Derbies in the League of Ireland

There are many derbies in the League of Ireland, and despite the fact that historically more teams compete in the First Division, the majority are played in the Premier Division, the top flight of Irish football.

Founded in 1921 the League of Ireland is the national association football league of the Republic of Ireland. Formed by the Football Association of Ireland out of split with the Irish Football Association for first 65 years it consisted of a single division but since the mid 1980s it has expanded into a two tier system with a Premier Division and First Division.

Most derbies in the league occur due to close geographical proximity, with a number of clubs based in Dublin. However, there are also many rivalries between other city clubs outside the capital such as Cork City vs Limerick and Drogheda United vs Dundalk. These clubs also maintain rivalries with the Dublin-based clubs.

The earliest rivalry contested was between Bohemian and Shelbourne, Dublin based clubs who played in the Belfast dominated Irish Football League from the early 1900s to 1920. After the foundation of the League of Ireland in 1921 this rivalry continued along with newly formed rivalries between Shamrock Rovers and St James' Gate, with the four clubs winning all of the league's first eleven titles between them.

In the 1950s and 1960s matches between North Dublin-based Drumcondra and South Dublin based Shamrock Rovers became the premier event in leagues calendar until the Drums went out of business in 1972. While outside of Dublin Cork Celtic and Cork Hibernians enjoyed a rivalry in the 1960s. Today the Bohemians-Shamrock Rovers fixture is considered the main rivalry in the league by the media.

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