Club History

Dermot Looney

1939-40: Leinster League Division II: The Richmond Era Begins

In the 2019 season we began a season-by-season overview of the history of St Patrick’s Athletic, finishing with the 1938-39 season in which Pat’s won Division II of the Leinster League. In the curtailed 2020 season, we looked at a decadeby-decade overview of the club, but are returning now to the Saints’ pre-League era, beginning with 1939-40, the first season at home in Richmond Park.

As the guns of war sounded in Poland to mark the start of World War II, in Inchicore in Dublin, some much homelier history was being made. St Patrick’s Athletic, who had been based in the Phoenix Park, Bluebell (twice) and Chapelizod, were again on the move, but this time they had found their home. On Saturday September 2nd, 1939 – the day before hostilities were declared on the continent – Richmond Park hosted its first ever St Pat’s home League game, a 2-2 draw against Hammond Lane in the Leinster League Division II, with the Saints goals coming from Gough and Whelan.

It is unclear as to why the Athletic remained in the second flight of what is now the Leinster Senior League, having won it the previous season. Automatic promotion does not appear to have been in vogue in every league and it is also possible that there were issues related to ground availability. Pat’s shared Richmond Park, on which they had received a long-term lease from the McDowell family who owned the adjoining Richmond House pub, with League rivals St Paul’s. Pat’s had played in Richmond Park on several previous occasions, including their fifth ever competitive game in 1930, but were now at home in Richer for the long haul.

Despite almost immediate wartime rationing of newsprint, reducing the page count and football coverage in the papers, Pat’s teams continued to appear in the Herald every Friday. Most of the names are familiar from the previous season, with some additions. The panel for an early game was listed as Lanigan, Darlington, Cummins, Dempsey, Morgan, Smee, Robinson, Fogarty, Cummins, Reddy, Murphy, Markey, Monaghan, Gough and Byrne. Players such as O’Rourke, Kehoe, Doyle, Ellis and the season’s top scorer Weldon would also be involved.

It was an inauspicious start to the campaign, with draws against the likes of Imperial Tobacco and Queen’s Park, before the first win against St James’ Gate by 2 goals to 1, the Saints’ goals from Reddy and Murphy. Pat’s first ever Richmond Park derby against St Paul’s took place in October with Paul’s running out 2-0 winners.

The Saints huffed and puffed in their defence of the League title. Wins against Ierne (2-1) and Clontarf Corinthians (6-4) gave hope in October and November. Pat’s resumed League action in December with the short trip to Chapelizod to take on ESB. “The encounter between the leaders of the League was nearly as bad as the weather,” noted the Sunday Independent match report. Two Dempsey penalties and a goal from Fogarty secured a 3-0 Pat’s win.

Bad weather hampered other games too. The Athletic’s first game of the 1940’s saw them travel to Grangegorman on January 6th, with the home side winning 2-1 amidst heavy rain. Fog and frost cancelled the Inchicore derby against GSR the following week and both wintry and wet weather conditions continued to dog fixtures during January, with Pat’s not taking to the field again until February. When the GSR match was refixed, it was a thriller - GSR scored one penalty and missed another, with Pat’s going on to win 3-2, with