| Season | 1955–56 |
|---|---|
| Champions | St Patrick's Athletic (3rd title) |
| Matches played | 132 |
| Goals scored | 520 (3.94 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Shay Gibbons (21 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Shelbourne 7–1 Limerick Waterford 7–1 Limerick Shamrock Rovers 6–0 Transport |
| Biggest away win | Transport 1–6 Waterford |
| Highest scoring | Waterford 8–3 Transport |
| ← 1954–55 1956–57 → | |
The 1955–56 League of Ireland was the 35th season of senior football in the Republic of Ireland.
St Patrick's Athletic were the defending champions.
Changes from 1954–55 season
No new teams were elected to the League.
Teams
Dublin
BrayCorkDundalkSligoLimerickWaterfordclass=notpageimage| Locations of the 1954–55 League of Ireland teams
| Team | Location | Stadium |
|---|---|---|
| Bohemians | Dublin (Phibsborough) | Dalymount Park |
| Cork Athletic | Cork (Mardyke) | Mardyke |
| Drumcondra | Dublin (Drumcondra) | Tolka Park |
| Dundalk | Dundalk | Oriel Park |
| Evergreen United | Cork (Turners Cross) | Turners Cross |
| Limerick | Limerick | Markets Field |
| Shamrock Rovers | Dublin (Milltown) | Glenmalure Park |
| Shelbourne | Dublin (Ringsend) | Shelbourne Park |
| Sligo Rovers | Sligo | The Showgrounds |
| St Patrick's Athletic | Dublin (Inchicore) | Richmond Park |
| Transport | Bray | Carlisle Grounds |
| Waterford | Waterford | Kilcohan Park |
Season overview
St Patrick's Athletic won their third title.
Table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | St Patrick's Athletic | 22 | 16 | 2 | 4 | 61 | 34 | +27 | 34 |
| 2 | Shamrock Rovers | 22 | 15 | 1 | 6 | 54 | 30 | +24 | 31 |
| 3 | Waterford | 22 | 14 | 2 | 6 | 66 | 39 | +27 | 30 |
| 4 | Evergreen United | 22 | 10 | 4 | 8 | 34 | 28 | +6 | 24 |
| 5 | Sligo Rovers | 22 | 11 | 2 | 9 | 47 | 50 | −3 | 24 |
| 6 | Shelbourne | 22 | 8 | 4 | 10 | 45 | 42 | +3 | 20 |
| 7 | Bohemians | 22 | 7 | 5 | 10 | 29 | 36 | −7 | 19 |
| 8 | Drumcondra | 22 | 8 | 2 | 12 | 41 | 51 | −10 | 18 |
| 9 | Cork Athletic | 22 | 7 | 3 | 12 | 38 | 43 | −5 | 17 |
| 10 | Dundalk | 22 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 37 | 54 | −17 | 17 |
| 11 | Limerick | 22 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 35 | 54 | −19 | 17 |
| 12 | Transport | 22 | 5 | 3 | 14 | 33 | 59 | −26 | 13 |
Results
| Home \ Away | BOH | CAT | DRU | DUN | EVE | LIM | SHM | SHE | SLI | STP | TRA | WAT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bohemians | — | 2–1 | 3–0 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 1–2 | 4–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 |
| Cork Athletic | 1–0 | — | 4–3 | 5–0 | 1–0 | 4–1 | 0–2 | 3–3 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 1–0 |
| Drumcondra | 1–1 | 2–0 | — | 2–5 | 2–3 | 2–0 | 3–4 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 4–2 | 1–4 |
| Dundalk | 0–1 | 2–0 | 3–2 | — | 0–1 | 3–3 | 1–2 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 3–3 | 2–1 | 3–2 |
| Evergreen United | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2–2 | — | 3–1 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–3 | 1–2 | 4–2 |
| Limerick | 0–0 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 | — | 2–1 | 2–2 | 4–1 | 3–4 | 3–2 | 1–3 |
| Shamrock Rovers | 4–0 | 3–1 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 3–2 | — | 2–1 | 4–0 | 2–1 | 6–0 | 1–2 |
| Shelbourne | 3–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 3–1 | 7–1 | 1–2 | — | 1–3 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 1–4 |
| Sligo Rovers | 6–2 | 4–3 | 4–0 | 4–2 | 0–3 | 3–2 | 0–4 | 4–2 | — | 1–3 | 4–0 | 5–3 |
| St Patrick's Athletic | 3–1 | 3–2 | 4–2 | 4–0 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 2–4 | 3–2 | 4–0 | — | 3–2 | 2–0 |
| Transport | 2–1 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 5–3 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–6 | — | 1–2 |
| Waterford | 2–0 | 5–3 | 3–1 | 5–1 | 3–1 | 7–1 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 3–3 | 8–3 | — |
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
Top scorers
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shay Gibbons | St Patrick's Athletic | 21 |
| 2 | Paddy Ambrose | Shamrock Rovers | 20 |
| 3 | Paddy O'Rourke | St Patrick's Athletic | 17 |
| 4 | Gerry Malone | Shelbourne | 15 |
| 5 | Johnny Armstrong | Sligo Rovers | 14 |
| 6 | Jack Walsh | 12 | |
| 7 | Jack Fitzgerald | Waterford | 11 |
| Mick Lipper | Limerick | ||
| Sonny Price | Waterford | ||
| 10 | Francie Callan | Dundalk | 10 |
| Eddie Doran | Evergreen United |
| 1955–56 in European football (UEFA) | |
|---|---|
| « 1954–55 1956–57 » | |
| Domestic leagues |
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| Domestic cups | |
| League cups | |
| UEFA competitions | |
| Non-UEFA competitions | |