LOI Club Histories - Especially Bohemians & Shelbourne

**Blanchflower** · 19/07/2010, 8:40 PM

Similar question to my other thread on Leinster and Munster FAs.

Are there any published histories of Bohemians or Shelbourne?

Or any other LOI clubs who pre-date partition, e.g. St James' Gate?

**EalingGreen** · 19/07/2010, 11:11 PM

Originally Posted by Blanchflower

Similar question to my other thread on Leinster and Munster FAs.

Are there any published histories of Bohemians or Shelbourne?

Or any other LOI clubs who pre-date partition, e.g. St James' Gate?

Not quite the same request, but I believe Alec Stevenson had some sort of official position with the FAI (international team manager?) in the mid 1950's i.e. after he returned from England.
Can anyone tell me exactly what it was; also, did he play for any LOI team during this period? I appreciate that having been born in 1912, he would by then have been into his 40's, but considering he played his last game for Everton in May 1949 when he was nearly 37, he might still have been capable of playing LOI football for another while.

**ifk101** · 20/07/2010, 7:17 AM

Originally Posted by Blanchflower

Or any other LOI clubs who pre-date partition, e.g. St James' Gate?

Bohs' website has some historical background on their early years. Of other LOI clubs in existence today, Athlone Town pre-date liberation. Dundalk is another possibility. Don't know if they have a published history.

**seand** · 20/07/2010, 10:31 AM

Two threads worth trawling through:
http://foot.ie/threads/49290-el-Related-Books
http://foot.ie/threads/114167-Books-...ues-in-Ireland

Incredibly it seems there's no Shels or Bohs history books

**gspain** · 20/07/2010, 1:05 PM

Alex Stevenson played as late as 1954. A friend saw him play in a cup tie - I think for Jacobs v St. Pats.

He was mentioned as manager of Pats as well in the 50's.

He originally played for Dolphin in the early 1930's before moving to Rangers.

There were comprehensive histories of Bohs published in 1940 and Shels in 1945. both are obviously rare books. The Bohs one was reprinted in the 80's but even that is scarce. Phil Howlin did produce a book on Bohs as well. Tony Reid did likewise in the 70's. I doubt if any of these are available anywhere.

Stephen Burke has been researching the history of Bohs for many years and when published will be a fantastic reference. No idea as to when though.

**John83** · 20/07/2010, 2:29 PM

http://stigonline.com/league/bohs.htm

**Blanchflower** · 21/07/2010, 8:37 PM

Thanks guys

**The Donie Forde** · 11/08/2010, 11:46 PM

Shelbourne produced an A4 book "Shelbourne Football Club - Double Champions 2000". It mainly dealt with the double season, but included a decent amount of historical information/articles.

Frank Martin, God rest him, compiled "Shelbourne FC Facts and Figures Centenary Booklet" in 1996. Quite brilliantly, it listed about 30 pages-worth of every player to line out for the club with their appearances in various competitions. There was only 60-odd pages in the whole thing, but well crammed with info.

**OwlsFan** · 01/11/2010, 8:04 AM

Biggest history of all - team kicked off its ground by property developers, supported by Eamon Dunphy, plays on other teams' grounds and on an athletic track miles from its home base, winding up orders but spared by of all people, the Revenue Commissioners, and after years in the wilderness, at last gets a ground to play on and wins the league title. Fiction writers would be hard pressed to surpass that. Well done to all connected with Shamrock Rovers who fought on and persevered during the dark days.

**seand** · 04/11/2010, 9:02 PM

I'm told there's a new Bray Wanderers history book.

**gspain** · 12/11/2010, 2:30 PM

Originally Posted by seand

I'm told there's a new Bray Wanderers history book.

Just noticed this now.

Large colour book history of Bray in the LoI - cost €30 available from the club and from the tower bookshop in Bray.

http://www.braywanderers.com/news-article.php?id=2117

**Dodge** · 12/11/2010, 2:45 PM

Originally Posted by gspain

Alex Stevenson played as late as 1954. A friend saw him play in a cup tie - I think for Jacobs v St. Pats.

He was mentioned as manager of Pats as well in the 50's.

Stevenson was also coach of the LOI interleague team in (at least 1956). Records aren't great but I'm trying to confirm how many games

**pineapple stu** · 12/11/2010, 4:49 PM

Originally Posted by Blanchflower

Or any other LOI clubs who pre-date partition, e.g. St James' Gate?

Best you can get on UCD is a book by Patrick Meenan (I think; died there recently enough) which covers histories of each of the various sporting clubs in UCD, including the football club, with a particular emphasis on the pre-league times. It'd cover the 1915 IFA Intermediate Cup win, for example. Only place I've seen it for sale is in the campus bookshop. Has maybe 15 pages on the football club.

**John83** · 12/11/2010, 8:56 PM

There's a short history of the club from a few years back which is still up on stigonline.com: http://stigonline.com/ucd/history.htm. I presume he got his info from that book.

**gspain** · 14/11/2010, 8:31 AM

Originally Posted by pineapple stu

Best you can get on UCD is a book by Patrick Meenan (I think; died there recently enough) which covers histories of each of the various sporting clubs in UCD, including the football club, with a particular emphasis on the pre-league times. It'd cover the 1915 IFA Intermediate Cup win, for example. Only place I've seen it for sale is in the campus bookshop. Has maybe 15 pages on the football club.

UCD AFC did publish a 50 year history book in 1945.

**pineapple stu** · 14/11/2010, 7:48 PM

I think that's referenced a fair bit in Meenan's book alright. Never seen the '45 book though.

Checked Meenan's book at home; there's 30 pages on the history of the football club.

John83 - Meenan looks mostly at the non-league stuff; the origins of the club, the 1915 and 1945 Cup wins and a fair bit on the 70s from memory. There's about two pages given to the league history, which is summarised as "nothing much happened" in the stigonline article. So they do cover different areas.

**BonnieShels** · 21/11/2010, 8:38 PM

Although not exactly what ye are looking for but ye could do worse than head down to this...

http://shelbournefc.com/news.php?id=1664

**bluemovie** · 13/12/2010, 2:58 PM

Only saw this thread now. Alex Stevenson also managed Waterford in the 1950s. I'll check the dates and whether he was player-manager or not (most of our managers were). Also, there's a history book of Waterford (United) called Blue, White and Dynamite by Brian Kennedy published in 2006.

**bluemovie** · 18/12/2010, 11:09 PM

Can't seem to edit my post. That book is called Singing the Blues. Blue, White and Dynamite is more a series of stories about the Blues. Both by Brian Kennedy.

Alex Stevenson managed us against Pats in the 1959 cup final. I think he was our manager for 56/57, 57/58 and 58/59.