Markets Field

The site was originally a Gaelic games ground, having been used as a venue for Munster championship games in both hurling and Gaelic football, with most of the All-Ireland semi-finals between Munster and Connacht teams taking place there in the 1900s. It was also the home of Garryowen from 1886 until 1957,^[5] when the club moved to new facilities in Dooradoyle. Until 2010, the stadium hosted greyhound racing, when Limerick Greyhound Stadium opened in the south-west of the city.^[6]

In 1962 Limerick F.C. played Liverpool in a friendly at Markets Field with Liverpool winning 5–3. It has hosted two of Limerick's six European ties; firstly in 1981, 3–0 loss to Southampton FC of England in the UEFA Cup, then a 1–1 draw in the 1982-83 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup against Dutch side AZ Alkmaar.

Limerick F.C. were the principal tenant until their demise in 2019, when the ground was purchased by Limerick Enterprise Development Partnership with funds provided by the JP McManus charitable foundation.^[7] During late 2013, LEDP redeveloped the pitch, investing €400,000 in a brand new playing surface.^[8] In early 2014, the Irish government announced additional funding for the redevelopment after planning permission was granted. The stadium hosted its first match in the refurbished ground on 5 June 2015,^[9] a League of Ireland Premier Division match between Limerick and Drogheda United.

The refurbished Main Stand holds 1,350 spectators for the home supporters and contains a corporate box. The new tunnel and dressing rooms are under the Main Stand and there are three turnstiles named after Limerick football legends. Away supporters are housed in a new stand with 300 seats behind the Geraldine Villas goal. The Popular side and the Cathedral End are both banked standing areas, with the former behind the dugouts and the latter housing the scoreboard. In 2016 the playing surface won the FAI Pitch of the Year Award.^[10]

The Limerick Greyhound Company was formed in 1933 but it was not until 1937 when racing began. The first directors were T.F.Ryan and J.P. Frost.^[11] The 465-yard circuit came to prominence in 1939 when it was selected by the Irish Coursing Club to hold the Irish Greyhound Derby for first and only time. The event was won by Marchin' Thro' Georgia who won the final in a new track record time of 30.05.^[12][13]

The track hosted the classic race the Irish St Leger in 1940 before it moved permanently to Limerick in 1944. The track also staged the Irish Oaks in 1942. The allocation of the 1943 Grand National did not help because due to the lack of hurdlers during the war Mr Ryan the chairman of Limerick Stadium was left with no choice but to cancel the event.^[11] Other events that took place at Limerick were the Bulger Cup and Kennedy Memorial Cup and J. P. McManus started as a bookmaker at the track and earned the nickname 'Sundance Kid'.^[14]

In 1958 the Irish Greyhound Board was given the responsibility of all tracks in Ireland with the exception of the Ulster tracks, that would remain under the jurisdiction of the Irish Coursing Club.^[15] They installed a new totalisator system in 1960 as improvements became commonplace under the new ownership, including a new stand costing over £60,000. Brendan O’Connell was Racing Manager for over thirty years from 1966.^[11]

The track closed in 2009 with the entire operation moving to the newly built Limerick Greyhound Stadium at Greenpark.^[16] Racing Manager Gus Ryan retired after 42 years in racing.^[17]