2018 League of Ireland Premier Division
The 2018 League of Ireland Premier Division was the 34th season of the League of Ireland Premier Division. The league began on 16 February 2018 and concluded in 26 October 2018.
On 5 October, Dundalk won the title after a 1-1 draw with St Patrick's Athletic.
Overview
The Premier Division consists of 10 teams. Each team plays each other four times for a total of 36 matches in the season.Waterford, the 2017 First Division champion, were promoted to the league for the first time since 2007.
On 22 December 2016, the Football Association of Ireland announced that the league would be restructured into two 10-team divisions from the 2018 season onwards, one of the recommendations made in the 2015 Conroy Report.
Teams
Stadia and locations
| Team | Location | Stadium |
| Bohemians | Phibsborough | Dalymount Park |
| Bray Wanderers | Bray | Carlisle Grounds |
| Cork City | Cork | Turners Cross |
| Derry City | Derry | The Brandywell |
| Dundalk | Dundalk | Oriel Park |
| Limerick | Limerick | Markets Field |
| St Patrick's Athletic | Inchicore | Richmond Park |
| Shamrock Rovers | Tallaght | Tallaght Stadium |
| Sligo Rovers | Sligo | The Showgrounds |
| Waterford | Waterford | RSC |
Personnel and kits
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.| Team | Manager | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
| Bohemians |  Keith Long | Derek Pender | Hummel | Mr Green Sport |
| Bray Wanderers | Gary Cronin | Gary McCabe | Nike | O Driscoll O Neil Insurance |
| Cork City | John Caulfield |  Conor McCormack | Adidas | University College Cork |
| Derry City |  Declan Devine | Gerard Doherty | Adidas | Diamond Corrugated |
| Dundalk | Stephen Kenny | Stephen O'Donnell | CX+ Sport | Fyffes |
| Limerick | Tommy Barrett | Shane Duggan | Umbro | Betsat.com |
| St Patrick's Athletic | Liam Buckley | Ian Bermingham | Umbro | MIG Insurance Brokers |
| Shamrock Rovers | Stephen Bradley | Ronan Finn | New Balance | Pepper Money |
| Sligo Rovers | Gerard Lyttle | Kyle Callan-McFadden | Joma | Volkswagen |
| Waterford | Alan Reynolds | Paul Keegan | Umbro | 21 Bet |
Managerial changes
League table
Results
Matches 1–18
Teams played each other twice.Matches 19–36
Teams will play each other twice.Promotion/relegation playoff
, the ninth-placed team from the Premier Division took part in a two-legged play-off against Finn Harps, the winners of the 2018 First Division play-off, to decide who will play in the 2019 Premier Division.Finn Harps won 3–0 on aggregate and were promoted to 2019 Premier Division. Limerick were relegated to the 2019 First Division.
Season statistics
Scoring
Top scorers
Hat-tricks
| Player | For | Against | Result | Date | Ref |
| | Bohemians | Bray Wanderers | 5–0 | 19 10 2018 | |
| | Cork City | Sligo Rovers | 4–1 | 24 02 2018 | |
| Graham Burke4 | Shamrock Rovers | Derry City | 6-1 | 09 03 2018 | |
| | Derry City | Limerick | 5–0 | 12 03 2018 | |
| | Dundalk | Limerick | 4–0 | 08 06 2018 |
Discipline
Club
- Most yellow cards: 94
- *Sligo Rovers
- Most red cards: 7
- *Waterford
Awards