Irish Cup
The Irish Cup ( German : Irish Cup ) is the football - cup competition in Northern Ireland , organized by the Northern Ireland Football Association IFA . From 1881 until the partition of Ireland in 1921 , it was the cup competition for all teams from the then undivided island as part of the United Kingdom . It is the fourth oldest in the world after the cup competitions of England , Scotland and Wales .
The current title holder (2019) is Crusaders FC .
competition
The cup competition is open to all clubs in Northern Ireland that have been classified as senior clubs or intermediate clubs according to IFA criteria . One of these criteria is, for example, that the club must have its own stadium. Currently (as of 2007) there are a total of 23 senior clubs: in addition to the sixteen clubs with teams in the Irish Premier League , six come from the Intermediate First Division and one club from the Ballymena & Provincial Intermediate League . These only intervene in the competition from the fifth round with 32 teams. There are also nine teams that were able to prevail in the first four rounds. The matches are drawn by lots and played in the knockout system . The final is traditionally played on the first Saturday in May, and Windsor Park in Belfast has been the final stadium since 1996 .
The Irish Cup winner qualifies to participate in the UEFA Cup ; if the cup winner is also the champion, the defeated finalist competes in the UEFA Cup. In addition, the winning team or, if this is qualified via the league, the loser of the final will take part in the All-Ireland Setanta Sports Cup .
History and stories
The first Irish Cup was played in the 1880/81 season. The draw for the first round was on January 10, 1881. The first cup winner was the team from Moyola Park (from County Londonderry ), which defeated the home club 1-0 in the final on April 9, 1881 in Cliftonville, Belfast . The record cup winner is Linfield FC with 42 wins in a total of 62 finals.
Since the introduction of the Irish Football League in 1890/91 - apart from the World War II, in which the league was suspended - teams from the league have almost always won the cup; the three exceptions in which the underdog won the Cup were in 1928, when Willowfield beat Larne; 1955, when Dundela beat Glenavon; and in 1976, when the Carrick Rangers won the final against Linfield.
Although the Irish Cup was the cup competition for the entire undivided Ireland from 1881 to 1921, football was more widespread and popular in the north before the separation than in the south, where Gaelic football or rugby were more popular. Of 41 possible competitions, clubs from the south won only four during this time: the Dublin club Shelbourne was three times cup winners (1906, 1911 and 1920) and Bohemians Dublin won the cup in 1908. The first south club in the final were the Bohemians in 1895; other finalists from the south were the Sherwood Foresters (1897; this was the team of a regiment of the British Army , which was stationed in County Kildare ) and 1901 the Freebooters from Dublin. In 1908 and 1911 Bohemians and Shelbourne faced each other in all-south finals.
Since the first Belfast club won the cup in the second competition in 1881/82 with Queen's Island, the cup has gone 94 times to one of the Northern Irish capital 's clubs in the 127 years. The most successful club in the competition, which does not come from Belfast, is Ballymena United with six Cup victories.
In the early years of the competition, teams from regiments of the British Army stationed in Ireland participated. Three of these teams made it to the finals: in 1890 that of the Gordon Highlanders , in 1892 that of the Black Watch and in 1897 that of the Sherwood Foresters . The Gordon Highlanders were the only military team to win the trophy.
The final was not played three times. In 1912, three of the four semi-finalists (Cliftonville, Glentoran and Shelbourne) withdrew temporarily from the Irish Football Association , making Linfield the only remaining club to be awarded the Cup. In 1920 Shelbourne won without a fight after winning their semi-finals and disqualifying the other two semi-finalists, Belfast Celtic and Glentoran (Celtic supporters had fired shots at Glentoran fans; Glentoran had used an ineligible player). In 1999 Portadown received the cup without a fight after the other finalist Cliftonville had been disqualified for using an unqualified player in a previous round.
In 2001 the Irish Cup final was broadcast live on television for the first time (and every year since).
The FC Shelbourne , Bohemians Dublin and Derry City are the only clubs that both the Irish Cup to and FAI Cup of 1921 founded the Association of the Republic of Ireland have won.
The finals at a glance
| season | venue | winner | Result | finalist | spectator |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880/81 | Cliftonville, Belfast | Moyola Park FC | 1-0 | Cliftonville FC | |
| 1881/82 | Ulster Cricket Ground, Ballynafeigh | Queen's Island FC | 2: 1 | Cliftonville FC | |
| 1882/83 | Bloomfield Ground, Knock | Cliftonville FC | 5-0 | Ulster FC | |
| 1883/84 | Ulster Cricket Ground, Ballynafeigh | Distillery FC | 5-0 | Wellington Park | |
| 1884/85 | Ulster Cricket Ground, Ballynafeigh | Distillery FC | 3-0 | Limavady FC | |
| 1885/86 | Ulster Cricket Ground, Ballynafeigh | Distillery FC | 1-0 | Limavady FC | |
| 1886/87 | Ulster FC | 3-0 | Cliftonville FC | ||
| 1887/88 | Ulster Cricket Ground, Ballynafeigh | Cliftonville FC | 2: 1 | Distillery FC | |
| 1888/89 | Ulster Cricket Ground, Ballynafeigh | Distillery FC | 5: 4 | YMCA | |
| 1889/90 | Ulster Cricket Ground, Ballynafeigh | Gordon Highlanders | 2: 2 3: 1 (WS) |
Cliftonville FC | |
| 1890/91 | Linfield FC | 4: 2 | Ulster FC | ||
| 1891/92 | Linfield FC | 7-0 |
The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) |
||
| 1892/93 | Linfield FC | 5: 1 | Cliftonville FC | ||
| 1893/94 | Distillery FC | 2: 2 3: 2 (WS) |
Linfield FC | ||
| 1894/95 | Linfield FC | 10: 1 | Bohemians Dublin | ||
| 1895/96 | Distillery FC | 3: 1 | Glentoran FC | ||
| 1896/97 | Cliftonville FC | 3: 1 | Sherwood Foresters | ||
| 1897/98 | Linfield FC | 2-0 | St Columb's Hall Celtic | ||
| 1898/99 | Linfield FC | 2: 1 | Glentoran FC | ||
| 1899/00 | Cliftonville FC | 2: 1 | Bohemians Dublin | ||
| 1900/01 | Jones's Road, Dublin | Cliftonville FC | 1-0 | Freebooters | |
| 1901/02 | Linfield FC | 5-0 | Distillery FC | ||
| 1902/03 | Distillery FC | 3: 1 | Bohemians Dublin | ||
| 1903/04 | Linfield FC | 5: 1 | Derry Celtic | ||
| 1904/05 | Solitude, Belfast | Distillery FC | 3-0 | Shelbourne FC | |
| 1905/06 | Dalymount Park , Dublin | Shelbourne FC | 2-0 | Belfast Celtic | |
| 1906/07 | Celtic Park, Belfast Dalymount Park, Dublin |
Cliftonville FC | 0: 0 1: 0 (WS) |
Shelbourne FC | |
| 1907/08 | Dalymount Park, Dublin | Bohemians Dublin | 1: 1 3: 1 (WS) |
Shelbourne FC | |
| 1908/09 | Cliftonville FC | 0: 0 2: 1 (WS) |
Bohemians Dublin | ||
| 1909/10 | Distillery FC | 1-0 | Cliftonville FC | ||
| 1910/11 | Dalymount Park, Dublin | Shelbourne FC | 0: 0 2: 1 (WS) |
Bohemians Dublin | |
| 1911/12 | Linfield FC | (the other three semi-finalists withdrew) | |||
| 1912/13 | Linfield FC | 2-0 | Glentoran FC | ||
| 1913/14 | Glentoran FC | 3: 1 | Linfield FC | ||
| 1914/15 | Linfield FC | 1-0 | Belfast Celtic | ||
| 1915/16 | Linfield FC | 1: 1 1: 0 (WS) |
Glentoran FC | ||
| 1916/17 | Glentoran FC | 2-0 | Belfast Celtic | ||
| 1917/18 | Belfast Celtic | 0: 0 0: 0 (1st WS) 2: 0 (2nd WS) |
Linfield FC | ||
| 1918/19 | Linfield FC | 2: 1 | Glentoran FC | ||
| 1919/20 | Shelbourne FC | (Final not played) | |||
| 1920/21 | Glentoran FC | 2-0 | Glenavon FC | ||
| 1921/22 | Linfield FC | 2-0 | Glenavon FC | ||
| 1922/23 | Linfield FC | 2-0 | Glentoran FC | ||
| 1923/24 | Queen's Island FC | 1-0 | Willowfield FC | ||
| 1924/25 | Distillery | 2: 1 | Glentoran FC | ||
| 1925/26 | Belfast Celtic | 3: 2 | Linfield FC | ||
| 1926/27 | Ards FC | 3: 2 | Cliftonville FC | ||
| 1927/28 | Willowfield FC | 1-0 | Larne FC | ||
| 1928/29 | Ballymena United | 2: 1 | Belfast Celtic | ||
| 1929/30 | Linfield FC | 4: 3 | Ballymena United | ||
| 1930/31 | Linfield FC | 3-0 | Ballymena United | ||
| 1931/32 | Glentoran FC | 2: 1 | Linfield FC | ||
| 1932/33 | Glentoran FC | 3: 1 | Distillery FC | ||
| 1933/34 | Linfield FC | 4-0 | Cliftonville FC | ||
| 1934/35 | Glentoran FC | 0: 0 0: 0 (1st WS) 1: 0 (2nd WS) |
Larne FC | ||
| 1935/36 | Linfield FC | 2-0 | Derry City | ||
| 1936/37 | Belfast Celtic | 3-0 | Linfield FC | ||
| 1937/38 | Solitude , Belfast | Belfast Celtic | 2-0 | Bangor | 10,000 |
| 1938/39 | Solitude, Belfast | Linfield FC | 2-0 | Ballymena United | |
| 1939/40 | Ballymena United | 2-0 | Glenavon FC | ||
| 1940/41 | Belfast Celtic | 1-0 | Linfield FC | ||
| 1941/42 | Linfield FC | 3: 1 | Glentoran FC | ||
| 1942/43 | Belfast Celtic | 1-0 | Glentoran FC | ||
| 1943/44 | Belfast Celtic | 3: 1 | Linfield FC | ||
| 1944/45 | Linfield FC | 4: 2 | Glentoran FC | ||
| 1945/46 | Celtic Park, Belfast | Linfield FC | 3-0 | Distillery FC | 20,137 |
| 1946/47 | Windsor Park , Belfast | Belfast Celtic | 1-0 | Glentoran FC | 25,000 |
| 1947/48 | Celtic Park, Belfast | Linfield FC | 3-0 | Coleraine FC | 31,000 |
| 1948/49 | Windsor Park, Belfast | Derry City | 1-0 | Glentoran FC | 27,000 |
| 1949/50 | Windsor Park, Belfast | Linfield FC | 2: 1 | Distillery FC | 17,000 |
| 1950/51 | Windsor Park, Belfast | Glentoran FC | 3: 1 | Ballymena United | 25,000 |
| 1951/52 | Windsor Park, Belfast | Ards FC | 1-0 | Glentoran FC | 20,000 |
| 1952/53 | Solitude, Belfast | Linfield FC | 5-0 | Coleraine FC | 21,000 |
| 1953/54 | Windsor Park, Belfast | Derry City | 2: 2 0: 0 (1st WS) 1: 0 (2nd WS) |
Glentoran FC | 35,000 28,000 28,000 |
| 1954/55 | Windsor Park, Belfast | Dundela FC | 3-0 | Glenavon FC | 10,000 |
| 1955/56 | Windsor Park, Belfast | Distillery FC | 2: 2 0: 0 (1st WS) 1: 0 (2nd WS) |
Glentoran FC |
20,000 |
| 1956/57 | Windsor Park, Belfast | Glenavon FC | 2-0 | Derry City | 23,000 |
| 1957/58 | The Oval , Belfast | Ballymena United | 2-0 | Linfield FC | 24,000 |
| 1958/59 | Windsor Park, Belfast | Glenavon FC | 1: 1 2: 0 (WS) |
Ballymena United | 18,000 |
| 1959/60 | The Oval, Belfast | Linfield FC | 5: 1 | Ards FC | 20,000 |
| 1960/61 | Solitude, Belfast | Glenavon FC | 5: 1 | Linfield FC | 22,000 |
| 1961/62 | The Oval, Belfast | Linfield FC | 4-0 | Portadown FC | 20,000 |
| 1962/63 | The Oval, Belfast | Linfield FC | 2: 1 | Distillery FC | 20,000 |
| 1963/64 | Windsor Park, Belfast | Derry City | 2-0 | Glentoran FC | 19,000 |
| 1964/65 | Windsor Park, Belfast | Coleraine FC | 2: 1 | Glenavon FC | 18,000 |
| 1965/66 | The Oval, Belfast | Glentoran FC | 2-0 | Linfield FC | 20,000 |
| 1966/67 | Windsor Park, Belfast | Crusaders FC | 3: 1 | Glentoran FC | 20,000 |
| 1967/68 | The Oval, Belfast | Crusaders FC | 2-0 | Linfield FC | 18,000 |
| 1968/69 | Windsor Park, Belfast | Ards FC | 0: 0 4: 2 (WS) |
Distillery FC |
8,000 |
| 1969/70 | Solitude, Belfast | Linfield FC | 2: 1 | Ballymena United | 12,000 |
| 1970/71 | Windsor Park, Belfast | Distillery FC | 3-0 | Derry City | 6,000 |
| 1971/72 | Windsor Park, Belfast | Coleraine FC | 2: 1 | Portadown FC | 8,000 |
| 1972/73 | Windsor Park, Belfast | Glentoran FC | 3: 2 | Linfield FC | 12,000 |
| 1973/74 | Windsor Park, Belfast | Ards FC | 2: 1 | Ballymena United | 7,000 |
| 1974/75 |
The Showgrounds, Ballymena |
Coleraine FC | 1: 1 0: 0 (1st WS) 1: 0 (2nd WS) |
Linfield FC |
5,200 |
| 1975/76 | The Oval, Belfast | Carrick Rangers FC | 2: 1 | Linfield FC | 9,500 |
| 1976/77 | The Oval, Belfast | Coleraine FC | 4: 1 | Linfield FC | 10,000 |
| 1977/78 | The Oval, Belfast | Linfield FC | 3: 1 | Ballymena United | 12,000 |
| 1978/79 | Windsor Park, Belfast | Cliftonville FC | 3: 2 | Portadown FC | 15,000 |
| 1979/80 | The Oval, Belfast | Linfield FC | 2-0 | Crusaders FC | 12,000 |
| 1980/81 | Windsor Park, Belfast | Ballymena United | 1-0 | Glenavon FC | 6,000 |
| 1981/82 | The Oval, Belfast | Linfield FC | 2: 1 | Coleraine FC | 12,000 |
| 1982/83 | Windsor Park, Belfast The Oval, Belfast |
Glentoran FC | 1: 1 2: 1 (WS) |
Linfield FC | 12,000 8,000 |
| 1983/84 | Windsor Park, Belfast | Ballymena United | 4: 1 | Carrick Rangers | 5,000 |
| 1984/85 | The Oval, Belfast Windsor Park, Belfast |
Glentoran FC | 1: 1 1: 0 (WS) |
Linfield FC | 12,000 12,000 |
| 1985/86 | Windsor Park, Belfast | Glentoran FC | 4: 1 | Coleraine FC | 8,000 |
| 1986/87 | Windsor Park, Belfast | Glentoran FC | 1-0 | Larne FC | 8,000 |
| 1987/88 | Windsor Park, Belfast | Glentoran FC | 1-0 | Glenavon FC | 10,000 |
| 1988/89 | The Oval, Belfast | Ballymena United | 1-0 | Larne | 5,000 |
| 1989/90 | Windsor Park, Belfast | Glentoran FC | 3-0 | Portadown FC | 12,000 |
| 1990/91 | Windsor Park, Belfast | Portadown FC | 2: 1 | Glenavon FC | 12,000 |
| 1991/92 | The Oval, Belfast | Glenavon FC | 2: 1 | Linfield FC | 12,000 |
| 1992/93 | Windsor Park, Belfast | Bangor FC | 1: 1 n v. 1: 1 . N V. (1 WS) 1: 0 . N V. (2nd WS) |
Ards FC | 8,500 6,000 5,000 |
| 1993/94 | The Oval, Belfast | Linfield FC | 2-0 | Bangor FC | 10,000 |
| 1994/95 | The Oval, Belfast | Linfield FC | 3: 1 | Carrick Rangers | 6,800 |
| 1995/96 | Windsor Park, Belfast | Glentoran FC | 1-0 | Glenavon FC | 10,000 |
| 1996/97 | Windsor Park, Belfast | Glenavon FC | 1-0 | Cliftonville FC | 8.222 |
| 1997/98 | Windsor Park, Belfast | Glentoran FC | 1: 0 a.d. | Glenavon FC | 8,250 |
| 1998/99 | Windsor Park, Belfast | Portadown FC | without a fight | Cliftonville FC (disqualified) | - |
| 1999/00 | Windsor Park, Belfast | Glentoran FC | 1-0 | Portadown FC | 8,355 |
| 2000/01 | Windsor Park, Belfast | Glentoran FC | 1: 0 a.d. | Linfield FC | 14,190 |
| 2001/02 | Windsor Park, Belfast | Linfield FC | 2: 1 | Portadown FC | 11,129 |
| 2002/03 | Windsor Park, Belfast | Coleraine FC | 1-0 | Glentoran FC | 9,000 |
| 2003/04 | Windsor Park, Belfast | Glentoran FC | 1-0 | Coleraine FC | 8,300 |
| 2004/05 | Windsor Park, Belfast | Portadown FC | 5: 1 | Larne FC | 5,431 |
| 2005/06 | Windsor Park, Belfast | Linfield FC | 2: 1 | Glentoran FC | 12,500 |
| 2006/07 | Windsor Park, Belfast | Linfield FC | 2: 2 n.V . ; 3: 2 i. E. | Dungannon Swifts | 7,600 |
| 2007/08 | Windsor Park, Belfast | Linfield FC | 2: 1 | Coleraine FC | 8,452 |
| 2008/09 | Windsor Park, Belfast | Crusaders FC | 1-0 | Cliftonville FC | 8,000 |
| 2009/10 | Windsor Park, Belfast | Linfield FC | 2: 1 | Portadown FC | 7,940 |
| 2010/11 | Windsor Park, Belfast | Linfield FC | 2: 1 | Crusaders FC | 8,200 |
| 2011/12 | Windsor Park, Belfast | Linfield FC | 4: 1 | Crusaders FC | 7,325 |
| 2012/13 | Windsor Park, Belfast | Glentoran FC | 3: 1 | Cliftonville FC | 9,500 |
| 2013/14 | Windsor Park, Belfast | Glenavon FC | 2: 1 | Ballymena United | 7,282 |
| 2014/15 | The Oval, Belfast | Glentoran FC | 1-0 | Portadown FC | 8,072 |
| 2015/16 | Windsor Park, Belfast | Glenavon FC | 2-0 | Linfield FC | 11,500 |
| 2016/17 | Windsor Park, Belfast | Linfield FC | 3-0 | Coleraine FC | 12,551 |
| 2017/18 | Windsor Park, Belfast | Coleraine FC | 3: 1 | Cliftonville FC | 12,012 |
| 2018/19 | Windsor Park, Belfast | Crusaders FC | 3-0 | Ballinamallard United | 5,744 |
Ranking list of winners
| society | Victories | Year (s) |
|---|---|---|
| Linfield FC | 43 | 1891, 1892, 1893, 1895, 1898, 1899, 1902, 1904, 1912, 1913, 1915, 1916, 1919, 1922, 1923, 1930, 1931, 1934, 1936, 1939, 1942, 1945, 1946, 1948, 1950, 1953, 1960, 1962, 1963, 1970, 1978, 1980, 1982, 1994, 1995, 2002, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2017 |
| Glentoran FC | 22nd | 1914, 1917, 1921, 1932, 1933, 1935, 1951, 1966, 1973, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2013, 2015 |
| Lisburn Distillery | 12 | 1884, 1885, 1886, 1889, 1894, 1896, 1903, 1905, 1910, 1925, 1956, 1971 |
| Cliftonville FC | 8th | 1883, 1888, 1897, 1900, 1901, 1907, 1909, 1979 |
| Belfast Celtic | 8th | 1918, 1926, 1937, 1938, 1941, 1943, 1944, 1947 |
| Glenavon FC | 7th | 1957, 1959, 1961, 1992, 1997, 2014, 2016 |
| Coleraine FC | 6th | 1965, 1972, 1975, 1977, 2003, 2018 |
| Ballymena United | 5 | 1940, 1958, 1981, 1984, 1989 |
| Ards FC | 4th | 1927, 1952, 1969, 1974 |
| Crusaders FC | 4th | 1967, 1968, 2009, 2019 |
| Portadown FC | 3 | 1991, 1999, 2005 |
| Derry City | 3 | 1949, 1954, 1964 |
| Shelbourne FC | 3 | 1906, 1911, 1920 |
| Queen's Island FC | 2 | 1882, 1924 |
| Bohemians Dublin | 1 | 1908 |
| Ballymena FC | 1 | 1929 |
| Bangor FC | 1 | 1993 |
| Carrick Rangers | 1 | 1976 |
| Ulster FC | 1 | 1887 |
| Willowfield FC | 1 | 1928 |
| Dundela FC | 1 | 1955 |
| Gordon Highlanders | 1 | 1890 |
| Moyola Park FC | 1 | 1981 |
Web links
- Site of the Northern Irish Football Association
- Pairings and results at the Irish Football Club Project (currently from 1976)
Albania | Andorra | Armenia | Azerbaijan | Belgium | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Bulgaria | Denmark | Germany | England | Estonia | Faroe Islands | Finland | France | Georgia | Gibraltar | Greece | Ireland | Iceland | Israel | Italy | Kazakhstan | Kosovo | Croatia | Latvia | Liechtenstein | Lithuania | Luxembourg | Malta | Moldova | Montenegro | Netherlands | Northern Ireland | North Macedonia | Norway | Austria | Poland | Portugal | Romania | Russia | San Marino | Scotland | Sweden | Switzerland | Serbia | Slovakia | Slovenia | Spain | Czech Republic | Turkey | Ukraine | Hungary | Wales | Belarus | Cyprus
Non-UEFA members: Monaco | Northern Cyprus | Vatican
Former: GDR | Yugoslavia / BR Yugoslavia / Serbia & Montenegro | Soviet Union | Czechoslovakia