an eleventh Munster Senior Cup, lost its 2006 case with the FAI Licensing Appeal Board against the decision not to award the club a UEFA license - a requirement to take part in the LOI - on financial and administrative grounds.
This left the club in limbo. FAI chiefs remained open to the idea of having a senior side from the city of Limerick within the League of Ireland structure, however, and numerous interested parties opened dialogue and discussions with the governing body. After talks and evaluations, Soccer Limerick Consortium, whose pledge included taking on age group and amateur level football in the city alongside the senior team, were awarded the necessary licences and granted entry into the LOI First Division for the 2007 campaign.
Paul McGee, a former Irish international forward, took over from Tommy Lynch as manager. While the club, though a new entity in legal terms, but always seen as a continuance of the former Limerick in the eyes of supporters and football followers in general, changed its name again - this time to Limerick 37, in line with the founding year of the original club in the city.
McGee struggled for results, however, and with supporters getting restless, he was replaced in the dugout by former player and manager Mike Kerley after just 10 months. Kerley turned things around, avoided relegation, and brought the enjoyment back for supporters for a year or two, but, somewhat surprisingly, left the role ahead of the 2009 season. After the failure of some interim experiments, former Shelbourne defender Pat Scully was appointed manager in 2009, which coincided with the club's name changing back to Limerick FC again.
However, the Munster outfit were soon back in dire straits financially, with the club thankful for a donation from local businessman Pat O'Sullivan, who joined the Board of Directors that summer and had taken over as Chairman before the following spring, aiming to bring stability back to the proud Irish club in the process.
Gary comments on what had been a difficult time for the club and its supporters:
“After the Grace family left, the club had debts and little income. Relegation hurt, and many of us consider those to be the wilderness years. Small crowds and poor results. Limerick 37 was just a name change, different owners but no real improvement. The arrival of Pat O’Sullivan made a huge difference, although his money issues later caused problems.”
Scully guided Limerick back to the top-flight in 2012 after a 20-year absence, but subsequently departed, being replaced by Scotsman Stuart Taylor, a midfielder in his playing days who'd been coaching in Qatari football, for their upcoming 2013 Premier Division campaign.
Stuart Taylor during his time managing Limerick.
Photo Credit: Limerick Reader
The Glaswegian’s first season in charge led to a respectable mid-table finish, however the following season started poorly, leading to Taylor's dismissal and the appointment of Martin Russell, who led the Superblues to safety and the retention of their top-flight status.
The constant highs and lows took a downward turn in 2015, though, despite what Gary describes as the “special” return to the club's “spiritual home” of Markets Field (the Superblues had been playing at nearby Thomond Park while their former stadium was being renovated), as Limerick's ever-increasing yo-yo-like existence of the modern era saw them plummet to the second-tier yet again.
GS: “The relegations were all tough to take, 2015 was a real blow. We lost a playoff v Finn Harps in extra time but were much the better side over two legs and failed to prove it. Although we came straight back up it was a real body blow and cost the club.”
A shocking start was their downfall, over 20 games without a win to be precise, and though Russell and his players turned their form round dramatically at the back end of the campaign, the damage was done.
The roller-coaster quickly changed direction once again, when, as Gary alluded to, Limerick, with a squad and setup that was the envy of their First Division rivals, comfortably lifted the title, losing just one league game in the process.
The vast changes in fortune over the years did have an impact on support and attendances, though the club always had a loyal hardcore of support throughout those ups and downs. While, as Gary mentions, success on the pitch led to interest from all over the province:
“Support fluctuated over the years. Success has a huge influence in the numbers. A winning team draws support from all over the region.”
A good League Cup run in that 2016 season also saw Russell's side reach the final, only to be well beaten (4-1) by St Patrick's Athletic.
However, that was followed up by a poor start to the 2017 campaign, the result of which saw the manager, who’d been in charge for a three-year spell that was, perhaps, a perfect microcosm to Limerick's fortunes as a football club overall, replaced, initially by Willie Bolland, before former Newcastle United and Everton man Neil McDonald took over briefly and helped galvanise them to recover for a mid-table finish.
McDonald moved on to Scunthorpe United in 2018, however, and was replaced by Tom Barrett.
Things we're going from bad to worse off the pitch, though, and with Pat O'Sullivan looking to sell the club in debt to the tune of around €500,000, and all avenues to keep the club solvent explored and dismissed, the club failed to receive the necessary League of Ireland licensing in 2019/2020, ultimately leading to it's folding at that time.
Despite the various name changes and difficult times over the years, the club remained the city of Limerick's sole senior football representative for the entirety of its existence.
GS: “Losing a place in the league in 2019 was devastating. The club had unbroken service since 1937.”
Treaty United, Limerick FC’s ‘spiritual successors’.
Photo Credit: Limerick Reader
That's not the end of the story, however. A loyal fanbase that had followed them through the very definition of thick and thin refused to let 83 years of blood, sweat, tears, and effort be consigned to the history books. The sport-loving locals ensured senior football in Limerick would prevail.
A new entity - Limerick United - were awarded a license in 2020, allowing them to compete within the LOI structure. The new name had to be quickly changed, however, due to the threat of legal action from their predecessor, Limerick FC.
Ultimately, the name Treaty United - for whom Gary is the Supporters Liaison Officer, a role he also carries out for the Republic of Ireland men's national team - was decided upon. To find out why this name was selected, we have to go back into the boughs of history within Limerick and the surrounding province of Munster.
The city is known as the signatory destination of the ‘Treaty of Limerick’, an agreement brought about in 1691 in an attempt to bring a halt to the Williamite War in Ireland that took place towards the end of the 17th century. Despite being a new set-up, Treaty United are viewed by many as another continuation of the previous Limerick footballing incumbent(s).