Editing Limerick (section)

==Sport==
[[Rugby Union|Rugby]], [[Gaelic football]], [[hurling]], and association football are popular sporting pastimes in Limerick. The city and suburbs also have many tennis, athletics, [[cricket]] and golf clubs. The city is host to many large sporting events. Examples in the 21st century include the 2008 and 2009 Irish Open Golf Championships, the 2010 Irish [[Special Olympics]], the All-Ireland Corporate Games, and the World [[Baton twirling]] Championships.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.worldbaton2008.com|title= WBTF Championships 2008|access-date= 27 August 2018|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080325222524/http://www.worldbaton2008.com/|archive-date= 25 March 2008|url-status= dead|df= dmy-all}}</ref> Limerick was designated as a European City of Sport for 2011 by the European Capitals of Sport Association (ACES).<ref>[http://tcs.ireland.ie/dataland/TCSAttachments/1886_LimerickCityofSport%28final%29.pdf ''Limerick European City of Sport 2011'']{{dead link|date=January 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, Shannon Development, 15 October 2010. Retrieved 8 March 2011.</ref>
The National Elite Swimming Club is based at The University of Limerick Arena. Former World Boxing Champion, [[Andy Lee (boxer)|Andy Lee]], who held the [[World Boxing Organization|WBO]] [[middleweight]] title from 2014 to 2015, trained at St. Francis Boxing Club on Mungret Street in Limerick.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thesweetscience.com/boxing-article/5758/tss-future-star-andy-lee/ |title=TSS Future Star: Andy Lee &#124; TheSweetScience.com Boxing |website=www.thesweetscience.com |access-date=17 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080430112533/http://www.thesweetscience.com/boxing-article/5758/tss-future-star-andy-lee/ |archive-date=30 April 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Basketball===
Similar to the rest of Ireland, basketball was a popular sport in Limerick during the 1970s and 1980s, with up to four divisions in the men's and women's local leagues. It suffered a decline during the 1990s culminating in the complete demise of local league basketball in the city and surrounding areas. The main clubs in the city were St. Colm's and Marathon with St. Colm's, in particular, having a long history in the National Leagues.{{citation needed|date=September 2019}} Limerick is currently represented in the [[Premier League (Ireland)|National Leagues]] by the men's [[UL Eagles]] team and the women's UL Aughinish team. They both play their home games at the 2,500-capacity University Arena at the University of Limerick. There are several other teams at the school and club level, including St. Colm's, Limerick Lakers, Taste of Europe, Limerick Celtic, and [[Limerick Lions]].

===Cricket===
[[Limerick Cricket Club]] is a member of the Munster Cricket Union and plays in competitions organised by the Union. The club has in the past provided players for the [[Ireland national cricket team]].

===Rowing===
Four rowing clubs are located in the city, namely [[Limerick Boat Club]], Shannon Rowing Club, [[St Michael's Rowing Club]], and Athlunkard Boat Club. St Michael's member and Limerick native [[Sam Lynch]] won the [[World Rowing Championships]] gold medal in the Men's Lightweight Single Sculls in 2001 and 2002.

=== Gaelic games ===
[[File:Sporting Limerick Logo.jpg|thumb|Limerick jersey with Sporting Limerick Logo]]
Ireland's national sports of [[hurling]] and [[Gaelic football]] are widely played in the city and its surrounding suburbs. The [[Limerick county hurling team]] have won five All-Ireland senior hurling championships since 2018 and are [[All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship records and statistics#General performances|fourth most successful historically]].

[[Na Piarsaigh GAA (Limerick)|Na Piarsaigh]] is the only city club [[2022 Limerick Senior Hurling Championship|currently]] playing hurling at senior level. [[Claughaun GAA|Claughaun]] (Clochán), Monaleen (Móin a'Lín) and Mungret (Mungairit) compete at intermediate level and Old Christians (Sean-Chríostaithe), Milford (Áth an Mhuilinn), Saint Patrick's (Naomh Pádraig) and Abbey Sarsfields (Sáirséalaigh na Mainistreach) compete at junior level.

Limerick won the first [[All-Ireland Senior Football Championship]] in 1887 when represented by the city's Commercials club and repeated the feat in 1896. Since then, the game has lived mostly in the shadow of hurling but a resurgence in 2000 saw the county win its first Munster Under-21 title and has since reached three Munster Senior finals. Monaleen (Móin a'Lín) is the only city club to play football in the senior grade. Saint Patrick's (Naomh Pádraig), Claughaun (An Clochán), Mungret St. Paul's (Mungairit Naomh Pól) and [[Na Piarsaigh GAA (Limerick)|Na Piarsaigh]] are at intermediate level and Milford (Áth a Mhuilinn), Abbey Sarsfields (Sáirséalaigh na Mainstreach) and Ballinacurra Gaels (Gaeil Bhaile na Cora) play at junior level.

Some secondary school's compete in the [[Dr. Harty Cup]], which is the Munster Colleges Hurling Championship. Limerick CBS has won the cup on 10 occasions, including four in a row from 1964 to 1967 and most recently in 1993. The school also won the [[Dr. Croke Cup]], the All-Ireland Colleges Hurling Championship, on two occasions, in 1964 and 1966. Ardscoil Rís has won the championship on five occasions, in 2010, 2011, 2013,2015, and 2021 and St. Munchin's College won it once, in 1922.

Both the University of Limerick (UL) and Limerick Institute of Technology (LIT) have been successful in the [[Fitzgibbon Cup]], the All-Ireland Higher Education Hurling Championship. UL first won the championship in 1989 and has won it four times in all. LIT's two wins came in 2005 and 2007. Both of the colleges met in the final in 2011, with UL scoring an injury-time goal to win.<ref>[http://www.sportsnewsireland.com/gaa/fitzgibbon-cup-live-score-updates-results-friday-25th/ ''UL come from behind to win Fitzgibbon Cup''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716121839/http://www.sportsnewsireland.com/gaa/fitzgibbon-cup-live-score-updates-results-friday-25th/ |date=16 July 2011 }}, Sports News Ireland, 25 February 2011. Retrieved 8 March 2011.</ref>

Limerick's [[Gaelic Grounds]] (Páirc na nGael), on the Ennis Road, is the county team's home venue for both sports and has a capacity of 49,000 following reconstruction in 2004. In 1961 it hosted Ireland's biggest crowd for a sporting event outside [[Croke Park]] when over 61,000 paid to see the Munster hurling final between Tipperary and Cork.<ref>[http://www.sportsmanager.ie/t66.php?userid=18&contentpage=1&id=382&countyid=18&club_id=&sportid=1 Gaelic Grounds] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721130704/http://www.sportsmanager.ie/t66.php?userid=18&contentpage=1&id=382&countyid=18&club_id=&sportid=1 |date=21 July 2011 }} ''eSports Manager''. Retrieved 8 March 2011.</ref>

===Golf===
There are three golf clubs associated with Limerick city. [[Limerick Golf Club]] was founded in 1891 and is located at Ballyclough, {{convert|5|km|0}} due south of the city centre. Castletroy Golf Club was founded in 1937 and is located in the suburb of Castletroy in the southwest of the city. Rathbane Golf Club is based at Rathbane Golf Course, a municipal facility opened in 1998 on the southern outskirts of the city and operated under a licence for Limerick City Council. Limerick has won the Irish Senior Cup, the blue riband event of Irish amateur golf, on four occasions and was the first Irish club to win the European Club Championship, in 1980.<ref>Cotter, Patrick J., ''A History of Limerick Golf Club, 1891 – 1991'', 1991, The Treaty Press.</ref> Castletroy has won the Irish Senior Cup once.

Limerick Golf Club was host to the JP McManus Invitational Pro-Am, one of the largest [[pro-am]] events of its kind in the world. It has contributed over €95m to local charities since its inception in 1990.<ref>[http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2011/0211/1224289523496.html ''JP McManus named Limerick Person of the Year for 2010''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110222191039/http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2011/0211/1224289523496.html |date=22 February 2011 }}, The Irish Times, 11 February 2011. Retrieved 8 March 2011.</ref> The event moved to the larger [[Adare Golf Club]] in 2005 as it had outgrown the Ballyclough venue.<ref>[http://www.jpmcmanusproam.com/tournament-information/overview.html ''Tournament History''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713121838/http://www.jpmcmanusproam.com/tournament-information/overview.html |date=13 July 2011 }}, JP McManus Invitational Pro Am. Retrieved 8 March 2011.</ref> Adare also played host to the [[Irish Open (golf)|Irish Open]] in 2007 and 2008.

===Rugby===
[[File:Munster rugby 2006.jpg|thumb|left|Munster fans in Limerick during the 2006 Heineken Cup]]
[[Rugby union]] is popular in the city and is widely played at all levels, with Limerick sometimes referred to as the "spiritual home of Irish rugby".<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/munster-rugby/disconnected-clubs-academy-issues-and-a-dominant-neighbour-how-munster-fell-behind-their-rivals-40271576.html | publisher = Independent News & Media | website = independent.ie | title = Disconnected clubs, academy issues and a dominant neighbour - how Munster fell behind their rivals | date = 4 April 2021 | accessdate = 11 July 2021 | archive-date = 11 July 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210711185710/https://www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/munster-rugby/disconnected-clubs-academy-issues-and-a-dominant-neighbour-how-munster-fell-behind-their-rivals-40271576.html | url-status = live }}</ref><ref>[https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-union/limerick-ready-to-create-legends-636544.html Limerick Ready To Create Legends]{{Dead link|date=August 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, ''The Independent'', 27 May 2000. Retrieved 8 March 2011.</ref> Two-time European champions [[Munster Rugby|Munster]] play most home matches at [[Thomond Park]], where they held a record of being unbeaten in the [[Heineken Cup]] for 26 consecutive games until the 16–9 defeat by Leicester in January 2007.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2007/jan/21/rugbyunion.heinekencup2006071|last=Butler|first=Eddie|access-date=1 October 2023|date=21 January 2007|work=The Guardian|title=Leicester leave Munster stunned}}</ref> Munster recorded a famous 12–0 victory against the New Zealand [[New Zealand national rugby union team|All Blacks]] in 1978 at Thomond Park and came close a second time when the teams met in 2008, losing 18–16.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2008/nov/19/newzealand-munster|title=Munster come within minutes of a miracle| last=Averis| first=Michael| access-date=1 October 2023| date=18 November 2008| work=The Guardian}}</ref> Munster also defeated an Australian touring side at Thomond Park in 2010<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/my_club/munster/9196601.stm| title=Munster 15-6 Australia| access-date=1 October 2023| date=16 November 2010| publisher=BBC}}</ref> and the [[Maori All Blacks]] 27-14 in 2016.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.the42.ie/munster-maori-all-blacks-match-report-3077791-Nov2016/| date=9 November 2016| access-date=1 October 2023| title=Another special night in Thomond Park as Maori All Blacks overawed by Munster| publisher=The 42}}</ref>

Since its inception in 1991 the [[AIB League|All-Ireland League]] has been dominated by Limerick City teams, with three clubs winning the competition 13 times between them: [[Shannon RFC|Shannon]] (9); [[Garryowen Football Club|Garryowen]] (3) and [[Young Munster]] (1). Other senior rugby clubs in the city include [[Old Crescent]], [[Thomond RFC|Thomond]], and [[UL Bohemians]]. Richmond and St. Mary's are city clubs playing in the junior leagues.

The city's secondary schools compete in the [[Munster Schools Senior Cup|Munster Senior]] and [[Munster Schools Junior Cup|Junior]] Cups and a number of schools have had notable success at both levels. The most successful rugby school in the city is [[Crescent College]], eleven-time Senior Cup and five-time Junior Cup winners. The school is affiliated with Old Crescent RFC. [[St Munchin's College|St. Munchin's]] has won the Senior Cup five times since 1968 and the Junior Cup three times. [[CBS Sexton Street|Limerick CBS]] won the Senior Cup on four occasions in the 1920s and 1930s and the Junior Cup in 1932. [[Ardscoil Rís, Limerick|Ardscoil Rís]] has won the Junior Cup twice, in 2003 and 2005 and [[Castletroy College]] won both senior and junior competitions in 2008.

[[File:Thomond Park.jpg|thumb|right|[[Thomond Park]] is the home grounds of [[Munster Rugby]]]]

In 2013, [[Thomond Park]] hosted [[rugby league]] in the [[2013 Rugby League World Cup]],<ref>{{cite web| url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1843887-rugby-league-world-cup-australia-vs-ireland-result-and-post-match-reaction| date=9 November 2013|last=Walker|first=Lee|title=Rugby League World Cup: Australia vs. Ireland Result and Post-Match Reaction
|access-date=1 October 2023|publisher=Bleacher Report}}</ref> and an academy was briefly set up in 2011 to identify Irish players to play for [[Super League]] clubs.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.sportinglife.com/rugbyleague/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=rleague/11/05/01/RUGBYL_Ireland.html&BID=480 |title=IRELAND AIM FOR SUPER LEAGUE SIDE |work=Sporting Life |date=1 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118064107/http://www.sportinglife.com/rugbyleague/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=rleague%2F11%2F05%2F01%2FRUGBYL_Ireland.html&BID=480 |archive-date=18 January 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.thescore.ie/limerick-launches-bid-for-rugby-league-world-cup-games-175112-Jul2011/ |title=Limerick launches bid for Rugby League World Cup games |publisher=Thescore.ie |date=9 May 2013 |access-date=27 May 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130729091918/http://www.thescore.ie/limerick-launches-bid-for-rugby-league-world-cup-games-175112-Jul2011/ |archive-date=29 July 2013 }}</ref> Domestic rugby league was formerly played in Limerick, with the [[Treaty City Titans]] representing the city in the [[All-Ireland Rugby League Championship]]. The Titans were Irish champions eight times between 2005 and 2015, but as of 2023 the team is defunct.

===Association football===
Association football is popular in the city and suburbs, and the city was historically represented in the [[League of Ireland]] by [[Limerick F.C.|Limerick FC]]. The club first joined the league in 1937. There have been a number of variations of the club, and their most successful period was from the 1960s to the 1980s when they won two League of Ireland championships and two [[FAI Cup]]s. The club played at [[Markets Field]] until the mid-1980s when they controversially moved to a new venue.<ref>Dunne, Eoin, [http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/limericks-recovery-starts-to-take-shape-119525.html ''Limerick's recovery starts to take shape''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121018102723/http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/limericks-recovery-starts-to-take-shape-119525.html |date=18 October 2012 }}, Irish Independent, 26 January 2006. Retrieved 8 March 201.</ref> Limerick FC returned to the Markets Field in June 2015, following the purchase of the venue by the Limerick Enterprise Development Partnership (LEDP) from [[Bord na gCon]].<ref>[http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/sport/2011/0303/1224291212748.html ''Limerick FC look set for return to Market's Field''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110303043937/http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/sport/2011/0303/1224291212748.html |date=3 March 2011 }}, The Irish Times, 3 March 2011. Retrieved 8 March 2011.</ref> However, the club suffered a financial collapse in 2019 and lost its licence.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.the42.ie/limerick-fc-2-4927987-Dec2019/ | website = the42.ie | title = Limerick FC set to be liquidated | date = 11 December 2019 | accessdate = 21 February 2021 | archive-date = 12 February 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210212011554/https://www.the42.ie/limerick-fc-2-4927987-Dec2019/ | url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2020/0212/1114911-no-limerick-as-fai-confirm-licences-for-2020-season/ | website = rte.ie | title = No Limerick as FAI confirm licences for 2020 season | date = 12 February 2020 | accessdate = 21 February 2021 | archive-date = 13 February 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210213171537/https://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2020/0212/1114911-no-limerick-as-fai-confirm-licences-for-2020-season/ | url-status = live }}</ref>

In place of Limerick FC, a new club called [[Treaty United F.C.]] was created. The women's team, [[Treaty United W.F.C.]], began playing in the 2020 season of the [[Women's National League (Ireland)|Women's National League]]. The men's team was not able to begin playing until the 2021 season, joining the [[League of Ireland First Division]].<ref>{{Cite news|title=Treaty United to take up the 10th place in First Division|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/soccer/national-league/treaty-united-to-take-up-the-10th-place-in-first-division-1.4490861|access-date=29 April 2021|newspaper=The Irish Times|language=en|archive-date=20 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210220203957/https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/soccer/national-league/treaty-united-to-take-up-the-10th-place-in-first-division-1.4490861|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Horse racing===
[[Limerick Racecourse]] is located 10km outside the city at Greenmount, Patrickswell and holds [[Flat racing|flat]] and [[National Hunt racing|National Hunt]] meetings throughout the year.

The racecourse superseded [[Greenpark Racecourse]], a course inside the city, which closed in 1999 after 130 years of racing.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.limerickraces.ie/history-of-limerick-racecourse/|title=History of Limerick Racecourse|date=21 August 2015|publisher=Limerickraces.ie|accessdate=28 March 2021|archive-date=15 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171115140725/http://www.limerickraces.ie/history-of-limerick-racecourse/|url-status=live}}</ref>