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HISTORY
OF THE CLUB
Clontarf Football Club was founded in 1876. The official club title is Football Club rather than Rugby Football Club as the club was formed before the Irish Rugby Football Union and indeed before the Football Association of Ireland were established and thus is one of a unique few remaining clubs in the country with this entitlement.
Between 1876 and 1896 the Club transferred grounds several times in the Clontarf area from Vernon Avenue, firstly to a ground beside the Boat Club, which has for many years since been the Clontarf bus depot, then to the Howth Road and ultimately to Castle Avenue – it’s home since 1896. The grounds at Castle Avenue were sold to the club by the Vernon Estate who owned Clontarf Castle.
Since its foundation the Club colours have been Blue and Red, probably derived from the colours of the local Boat Club.
From 1896 – 1947 the grounds at Castle Avenue were jointly occupied by the Clontarf Football Club and Cricket Club. Both games were played on the same ground and the wicket was fenced off in the winter. In 1947 the grounds were separated with each club having exclusive use of individual parts.
The Bull emblem used in the logo derives from the district Clontarf, or in the Irish language, Cluain Tarbh which means Meadow or Field of the Bull.There are different theories as to the derivation, with one being the sound of the waves over the sandbars in Dublin Bay resembling the sound of a roaring bull. Clontarf is of course famous for the Battle of Clontarf in 1014 which effectively ended the reign of the Vikings and Norsemen in Ireland and it was also the location for one of the large meetings organised by Daniel O Connell in his campaign for Catholic Emancipation.