Throughout the years, Irish sides have made a habit of punching above their weight in European competitions. This year is no different, with Sligo Rovers, St Patricks Athletic and Shamrock Rovers all making waves in elite continental competitions.
Sligo Rovers got the better of Scottish giants Motherwell, defeating them 3-0 over the course of two legs, with the 'Bit 'O' Red' set to face Viking of Norway in the third qualifying round of the Europa Conference League. Motherwell on the other hand, are on the hunt for a new manager.
St Pats are also through to the same stage having beaten Mura 6-5 on penalties away in Slovenia a week ago. And while Shamrock Rovers were defeated by Ludogorets in Champions League qualifying, they still have the chance to make the group stages of either the Europa League or the Europa Conference League.
But these aren't the first sides to go on decent runs in European competitions. Years ago clubs like Shelbourne, Derry, Drogheda and Dundalk blazed a trail in Europe. They all went on wild European adventures and were the true pioneers (pun intended) of Irish sides tearing it up on the continent.
This week marks a huge week for Irish sides in Europe, and all three of Sligo, Shamrock Rovers and St Pats can take inspiration from the following list of memorable European campaigns.
Shelbourne 2004 : UEFA Champions League
Shelbourne made it all the way to the final qualification round of the UEFA Champions League back in 2004. Pat Fenlon's side were far and away the best team in Ireland at the time and were halfway through their historic early 2000's run, when they won five league titles and an FAI Cup in seven years.
The Premier Division champions overcame FC Reykjavik of Iceland and Croatian juggernauts Hadjuk Split in the first two rounds of qualifying.
A two legged tie with Deportivo La Coruna was all that stood in the way of Shelbourne reaching the group stages of the Champions League. The previous season, the La Liga side made it to the final four of the competition and boasted a squad full of stars with huge reputations such as Juan Carlos Valeron, Albert Luque and Walter Pandiani.
Shels put up a hell of a fight in the home tie at Lansdowne Road, where a Wes Hoolahan inspired side held the Spanish giants to a goalless draw. A week later, the Dublin club frustrated Deportivo for long periods before Victor Sanchez broke the deadlock in the 59th minute.
Victor scored again six minutes later and Pandiani put the icing on the cake in the dying minutes. A devastating 3-0 loss for Shelbourne was the final result, but not what the performance over two legs deserved.
A couple of weeks later, Shels played Ligue 1 side Lille in UEFA Cup qualifying but were well beaten over two legs.
Champions League play-off rounds
| First qualifying round: 1st leg | KR Reykjavik 2-2 Shelbourne |
| First qualifying round: 2nd leg | Shelbourne 0-0 KR Reykjavik |
| Second qualifying round: 1st leg | Hadjuk Split 3-2 Shelbourne |
| Second qualifying round: 2nd leg | Shelbourne 2-0 Hadjuk Split |
| Final qualifying round: 1st leg | Shelbourne 0-0 Deportivo |
| Final qualifying round: 2nd leg | Deportivo 3-0 Shelbourne |
UEFA Cup play-off
Final qualifying round: 1st leg |
Shelbourne 2-2 Lille |
Final qualifying round: 2nd leg |
Lille 2-0 Shelbourne |
Derry City 2006 : UEFA Cup
The Candystripes flew through the first two rounds of qualifying scoring nine goals and conceding just three. In the first round, Derry were too good for Goteborg of Sweden and brushed them aside, winning each leg 1-0.
Derry City then made history in the second round, recording one of the most comprehensive victories for any League of Ireland club in Europe. They did this against Scottish side Gretna, where Derry fell behind early doors before banging in five goals to take a 5-1 victory.
In the next round, Derry drew the mighty Paris Saint Germain. PSG came to the Brandywell and were lucky to escape with a 0-0 draw.
However, the Parisian sides' class shone through in the home leg, when Edouard Cisse and Pedro Pauletta consigned Stephen Kenny's side to defeat.
UEFA Cup qualifying rounds
| First qualifying round: 1st leg | Goteborg 0-1 Derry |
| First qualifying round: 2nd leg | Derry 1-0 Goteborg |
| Second qualifying round: 1st leg | Gretna 1-5 Derry |
| Second qualifying round: 2nd leg | Derry 2-2 Gretna |
| Final qualifying round: 1st leg | Derry 0-0 PSG |
| Final qualifying round: 2nd leg | PSG 2-0 Derry |
Drogheda United 2008 : UEFA Champions League
In 2008, Drogheda United were in the middle of the greatest period in their clubs history.
A league title win in 2007 to go with an FAI Cup success in 2005 and two Setanta Cups in the space of three years had Drogs fans feeling invincible.
The crowning glory was almost a legendary victory away to Dynamo Kyiv. A week earlier the Ukrainian side defeated Drogheda by two goals to one at Dalymount Park.
A week later in Kyiv, Drogheda put in the performance of a lifetime as they drew 2-2 with the European giants. The Boynesiders were left to rue a late Adam Hughes calamity, as the Australian inexplicably fired over from five yards out with the goal at his mercy.
If Hughes had've found the net, Drogheda would have progressed to the next round on the (now defunct) away goals rule. Alas, it was not to be for The Drogs, but for one brief moment in time the Boynesiders stood toe-to-toe with the one of the most established sides in Europe and gave as good as they got.
It was a culmination of a golden period of success for the club from the wee county. Other special European nights came before this one including the infamous 11-10 penalty shootout loss to IK Start.
Champions League play-off rounds
| 1st Qualifying round leg 1 | Drogheda 2-1 Levadia Tallinn |
| 1st Qualifying round leg 2 | Levadia Tallinn 0-1 Drogheda |
| 2nd Qualifying round leg 1 | Drogheda 1-2 Dynamo Kyiv |
| 2nd Qualifying round leg 2 | Dynamo Kyiv 2-2 Drogheda |
Shamrock Rovers 2011 : UEFA Europa League
Shamrock Rovers made history when they became the first Irish side to reach the group stage of a European competition when they made it to the early part of the 2011/2012 UEFA Europa League.
Michael O'Neill's side were the dominant team in the League of Ireland at the time having picked up back to back Premier Division titles in 2010 and 2011. However, the European campaign which started out so well quickly turned into a nightmare.
Rovers were completely overmatched in the group-stage of the competition and failed to get a single point on the board over the course of the six games. The Tallaght side crashed out of the competition well before Christmas and by the end of 2011, O'Neill had left the club.
Rovers home game with Spurs certainly was an historic occasion. On that day, Spurs cruised to a 4-0 victory, with a certain baby-faced Harry Kane scoring the first goal of his Tottenham Hotspur career.
There were some bright moments in the campaign, such as when The Hoops took the lead at White Hart Lane or when Tallaght stadium hosted the first Europa League game on Irish soil. Ultimately though, much was expected of Rovers who failed to deliver.
Europa League play-off rounds
| Leg 1 | Rovers 1-1 Partizan |
| Leg 2 | Partizan 1-2 Rovers |
Europa League group stage
| MD 1 | Rovers 0-3 Rubin Kazan |
| MD 2 | Spurs 3-1 Rovers |
| MD 3 | Rovers 1-2 PAOK |
| MD 4 | PAOK 3-1 Rovers |
| MD 5 | Rubin Kazan 4-1 Rovers |
| MD 6 | Rovers 0-4 Spurs |
Dundalk 2016 : UEFA Europa League
Dundalk's European adventure six years ago is far and away the best run any Irish side has been on in European competitions.
The Louth side made huge noise in Europe that season, knocking off FH of Iceland and BATE Borisov on their way to the final round of Champions League qualifying.
With Stephen Kenny at the helm, Dundalk came so close to reaching the knockout stages of the Champions League falling at the last hurdle to Legia Warsaw. A 2-0 home defeat to the Polish side did little to dampen spirits, with Kenny's charges impressing many by earning a 1-1 draw in Warsaw away to their vastly superior resourced opponents.
A group stage berth in the Europa League followed and the future Ireland manager's side made yet more history. A 1-1 draw with Dutch side AZ Alkmaar was the first point of any description won by an Irish side in the group stage of a European competition, while a 1-0 home win over Maccabi Tel Aviv topped this historic achievement.
Kenny's kids ran out of steam over the last four group games. They ultimately finished bottom of their group, however no other Irish side has even come close to matching the four points that Dundalk accumulated that season.
Europa League group stage
| MD 1 | AZ Alkmaar 1-1 Dundalk |
| MD 2 | Dundalk 1-0 Maccabi Tel Aviv |
| MD 3 | Dundalk 1-2 Zenit |
| MD 4 | Zenit 2-1 Dundalk |
| MD 5 | Dundalk 0-1 AZ Alkmaar |
| MD 6 | Maccabi Tel Aviv 2-1 Dundalk |
Dundalk 2020 : UEFA Europa League
In the midst of a pandemic, Dundalk embarked upon one of the strangest European runs in recent memory.
A controversial takeover, a manager without a UEFA standard license and a string of games in empty stadiums, Dundalk's campaign didn't quite pan-out as expected.
In fairness to Dundalk, they did do extremely well to battle their way into the group stages in the first place. Victories over Inter d'Escaldes, Sheriff Tiraspol (Who defeated Real Madrid in the Champions League the next season) and Kí saw Dundalk become the first Irish side to reach the group stage of the Europa League on two occasions.
Dundalk were competitive, never losing by more than the odd goal. Compared to their 2016 run however, it left something of a sour taste in the mouths of fans.
Europa League play-off rounds
| 2nd qualifying round | Inter d'Escaldes 0-1 Dundalk |
| 3rd qualifying round | Sheriff Tiraspol 1-1 Dundalk (3-5 PENS) |
| Play-off round | Dundalk 3-1 Kí |
Europa League group-stage
| MD 1 | Dundalk 1-2 Molde |
| MD 2 | Arsenal 3-0 Dundalk |
| MD 3 | Rapid Wien 4-3 Dundalk |
| MD 4 | Dundalk 1-3 Rapid Wien |
| MD 5 | Molde 3-1 Dundalk |
| MD 6 | Dundalk 2-4 Arsenal |
Here's hoping one of the Irish sides can keep their form and go on a run this summer. And who knows, if they do, maybe they'll add themselves to the list of all time great league of Ireland performers in Europe.
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