Historic Football Stadiums: Dalymount Park, Dublin

The 2025 League of Ireland season marks the end of an era as the iconic Dalymount Park is set for its final season in its current guise. A new ground will emerge in its stead, and new memories will be made for fans of the home club, Bohemian FC. If you can make it to Dalymount before the wrecking ball arrives, you will not be disappointed.

Head to the north Dublin suburb of Phibsborough and you’ll be struck by the presence of four old school floodlights rising above the rooftops and redbrick walls. These 38-metre-high pylons have been a feature of the Phibsborough skyline since 1962. They were inaugurated with a match against Arsenal, leading to a myth that the London giants – floodlight pioneers themselves across the water in England – had provided the floodlights. 

In reality, they were provided first-hand by a Scottish firm.

Dalymount is the home of Bohemian FC (An Cumann Peile Bóihéamach). Bohemians are Dublin’s oldest surviving football club. It was founded in 1890 by a group of young players from Bell’s Academy and the Hibernian Military School, along with some medical students. 

The players began playing in Dublin’s huge Phoenix Park and were nomadic for a period without a ground. This led to the club gaining its name as it was ‘Bohemian in spirit’, according to honorary treasurer Frank Whittaker. 

‘Bohs’ moved into Dalymount Park, built on land formerly known as ‘Pisser Dignam’s Field’, on 7 September 1901. Bohemians defeated their oldest rivals, Shelbourne, in the opening match by four goals to two. The first goal was scored by striker Harold Sloan, who would die in action during the Great War in 1917.

‘Dalyer’ was first used for Ireland internationals in 1904, and hosted games for the pre-split (1921) united Ireland side and the Free State/Eire/Republic of Ireland sides that followed, along with numerous FAI Cup finals. 

Fabled stadium designer Archibald Leitch worked on Dalymount’s redesign in the 1930s. Bob Marley performed his only Irish gig at Dalymount in 1980, less than a year before he died. Local band Thin Lizzy also played at Dalyer. Both Marley and Thin Lizzy frontman Phil Lynott are remembered in mural form on the gates of Dalymount, as is former national manager Jackie Charlton.

Bohemians: Football for Good

For more on Dalymount, Bohemians, and the wider story of Irish football, please pick up a copy of my new book, Shades of Green: A Journey into Irish Football. 

The murals around Dalymount make it truly stand out compared to the other Dublin soccer grounds and add real character to the place. The club has had an activist, member-led ethos since its inception and is one of just two member-owned clubs in the League of Ireland men’s Premier Division, along with Sligo Rovers.

On one wall is a famous mural with the words, ‘Love football, hate racism’ featuring four skulls and the symbol of the Iron Front, an anti-fascist organisation in Nazi-era Germany. The club’s shirts have often featured messages, such as ‘Refugees Welcome’, and Bohs have done some great charity work in the community via The Bohemian Foundation, including engaging with inmates at nearby Mountjoy Prison. The club also has a climate officer and a resident poet.

In May 2024, Dalymount hosted the Palestinian women’s national side versus Bohemians’ women’s team in front of a crowd of 4,390, including the President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins. The solidarity match ended in a 2-1 win for the Palestinians.

Dalymount has declined over the years, so redevelopment is long overdue, and the plans for an 8,000-capacity stadium are impressive. When I visited in May 2023, much of the ground was already out of bounds. I sat in the main Jodi Stand. There is a small, temporary away stand opposite and a modest terrace at one end. The other end is a cordoned-off stand overgrowing with weeds. As I wrote in my book, Shades of Green: A Journey into Irish Football, the view to my right – with its barren stand and concrete buildings beyond – evoked visions of football in the former Communist Bloc, while to my left, the redbrick terrace reminds me of a mill town in the north of England. It was all very familiar.

Visiting Dalymount Park

It might not be possible to get a ticket for a Bohemians home match in its final season, and there’s a waiting list for season tickets. Nonetheless, the ground is worth a visit outside of matchdays just to marvel at the murals, the floodlights, and the overall old-school aesthetic.

If you can get a ticket, you won’t regret it. The other great thing about Bohemians is its ultra group, the Notorious Boo Boys, who bring the noise, colour, and creativity that – along with their peers at other clubs – makes the League of Ireland so exciting.

While in Phibsborough, check out The Back Page (slogan Mes Que Un Pub), a bar with a bookshop. It features a mural of Mrs Doyle from ‘90s comedy series Father Ted, complete with a cup of tea and black-and-red scarf, with the words ‘Go on, Bohs’. A short walk away from the ground towards Cabra, there is a plaque for ‘Busby Babe’ Liam Whelan, a victim of the Munich Air Disaster.

Phibsborough is a genuinely historic area in Irish football history, and my hope is that Bohemians can maintain their unique identity and vibe in the new Dalymount. I am confident that they will.