Dolphin F.C
The southside
of Dublin’s inner city seems have produced a lot of football clubs that have
played in the League of Ireland. Currently, there are three clubs who play in
the Premier and First Division that come from that area of Ireland. They are ST
Patrick’s Athletic, Shamrock Rovers and UCD, while Shelbourne FC originally
came from Ringsend, another South Dublin area, however, they have been at Tolka
Park long enough to be considered a North Dublin club. But in the past, a
cluster of clubs from this area have come and gone, leaving their own
impression on the history of League of Ireland. This next club won the title on
one occasion, whilst also reaching two FAI Cup finals, failing to win either of
them. This club also had an unusual name, however, if you are familiar with
Dublin and some of its estates, then the name is not so unusual. This is the
story of Dolphin’s FC who came from the Dublin suburb of Dolphin’s Barn.
Founded in
1921, by a group of butchers who had German descent, after their families had
arrived in the area back in the 1800’s. The club was formed in the same year
the League of Ireland was formed, however, like other clubs in the area, they
opted to wait and see how the newly formed league would get on, and so,
Dolphin’s FC as they were named, decided to play their football in the Leinster
Senior League.
Originally
wearing blue and white, the club decided to change their colours to white, with
black short and socks being worn. They had originally played at Dolphin’s Park,
playing some home games at Harold’s Cross in 1932-33, whilst also playing some
games at Tolka Park in their last two seasons that they participated in the
League of Ireland.
Before joining
the League of Ireland in 1930, the club enjoyed some success in the Leinster
Senior League, winning it on two occasions in 1929-30 and 1930-31. These
successes promoted the club to try and challenge themselves at a higher level
and so they ade the step up to the League of Ireland.
There first
season seemed to go well, with the club finishing 5th out of 12
clubs, finishing only 5 points behind champions, Shelbourne. Their newfound
level didn’t stop them from picking up silverware elsewhere as they lifted the
Leinster Senior Cup that season. A 7th place finish came in their
second season whilst they reached the FAI Cup final in the same season.
It all started
with a 10-0 hammering of St James Gate, setting up a second-round tie versus
Cork. That game ended 3-2 to the Dublin side meaning they would face Shelbourne
FC in the semi-final. The game was played on the 27th of March 1932
at Glenmalure Park, and saw the South Dublin club beat their Northside rivals,
3-2.
And so, a final
against Shamrock Rover was set up and played on April 17th, 1932.
The game was played at Dalymount Park in front of 32,000 people. The game was
decided by one goal, and that was scored by Shamrock Rovers striker, Paddy
Murphy, a player who would go on to play for Scottish club Aberdeen, making 66
appearances for the Dons, whilst scoring 45 times for them. Murphy also has the
distinct honour of being the first ever player to score four goals in a World
Cup qualifier, when he did so for an FAI XI against Belgium in 1934. He played
9 times in total for the Irish Free State, scoring 7 goals whilst playing for
the IFA version of Ireland on one occasion.
The 1932-33
season saw the club finish 8th in the league but once again they
managed to reach the FAI Cup final. Their first-round encounter with Dundalk
had to go to a replay, after the first game ended, 1-1. Dolphin’s won the
second leg, 2-1 to progress to the second round. It was there they faced
Drumcondra and beat the, 2-1 to set up a semi-final with Shelbourne, for the
second season in a row. Just like the previous season, they beat Shelbourne and
just like the previous season, set up a final with Shamrock Rovers.
The final was
played on St Patricks Day, 1933, at Dalymount Park in front of 22,000 and the
game did not disappoint. In a match that could not be decided on the day it
ended up 3-3, and so headed for a replay which would be played a week later.
This time Shamrock Rovers put the final to bed, winning 3-0 and making sure
Dolphin’s would never win the FAI Cup in their history.
It was a bitter
blow for the club to lose two straight finals, however, they continued to
impress, and it wasn’t long until they won the League of Ireland. The 1934-35
saw the club become the 6th club to win the league since it’s
formation in 1922 pipping St James Gate by one point. It seemed like it would
be the start of something special for the club, as they finished runners-up in
the 1935-36 season, just three points behind Bohemians FC.
However, that
was as good as it got for Dolphins FC, who finished 10th the season
after, and that would be the last season in which they would participate in the
League of Ireland, as they resigned from the league voluntarily, being replaced
by Limerick.
After that,
there is very little evidence the club played any football, at any level, and
such as have become a Forgotten Football Club. They produced nine
internationals, eight of which where Irish, while Alex Massie, who played with
the club in 1930, made 18 appearances for Scotland.
Dolphins FC are
another example of a football club created by a community who just wanted to
have a football club to represent them. Did they ever think they would win the
biggest prize in Irish football, the League of Ireland? Did they think they
would play in two FAI Cup finals, running the mighty Shamrock Rovers close on
two occasions? Maybe they did, maybe they didn’t. Whatever their intentions,
they brought their dream to life. Can it be done again? Could Dolphins FC be
resurrected?