Limericks, leprechauns and the Blarney Stone are some of the most commonly recognized images from the Emerald Isle.

Jeff Dowling hopes to add indoor lacrosse to that notable list when he makes his first visit to Ireland as head coach of the country’s national team at the 2011 world championships.

"Why I wanted to get involved is to help the country grow the sport," said Dowling, an Ancaster resident. Dowling was asked to coach the Irish national team by former head coach Paul Stewart. Stewart and Dowling were road roommates when Gowling worked as director of player personnel for the New York Titans of the National Lacrosse League.

Ireland made its first appearance at the world championships in 2007, posting a winless record and finishing last among eight teams. Dowling hopes to strengthen the fledgling roots of Irish lacrosse by helping the country win its first ever game in international competition next May.

Dowling started playing lacrosse at age five, following in the footsteps of his father, Ed, a former Canadian Junior A champion with the Brampton Excelsiors.

At age 18, in 1985, Dowling got his first coaching gig with a newly-formed Mississauga Peewee team. "We took kids who had never played before and we won an Ontario D championship," he said.

Dowling also helped the New York Titans field a competitive squad when the expansion team entered the NLL for its inaugural season in 2007.

"I was part of that with the New York Titans," said Dowling. "I really enjoyed that idea of taking a team and trying to mould it."

Dowling’s next job is establishing a 23-man roster that will represent Ireland in next May’s world indoor championships, held in the Czech Republic. Dowling expects to see about 100 hopefuls vying to make the team, including Irish nationals and North American players with Irish parentage.

"The number of people who are playing is minimal," said Dowling, who estimates there are currently about 100 lacrosse players in Ireland.

The 2011 world championships will expand from eight to 12 teams, bringing other lacrosse newcomers into the frey. In 2007, the Irish team was thoroughly outclassed by the world champion Canadians, who easily won by a 26-1 score. Despite failing to win a game that year, the Irish team played a close game versus fellow lacrosse minnow Australia.

Dowling, who has Irish ancestry, hopes other Irish Canadians will try out for the 2011 national team. In 2007, the team used two Canadian goalies.

Dowling has held various professional roles in the NLL since 2002, including head coaching stints in San Jose and Calgary, plus assistant coaching jobs in Calgary, Anaheim, Columbus and Buffalo.

After a one-week training camp in October, Dowling will return home and monitor his team from a distance through online correspondence.

"I’ll be giving them a lot of homework to do for eight months," said Dowling.

Dowling expects his players to study the game and maintain their physical conditioning during those eight long months. He hopes his players will take the time to watch some NLL games online as well.

"In 2007, size-wise they were fine," said Dowling. "Their stick skills, their understanding and reaction were not as good as some of the other countries.

Back home in Ancaster, Dowling coaches his son, Jaden’s Hamilton Bengals novice team, as well as his daughter Miranda’s Bantom girls team. Daughter Kyla, 9 and wife Gail round out the Dowling household.

Dowling is looking forward to making his first-ever trip to the Emerald Isle this fall. He hopes for an even more memorable trip to the Czech Republic next spring, when team Ireland competes for its first ever international victory.

In the meantime, Dowling is a contributing writer for NLL Insider, the official news magazine of the National Lacrosse League. When it comes to his future in coaching, Dowling believes he still has a lot to offer a potential NLL suitor, if the right opportunity comes around.

"If an opportunity came up to get back into the pro league, I’d definitely take a look at it," he said.

Jeff Dowling and son Jaden, 9, are both avid lacrosse enthusiasts. Jeff will coach the Irish national team next year at the 2011 World Indoor Lacrosse Championships.