Celebrating Dublin's Sporting Heritage

Dublin is a city obsessed with sports. On any given weekend, thousands head to Croke Park, Dalymount Park, Santry Stadium, and the newly-opened Aviva Stadium to bear witness, to discuss, and to dissect their favoured teams. Sport informs debate in offices, shops, street corners, and pubs. The city hums with anticipation and excitement on the eve of major sporting events.

But for Dubliners, participation in sport can never be restricted to the mere passive. Every weekend, more people play than watch. Public parks, sports centres, and swimming pools are filled with people striving to be faster, stronger, and more skilful. Canals become sites for angling contests, rivers hosts regattas, kids play ‘rounders’ on parks and squares, while, with a few licks of paint, concrete is transformed into football pitches and tennis courts. These local, but never trivial, contests are the true pulse of sporting life in Dublin. Sport defines our communities and boosts our local and civic pride.

These images pay tribute to Dublin’s sporting heritage and the role sport plays in community life. It celebrates all who have engaged – from Olympians to Corinthians.

Further Resources

The following online resources can be accessed free of charge at your local library. Ask library staff for information and assistance. View a full list of online resources available with your library card.

• DRI - Digital Repository of Ireland is a national digital repository for Ireland’s humanities, social sciences, and cultural heritage data. Here you will find select digital collections of Dublin City Library and Archive.
• Irish Times Digital Archive: This online archive service gives access to contemporary editions of the Irish Times from the mid-nineteenth century until the present.
• Irish Newspaper Archive: This online archive service gives access to contemporary editions of the Irish Independent and a range of other newspapers.
• The Ireland-JSTOR Collection: This online archive of academic articles can also be accessed free of charge at your local library.

For further reading, consult the Library Catalogue.

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