Which Republic of Ireland football club was the first Irish club ever to get through to the group stage of the Europa Cup?
"Republic of Ireland took on Northern Ireland in a historic first ever meeting between the two sides. A 0–0 draw at Dalymount Park was marred by rioting in Dublin on the day of the match. Domestically, no team really dominated as the popularity of the game began to diminish. The major achievement was Dundalk's progress to the last 16 of the European Cup in 1979 when they eventually went out to Glasgow Celtic. The domestic game went from bad to worse during the 1980s with clubs all over the country struggling for finance. Shamrock Rovers were forced out of their"
"competition. Athlone Town A.F.C. in 1924, Dundalk F.C. in 1958, Shamrock Rovers F.C. in 1968 and Sligo Rovers in 2010 are the only sides ever to win the Cup without conceding a goal. Since 2003, Irish domestic football has moved from the traditional European August–May season to a summer set-up, as favoured in Scandinavia. As an ""interim"" season was played in the second half of 2002, two FAI Cup Finals took place that year - Dundalk winning in April, and Derry City lifting the trophy in November. Following the 1985 expansion of the League of Ireland to two Divisions, Bray"
"History of Shamrock Rovers F.C. Shamrock Rovers Football Club () is a football club from Dublin, Republic of Ireland. Founded in Ringsend, a southside, inner suburb of Dublin, the club's date of foundation is uncertain and disputed. Between 1926 and 1987 the club played at Glenmalure Park, Milltown. Shamrock Rovers F.C. is Ireland's most successful football club having won the League of Ireland a record 17 times, including four times in a row in the 1980s, along with the FAI Cup a record 24 times, including six times in a row in the 1960s. It was also the first Irish"
"winners have already qualified for Europe by finishing first or second in the league, the Europa League place goes to the league's third-placed club. Only the league champions have ever represented Northern Ireland in the European Cup/Champions League. Glenavon were the first team ever to represent Northern Ireland in any of the four competitions, when in the first round of the 1957–58 European Cup they played out a 0–0 draw against Danish side AGF in Aarhus, Denmark on 11 September 1957. They played the home leg two weeks later, losing 3–0. In the 1959–60 season, Linfield became the first Northern"
"Bohemians F.C., Shamrock Rovers, St Patrick's Athletic, University College Dublin, Shelbourne and Cabinteely. The first Irish side to reach the group stages of a European competition (2011–12 UEFA Europa League group stage) are Shamrock Rovers, who play at Tallaght Stadium in South Dublin. Bohemian F.C play at Dalymount Park, the oldest football stadium in the country, and home ground for the Ireland football team from 1904 to 1990. St Patrick's Athletic play at Richmond Park; University College Dublin at the UCD Bowl in Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown; and Shelbourne at Tolka Park. Tolka Park, Dalymount Park, UCD Bowl and Tallaght Stadium, along"
"Rovers have beaten teams from Luxembourg, Cyprus, Iceland and Germany, and were the first Irish club to beat teams from Turkey, Poland, Israel and Serbia. Their first victory in the UEFA Champions League came in a 1–0 victory in the 2011–12 qualifying phase against FC Flora Tallinn at Tallaght Stadium . Their biggest win was a 7–0 aggregate victory (3–0 away, 4–0 home) over Fram Reykjavik in the UEFA Cup first round in September 1982, which remains a record for League of Ireland clubs in European competition. On 25 August 2011, they became the first Irish team to qualify for"
"Republic of Ireland national football team The Republic of Ireland national football team () represents Ireland in association football. It is governed by the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) and stages its home fixtures at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. The team made their debut at the 1924 Summer Olympics, reaching the quarter-finals. Between 1924 and 1936, the team competed as the Irish Free State and from then until 1950, it was referred to by the FAI as Éire or Ireland. In 1953, FIFA decreed that for competitive matches in tournaments that both Irish teams may enter, the FAI team"
"United and Monaghan United – all withdrew from the League of Ireland. Sporting Fingal also went out of business completely. The top team in the Premier Division currently qualifies for the UEFA Champions League second qualifying round. The second-placed and third placed-teams and winners of the FAI Cup qualify for the UEFA Europa League first qualifying round. Shamrock Rovers and Dundalk have both qualified for the group stages of the UEFA Europa League. In 2011 Rovers became the first team in League of Ireland history to reach the group stages and Dundalk repeated the feat in 2016. The League of"
"feat by triumphing 1–0 in the first leg at Tallaght Stadium and drawing 0–0 in the second leg in Estonia to advance 1–0 on aggregate. Rovers were then beaten 3–0 on aggregate in the next round by Danish Champions Copenhagen but advanced to the 2011–12 Europa League Play-off round. There they were drawn against Serbian Champions FK Partizan, whom they defeated 3–2 on aggregate (2–1 on the night after extra time) to reach the group stages of the Europa League. This marked a noteworthy victory for Irish football, as it was the first time an Irish club has reached the"
"and clubs was arranged and on 1 June 1921, the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) was formed in Molesworth Hall in Dublin. The League of Ireland was established in 1921, with eight teams taking part. St. James's Gate F.C. won the first title, and they were also winners of the first FAI Cup, then called the Free State Cup, in 1922. In 1923, the FAI was recognised by FIFA as the governing body of the Irish Free State under the name Football Association of the Irish Free State (FAIFS) and at the 1924 Olympics, the Irish Free State made their"
"Northern Irish football clubs in European competitions Northern Irish football clubs have participated in European football competitions since 1957, when in the 1957–58 season, Glenavon took part in the European Cup – the first Northern Irish club to do so. In total, 16 different clubs have represented Northern Ireland in European competition. ""All statistics and records are accurate as of 19 June 2017."" As of the 2017–18 season, the NIFL Premiership champions qualify for the UEFA Champions League. The runners-up, the Europa League play-off winners and the Irish Cup winners qualify for the UEFA Europa League. If, however, the cup"
"win their first ever trophy during these seasons also, the League of Ireland Cup in the 1983–84 season. The 1984–85 season saw the introduction of the League of Ireland First Division to begin the following season with Drogheda United among the four clubs who were relegated from the Premier Division but in this season also Drogheda United entered European Competition for the first time where they were destroyed against Tottenham Hotspur in the UEFA Cup First Round 14–0 on aggregate. They remained in the First Division until the 1988–89 season when they went up as First Division Champions. Their joy"
"until 1949, when it beat Glentoran to win its first Irish Cup. It won the Irish Cup for a second time in 1954, beating Glentoran again, and for a third time in 1964 – that year also winning the Gold Cup – despite the club's conversion to part-time status after the abolition of the maximum wage in 1961. This led to the club's first entry into European competition, in the 1964–65 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, in which it was beaten by Steaua Bucharest 5–0 on aggregate. The club won the 1964–65 Irish League and subsequently became the first Irish League"
"Cork Celtic F.C. Cork Celtic F.C., originally Evergreen United F.C., was an Irish football club based in Cork. They played in the League of Ireland between 1951 and 1979 and played their home games at Turners Cross. In 1974 they were League of Ireland champions and the following season they reached the second round of the European Cup. The club's foundation date is unknown, but its earliest appearance in the FAI Cup was in 1936-37. Evergreen finished as League runners-up in 1953 and 1959. In 1953 they also played in an all-Cork FAI Cup final against Cork Athletic, losing 2-1"
"has an unbroken membership of the League of Ireland, a record shared with only two other members from that time; Bohemians and Shamrock Rovers. The club moved to its current home venue, Oriel Park, in 1936. In the 1970s and 1980s, the club had an impressive record in European competition at home, being undefeated for five years, playing against top opposition in the form of PSV Eindhoven, Hajduk Split, Celtic, Porto and Tottenham Hotspur. With almost fifty trophy-wins, including nine league titles, one First Division title and having contested fourteen FAI Cup finals, the club has one of the most"
"in Europe after Ciarán Kilduff scored an 89th-minute equaliser away to Dutch side AZ Alkmaar in their opening group stage match in a 1–1 draw. In their second group stage match against Maccabi Tel Aviv, Kilduff again proved to be the hero as his 72nd-minute strike gave Dundalk a historic 1–0 win, meaning they became the first Irish side to pick up a win in the group stages of a European competition. Dundalk went on to win the 2016 league title with two games to spare again pipping Cork City to the title for the third season in a row."
"from the periods in which the national side was known as the ""Irish Free State"" or simply ""Ireland"" are obscure and many are not currently known, however it is known that Val Harris, Bill Lacey and Alex Stevenson managed the side. Republic of Ireland national football team The Republic of Ireland national football team () represents Ireland in association football. It is governed by the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) and stages its home fixtures at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. The team made their debut at the 1924 Summer Olympics, reaching the quarter-finals. Between 1924 and 1936, the team"
"club to reach the group stages of the Europa League . It is currently ranked as the 31st best league in Europe out of 53. The league has scored at least 1.000 in every year since 2003, meaning it is currently in its best European cycle to date. The Republic of Ireland, Scotland and Wales are currently joint bidding to co-host UEFA Euro 2020. The Republic of Ireland football league system is formed of the League of Ireland and the 2011–12 FAI U19 League. The League of Ireland was established in 1921. The League of Ireland consisted of one division"
"to that point, both Associations referred to their teams as 'Ireland'. The Dublin based clubs reasserted their dominance with only Cork United capable of challenging their dominance. 1958 saw a League of Ireland side enter European competition for the first time with Shamrock Rovers going out 9–2 on aggregate to Manchester United in the first round of the European Cup. In the 1960s Waterford United became one of the league's most successful clubs as they won three titles during the decade, though Shamrock Rovers were the team of the 60s. The Hoops won six FAI Cups in a row during"
"the Republic of Ireland in the UEFA Futsal Cup on five consecutive occasions between 2010–11 and 2014–15. In 2010–11 and 2012–13 they won their preliminary groups and qualified for the main round. On the other three occasions, they finished as runners up in their preliminary groups. In 2014–15 they also acted as host of their group. In the 2010–11 UEFA Futsal Cup preliminary round Sporting Fingal EID travelled to Kaunas and after defeating the host team, FK Nautara Kaunas, and FC Kaghsi Yerevan (Armenia), 5–3 and 7–3 respectively, they won their group. In doing so they became the first team"
"for the first round took place on 10 January 1881. The trophy was first awarded to Moyola Park (from Castledawson in County Londonderry) when they beat Cliftonville (from Belfast) 1–0 in the final at Cliftonville Cricket Ground, Belfast on 9 April 1881. Since the inception of the Irish Football League in 1890–91 (and excluding the First and Second World War years when the League was suspended), the Cup has been won by Irish League clubs on every occasion except three famous ‘giant-killing’ occasions when ""junior"" clubs beat senior opponents in the final: in 1928, Willowfield beat Larne 1–0; in 1955,"
"and played their first senior game against Shamrock Rovers on 17 August 1969. They lost the game 10–2. After initial worries that the club were not of sufficient standard the club became a considerable force during the 1970s. Finn Harps won their first senior trophy, the Dublin City Cup, in 1971–72, after a goal from club legend and all time League of Ireland record goalscorer Brendan Bradley defeated Cork Hibernians at Dalymount Park. Two years later, Dalymount Park was again the scene of the club's only FAI Cup win. Two goals from Brendan Bradley and one by Charlie Ferry saw"
"and early 1960s. They made their home European debut on 1 October 1958 in a European Cup against Atlético Madrid at Dalymount Park. They had already lost the away leg 8–0 and would subsequently lose the home leg 5–1. The highlight of their European adventures came in the 1962–63 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. Drums became the first League of Ireland side to register an aggregate win in European competition when they knocked out an Odense XI in the first round. In the second round they were beaten 6–0 away by Bayern Munich in the first leg. However, in the return game"
"times out of a possible 41: Shelbourne (from Dublin) won three times (in 1906, 1911 and 1920); and Bohemians (also from Dublin) won it in 1908. There were two all-southern finals: Bohemians defeating Shelbourne in 1908, and Shelbourne defeating Bohemians in 1911 (both ties required replays). Shelbourne, Bohemians and Derry City are the only clubs to win ""both"" the Irish Cup and the FAI Cup. Other Dublin clubs to compete in the Irish Cup were Dublin University, St. James's Gate, Dublin Association, Tritonville and Richmond Rovers. In the second competition in 1881–82, Queen's Island became the first Belfast club to"
"in the Irish Football League and Irish Cup, which were at the time all-Ireland competitions. During that period they won the Irish Cup once and finished runners up 5 times. They share the record for most wins in European competition with archrivals Shamrock Rovers and hold the record for Leinster Senior Cup wins with 32 cups claimed. Bohemians were founded on 6 September 1890 in the Phoenix Park Gate Lodge beside the North Circular Road entrance and played its first games in the Park's Polo Grounds. One of the founding members of the League of Ireland in 1921, after their"
"the furthest any club has progressed in either competition in their current formats. This was achieved by Cliftonville in the 2010–11 UEFA Europa League. In 1976, Irish League B Division club Carrick Rangers won the Irish Cup by defeating strong favourites Linfield 2–1 in the final. This qualified them to take part in European competition for the first, and to date only time – in the 1976–77 European Cup Winners' Cup. They defeated Aris from Luxembourg 4–3 on aggregate in the first round, before going out 9–3 on aggregate to English side Southampton in the second round. To date, this"
"having won seven cups overall. Shamrock Rovers were founded in Ringsend, Dublin. The official date of the club's foundation is 1899. They won the League title at the first attempt in the 1922–23 season and established themselves as Republic of Ireland most successful club by 1949, winning 44 major trophies. During the 1950s, the club won three League titles and two FAI Cups and became the first Irish team to compete in European competition, playing in the European Cup in 1957. They followed this by winning a record six FAI Cups in succession in the 1960s, when they were also"
"There they were drawn against Serbian Champions FK Partizan, whom they defeated 3–2 on aggregate (2–1 on the night after extra time) to reach the group stages of the Europa League. This marked a famous victory for Irish football, as it was the first time an Irish club had reached the group stages of a major European competition. Rovers also won the All Ireland Setanta Sports Cup in 2011 by defeating Dundalk in the final at Tallaght Stadium. Rovers wrapped up a second league title in a row with a last-minute victory over UCD at Belfield on 25 October 2011."
"a result the league is also known as the SSE Airtricity League. In 2007, it became one of the first leagues in Europe to introduce a salary cap. The league's most successful club is Shamrock Rovers who have won 17 titles. Together with Dundalk, Bohemians and Shelbourne they are one of four clubs in the league to feature a golden star above their badge in recognition of winning ten titles. Bohemians are the only club in the league to have played every season in the top division. The League of Ireland was founded in 1921 as a single division known"
"three occasions, and a domestic quadruple, of those three trophies plus the regional County Antrim Shield, in the same season once – in 2005–06. Most notably absent from the list are the seven-trophy hauls in the 1921–22 and 1961–62 seasons– achieved prior to the inauguration of the League Cup in 1987. <br> <br> ""Honours won by Linfield Swifts"" As Northern Ireland's most dominant club side, Linfield have been regular campaigners in European football. The club first participated in European competition in 1959 against Göteborg in the 1959–60 European Cup. In the first round of the 1961–62 European Cup, Linfield were"
"and European Super Cup champions) Aberdeen from the UEFA Cup in August 2000. That triumph was set up by a dramatic 2–1 victory away from home, in which Bohs scored 2 late goals to overturn a 1–0 deficit. That was the first time an Irish club defeated British opposition away from home in European competition. Other notable results include wins against Rangers and Kaiserslautern (away) and draws against Rangers, Newcastle United, Sporting CP, Dundee United (away) and Aberdeen. In all, they have beaten a total of 11 different teams, from 9 countries (Denmark, Cyprus, Scotland, Germany, Estonia, Belarus, Belgium, Wales"
"in the first team squad. Cup Winners' Cup: UEFA Cup: Finn Harps F.C. Finn Harps Football Club () are an Irish football club that will play in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland, as of 2019. The club was founded in 1954 and elected to the league in 1969. They hail from Ballybofey, County Donegal and play their home matches at Finn Park. The club's colours are blue and white, and they go by the nickname the Harps. The main successes of the club include winning an FAI Cup in 1973–74 and the First Division title in 2004."
"St James's Gate F.C. St James's Gate Football Club is an Irish association football club based in Drimnagh/Crumlin, Dublin. They played in the League of Ireland between 1921–22 and 1943–44 and again from 1990–91 until 1995–96. Gate were the inaugural winners of both the League of Ireland and the FAI Cup. Like several fellow early League of Ireland clubs, such as Fordsons, Jacobs, Midland Athletic and Dundalk, Gate had their origins as a factory or works team. They were initially the football team of the St James's Gate Brewery, the home of Guinness. Their senior men's team currently play in"