Lansdowne FC

A History

Charles Ivar McGrath

"Lansdowne FC: a history illuminates our understanding of the development of sport in Dublin … Lansdowne FC: a history marks the 150th anniversary of Lansdowne Football Club in 2022 … This is a beautifully written history of the club over its century and a half of existence, covering all periods, including two world wars ... if a fan of sport in the capital, buy the book.” Dublin Historical Record, 2023, Vol. 76

"UCD lecturer Charles Ivar McGrath[...] places the story of Lansdowne FC: A history firmly within the events of the day and the society in which the club members lived.[...] Anyone interested in the history of the game here will be engaged." Joe Culley, History Ireland, March/April 2023.

"[...]Painstakingly researched and beautifully illustrated...McGrath's earnest narrative serves as a prism through which you can glimpse 150 years of social history." Andrew Lynch, Sunday Business Post, January 2023.

“Lansdowne FC has produced 117 players that have gone on to represent Ireland ... It has had 15 British & Irish Lions and one Argentina international - Felipe Contepomi. The club's distinct red, yellow and black jersey has been worn by the likes of Eric Elwood, Shane Horgan, Moss Keane, Gordon D'Arcy, Noel Mannion, Ronán Kelleher, Mike Kiernan, James Ryan and Devin Toner, in more recent years, and is celebrating its' 150th anniversary, this year. To mark the occasion, author and historian Ivar McGrath has compiled an exhaustive and entertaining history of Lansdowne FC that charts the many highs and lows of 150 years of rugby and both societal and historical shifts. Lansdowne FC: A History is as much a story about one Dublin club as it is rugby in Ireland, and all of the challenges it has faced and triumphs it has enjoyed over 150 years.” Patrick McCarry, Sportsjoe.ie

"The sense of belonging, of identity, of being all in this together fostered by clubs such as Lansdowne is alluring for many, particularly in an increasingly fragmented postmodern society, which perhaps explains why this popular Irish sporting institution has survived so long ... A Quirky and Highly Readable book". the Irish Times, 24th December, 2022 

“Marking Lansdowne Football Club’s 150th anniversary, this comprehensive, well-researched official history of one of Ireland’s most illustrious rugby clubs is briskly chronological and sparingly yet tellingly analytical, boasting high-quality photographs to catch the eye and leaven the text. Charles Ivar McGrath proves an assured guide through his club’s past. Reasonably priced, given the attractive production, Lansdowne FC: a history sets a new standard for Irish sports club histories … Lansdowne FC, like this publication, shows every sign of enduring”. Terry Clavin, Studia Hibernica 49 (2023)

“Lansdowne Football Club is a unique club because its history puts it right at the centre of the story of Irish rugby. This prominence was centred on the activities of the rugby club but also on Lansdowne Road as a venue. It is not too much to say that over the decades the name Lansdowne became synonymous with Irish rugby in a global sense. That matters on one level – but it also doesn’t matter at all on another. And it certainly doesn’t matter as much as the club being remade every day as a place where people do things together. This essential truth is clear in the excellent history of the club published recently by Ivar McGrath, entitled Lansdowne FC: A History. The story of the club as presented by McGrath is endlessly fascinating, ranging from the club’s founder HWD Dunlop (who recounted in the 1920s how he had founded the club in 1872) through to Gordan D’Arcy (one of the many internationals whose name is listed on the clubhouse walls) who has written in powerful support of club rugby in his media work ... At the end of his book, Ivar McGrath writes: “Without people, there is no history. And without people, there is no club.” This gets right to the heart of the story of Lansdowne Football Club and they are words that capture a truth that will be familiar to anyone who has enjoyed a meaningful connection with any club in any sport.” Paul Rouse, The Irish Examiner