Shirt a Phobia

Sample Page

The Markets Field is a UEFA category two stadium[citation needed] in Garryowen, Limerick, Ireland and the home ground of Treaty United. Formerly the home of Limerick FC, it has a capacity of 3,075.[4][1]

After departing for Hogan Park in 1984, Limerick F.C. returned to Markets Field in 2015 and were the principal tenant until their demise in 2019. The ground has hosted underage international fixtures in 2015[5] and 2021,[6] as well as the 2016 League of Ireland Cup final between Limerick and St Patrick’s Athletic.[7]

History

Markets Field was first used as a sporting venue in 1886. A Limerick Chronicle newspaper from that time reported that the Irish Cycling Association and the Gaelic Athletic Association paid £8 per day for the use of the Markets Field over three consecutive weekends.[8][3] The first Gaelic games held at the ground took place on 19 September 1886.[8] The venue later hosted its first Limerick County Hurling Championship final on 22 November 1896, which was played between Caherline and Ballingarry. The county final remained at the Markets Field, with the exception of 1916 and 1919, until the late 1920s when the finals were moved to the Gaelic Grounds.[8] Tournament games continued to be played in the Markets Field up to 1932.[8] It was also the site of Munster championship games in both hurling and Gaelic football, with most of the All-Ireland semi-finals between Munster and Connacht teams taking place there in the 1900s. The ground was also used by Young Irelands GAA club for training and matches.

It was also the home of Garryowen from 1886 until 1957,[9] when the club moved to new facilities in Dooradoyle.[10] The Markets Field hosted the first meeting of the two oldest rugby clubs in the Munster Senior Cup, Garryowen and Cork Constitution, in 1900.[11] Until 2010, the stadium hosted greyhound racing, when Limerick Greyhound Stadium opened in the south-west of the city.[12]

Limerick F.C. was formed in 1937 and Markets Field became the association football club’s home ground.[8] In 1962, Markets Field hosted a friendly match between Limerick and Liverpool F.C. which the visitors won 3–5.[13][14] The stadium hosted European football for the first time in 1981, when Southampton F.C. beat Limerick 0–3 in the 1981–82 UEFA Cup.[15][16] The following season, Markets Field was the setting for Limerick’s 1–1 draw with Dutch side AZ Alkmaar in the 1982–83 European Cup Winners’ Cup.[15][17]

Limerick F.C. departed Markets Field for Hogan Park in April 1984.[15] Discussions were held with the stadium owners, Bord na gCon (the Irish Greyhound Board), in 2009 about Limerick F.C. returning to Markets Field, who were by then playing in Jackman Park.[18] After the Irish Greyhound Board also vacated in 2010, the future of the ground was left in doubt.[19]

On 2 March 2011, the JP McManus Foundation confirmed they had purchased the ground.[3] Although the foundation had provided the funding, the owners of Markets Field would be the Limerick Enterprise Development Partnership (LEDP), a charitable organisation with links to JP McManus.[3][20][21] By October 2012, Limerick F.C. had announced their intention to return to their former home.[22] After mooted dates but no progress, Limerick instead moved from Jackman Park to Thomond Park in 2013 while the pitch at Markets Field was re-laid.[19] Work on the pitch’s new playing surface was completed by January 2014. In early 2014, the Irish government announced funding for the redevelopment of the stadium after planning permission was granted.[2][23] The LEDP and the JP McManus Foundation provided additional funding towards stadium renovations.[2] After further delays announced in February 2015 prevented Limerick F.C. returning to Markets Field, the club relocated to Jackman Park for the start of the 2015 League of Ireland season.[24][25] The club returned to Markets Field in 2015. The stadium hosted its first match in the refurbished ground on 5 June 2015,[26] a League of Ireland Premier Division match between Limerick and Drogheda United. Limerick F.C. remained as the principal tenant of Markets Field until their demise in 2019.

The Garryowen venue later became the home ground of Treaty United.[27]

Layout

The refurbished Main Stand holds 1,340 spectators for the home supporters and contains a corporate box.[1][28] The new tunnel and dressing rooms are under the Main Stand and there are three turnstiles named after Limerick football legends. Away supporters are housed in a demountable stand with 300 seats behind the Geraldine Villas goal.[29][28] The Popular side and the Cathedral End are both banked standing areas, with the former behind the dugouts and the latter housing the scoreboard. In 2016 the playing surface won the FAI Pitch of the Year Award.[30] The ground itself has no car parking.[31]

Greyhound racing

The Limerick Greyhound Company was formed in 1933 but it was not until 1937 when racing began. The first directors were T.F.Ryan and J.P. Frost.[32] The 465-yard circuit came to prominence in 1939 when it was selected by the Irish Coursing Club to hold the Irish Greyhound Derby for first and only time. The event was won by Marchin’ Thro’ Georgia who won the final in a new track record time of 30.05.[33][34]

The track hosted the classic race the Irish St Leger in 1940 before it moved permanently to Limerick in 1944. The track also staged the Irish Oaks in 1942. The allocation of the 1943 Grand National did not help because due to the lack of hurdlers during the war Mr Ryan the chairman of Limerick Stadium was left with no choice but to cancel the event.[32] Other events that took place at Limerick were the Bulger Cup and Kennedy Memorial Cup and J. P. McManus started as a bookmaker at the track and earned the nickname ‘Sundance Kid’.[35]

In 1958 the Irish Greyhound Board was given the responsibility of all tracks in Ireland with the exception of the Ulster tracks, that would remain under the jurisdiction of the Irish Coursing Club.[36] They installed a new totalisator system in 1960 as improvements became commonplace under the new ownership, including a new stand costing over £60,000. Brendan O’Connell was Racing Manager for over thirty years from 1966.[32]

The track closed in 2009 with the entire operation moving to the newly built Limerick Greyhound Stadium at Greenpark.[37] Racing Manager Gus Ryan retired after 42 years in racing.[38]

Track records

References

  1. ^ a b c “Markets Field re-opens!”. Quinn Architects. 5 June 2015. Archived from the original on 28 September 2023. Retrieved 26 March 2026.
  2. ^ a b c “€1.1m grant will help restoration of historic Markets Field”. Irish Examiner. 2 January 2014. Archived from the original on 26 July 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d “Limerick FC look set for return to Markets Field”. The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 4 October 2015. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
  4. ^ “Treaty United welcome Bray Wanderers to the Markets Field”. Live95. 7 June 2024. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
  5. ^ Kinsella, Colm (25 August 2015). “Limerick’s Markets Field to host two international fixtures”. Limerick Leader. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
  6. ^ Kinsella, Colm (21 October 2021). “Rep of Ireland U19 women’s side suffer narrow loss to England at Markets Field”. Limerick Leader. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
  7. ^ “St Pats hit three late goals to retain EA Sports Cup title at Limerick’s expense”. Limerick Leader. 17 September 2016. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
  8. ^ a b c d e “The Markets Field – Markets Field: Past, Present, and Future”. www.ledp.ie. Limerick Enterprise Development Partnership. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
  9. ^ Limerick Enterprise Development Partnership The Markets Field: Markets Field Past Present and Future Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine
  10. ^ “Club Focus: Garryowen FC”. Munster Rugby. Retrieved 28 March 2026.
  11. ^ McConnell, Jonathan (2 December 2013). “History Of The ODM Financial Munster Senior Cup”. Munster Rugby. Retrieved 27 March 2026.
  12. ^ “Traps open for the last time at Markets Field”. Limerick Post. 16 July 2010. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
  13. ^ “Match details – Friendly – Markets Field | Wednesday 16 May 1962”. www.lfchistory.net. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
  14. ^ Fennessy, Paul (1 May 2012). “Game on: Limerick FC set to play Liverpool in May friendly”. The42. Archived from the original on 30 July 2016. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
  15. ^ a b c Leahy, Ed (5 June 2015). “Limerick return home after 31-year hiatus”. RTÉ Sport. RTÉ.ie. Retrieved 26 March 2026.
  16. ^ “Europa League » Limerick FC (1937-2007) against Southampton FC » Lineup”. worldfootball.net. Retrieved 28 March 2026.
  17. ^ “uefa.com – UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup – All-Time Statistics – 1st”. www.uefa.com. Archived from the original on 29 June 2004. Retrieved 28 March 2026.
  18. ^ “Limerick FC make Markets Field return a priority”. The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 30 March 2026.
  19. ^ a b Clancy, Tom (4 June 2015). “Limerick return home to Markets Field”. extratime.com. Retrieved 28 March 2026.
  20. ^ “Limerick’s Markets Field reopening within touching distance”. Limerick Post. 31 December 2013. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  21. ^ Smith, Alan (7 March 2011). “A trip into the unknown, but grounds for concern?”. extratime.com. Archived from the original on 22 September 2025. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
  22. ^ Malone, Emmet (8 October 2012). “Limerick on course to return to Markets Field”. The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 8 October 2012. Retrieved 28 March 2026.
  23. ^ “ePlan – Online Planning Details (2014)”. www.eplanning.ie. Retrieved 30 March 2026.
  24. ^ “Blow for Limerick as opening of new ground in Markets Field is delayed”. Irish Independent. 17 February 2015. Retrieved 28 March 2026.
  25. ^ McDonnell, Daniel (26 February 2015). “Limerick target May move to Markets Field after moving on from GAA solution”. Irish Independent. Retrieved 28 March 2026.
  26. ^ Sheridan, Anne (4 June 2015). “Historic night for Limerick with Markets Field return”. Limerick Leader. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
  27. ^ Shaughnessy, Paul (16 August 2024). “Treaty United cruise past Pike Rovers to reach FAI Cup quarter-finals”. www.limerickleader.ie. Retrieved 5 April 2026.
  28. ^ a b Kinsella, Colm (24 April 2015). “June 5 opening date for Markets Field”. www.limerickleader.ie. Archived from the original on 31 October 2017. Retrieved 17 April 2026.
  29. ^ Kinsella, Colm (5 June 2015). “Football’s coming home as new-look Markets Field reopens”. www.limerickleader.ie. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
  30. ^ Kinsella, Colm (29 October 2016). “Markets Field wins ‘Pitch of the Year’ accolade”. Limerick Leader. Archived from the original on 19 November 2017. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
  31. ^ “Supporter Information: Markets Field”. Athlone Town AFC. 5 May 2024. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
  32. ^ a b c Comyn, John. 50 Years of Greyhound Racing in Ireland. Aherlow Publishers Ltd.
  33. ^ Fortune, Michael. Irish Greyhound Derby 1932-1981. Victory Irish Promotions Ltd.
  34. ^ Fortune, Michael. “The 75 Years History of the Irish Greyhound Derby”. Irish Greyhound Review. ISSN 0332-3536.
  35. ^ Genders, Roy (1981). The Encyclopedia of Greyhound Racing. Pelham Books Ltd. ISBN 07207-1106-1.
  36. ^ Thompson, Laura (2003). The dogs: a personal history of greyhound racing. London: Old Castle. p. 18. ISBN 1843440164. OCLC 62223569.
  37. ^ “Traps open for the last time at Markets Field”. Limerick Post. 16 July 2010. Archived from the original on 10 May 2015. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
  38. ^ “Monthly Greyhound Star (Remember When 2009) August edition”. Greyhound Star.
  39. ^ “The Pick 4 Open Sprint”. Greyhound Racing Ireland.
  40. ^ “Dog-Racing”. Larne Times. 24 September 1942. Retrieved 14 August 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  41. ^ “From the Tracks”. Evening Herald (Dublin). 30 June 1949. Retrieved 2 November 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  42. ^ “Ballybeg Prim to top Poll”. Belfast Telegraph. 4 February 1976. Retrieved 18 June 2022 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  43. ^ a b “Irish Greyhound Review”. Vol. 4. Victory Irish Promotions Ltd. 1982. p. 87.