1890
1907
Richfield Sports Club was founded in October 1889. The following September club members got together to form a football team. The founder members (lads of 17 and 18) were drawn from the Hibernian Military School and the Bells Academy (a civil service college). They chose the name Bohemian F.C for its romantic and free spirited connotations. The club was founded at the Gate Lodge of Phoenix Park (the North Circular Road entrance) and played their matches in the Phoenix Park Polo grounds.
The current club colours of red and black were adopted in 1893.
From 1902-1920 they were members of the Irish Football League and contested the Irish Cup (which they won in 1908) when these were 'All-Ireland' competitions.
With Independence and the foundation of the Irish Free State Bohemians became founding members of the League of Ireland and competed in the Football Association of Ireland Senior Challenge Cup.
Up until 1922 Ireland was one country, but a colony of the United Kingdom.
The Ireland teams up until that time were theoretically All- Ireland teams, though in practice football was first popularized and later centred on the North Eastern part of the country in what later became Northern Ireland (Belfast in particular).
When the Irish Football Association was formed in 1880 the member clubs were Belfast based.
Ireland made their International debut in 1882, losing 13-0 to England. They remained the whipping-boys of the British international scene for a number of years. After conceding 27- 1 in their first three outings they secured a 1-1 draw with Wales in March 1883, but their first win didn't come until 1887 in their 16th international game. In 1903 Ireland shared the British Home championship with England and Scotland (beating Wales and Scotland in the process but losing 4-0 to England) and won it outright in 1914. Their first victory against England came in 1913, a feat they repeated in their Championship season.
In the latter part of the 19th century Irish footballers began to make their mark as professionals in the north of England and Scotland.
Eight of the XI that defeated England in 1913 were based with English clubs.winners 16 players featured in The 1914 Championship matches- 8 based with English clubs, 2 with Scottish clubs and 6 Irish (2 Dublin and 4 Belfast)
Following the partition of Ireland and the move towards independence in the south the FAI was formed in Dublin in September 1921. There had been disputes regarding the perceived Belfast bias of the IFA.
Both the IFA and the FAI selected 'all Ireland' teams during the next two decades. The IFA selection was the one that continued to play as 'Ireland' in the British Home Championships. The FAI was recognized by FIFA (none of the British football associations were affiliated to FIFA at this time), and as such were permitted to enter international tournaments. Consequently the team that we now know as The Republic of Ireland made it's international debut as The Irish Free State in the 1924 Olympics.
