| Competition: | League of Ireland |
| Season: | 1948–49 |
| Winners: | Drumcondra (2nd title) |
| League Topscorer: | Bernard Lester Eugene Noonan Patrick O'Leary (12 goals each) |
| Biggest Home Win: | Waterford 5–0 Transport |
| Biggest Away Win: | Bohemians 0–6 Shelbourne |
| Highest Scoring: | Transport 6–2 Limerick Transport 2–6 Cork Athletic |
| Matches: | 90 |
| Total Goals: | 332 |
| Prevseason: | 1947–48 |
| Nextseason: | 1949–50 |
The 1948–49 League of Ireland was the 28th season of senior football in the Republic of Ireland.
Drumcondra were the defending champions.
Two new teams were elected to the League: Sligo Rovers returned after an eight-year absence, while Transport made their début. This resulted in an expansion in size for the first time in six seasons, from eight to ten.
For the first time in the history of the League, there were more teams from outside Dublin (six) than from Dublin (four).
Cork United resigned from the League on 10 October 1948 and disbanded following their participation in the Dublin City Cup. Cork Athletic were founded with a new board and elected in their place.[1]
Drumcondra successfully defended their title.
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bernard Lester | Transport | 12 |
| Eugene Noonan | Waterford | ||
| Patrick O'Leary | Cork Athletic | ||
| 4 | Brendan Carroll | Shelbourne | 10 |
| George Sergeant | Sligo Rovers | ||
| 6 | Kit Lawlor | Drumcondra | 9 |
| Paddy Mullen | Shamrock Rovers | ||
| 8 | Emmet McLoughlin | Bohemians | 8 |
| Gerry Malone | Shelbourne | ||
| Peadar Walsh | Dundalk | ||