Dublin and Belfast Inter-City Cup

The Dublin and Belfast Inter-City Cup was an association football competition that ran for eight seasons in Ireland between 1941 and 1949.

Dublin and Belfast Inter-City Cup
Organising bodyIrish Football Association
Football Association of Ireland
Founded1941
Abolished1949
RegionNorthern Ireland Northern Ireland
Republic of Ireland Republic of Ireland
Number of teams12
Most successful club(s)Shamrock Rovers (4 titles)

Each season's competition consisted of six teams from each of the two jurisdictions on the island of Ireland (Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland), and their respective governing bodies (the Irish Football Association and the Football Association of Ireland).

Format edit

Played in knock out format, the matches were played on a two-legged basis. Dalymount Park, Dublin was used as the home venue by all the League of Ireland clubs. For the second round of the competition, the six first round winners were joined by the two best losers. It was an extremely popular competition, adding variety to the restricted war-time football diet and generated much needed and significant revenues to the competing clubs.

List of finals edit

Key:

Trophy was shared.
Two-legged final. Aggregate score across two legs determined the winner; if score was level number of corner kicks determined the winner.


Season Winner
(number of titles)
Score Runner-up Venue
1941–42   Dundalk (1) 1 – 0   Shamrock Rovers Dalymount Park, Dublin
1942–43   Shamrock Rovers (1) 0 – 2   Bohemians Windsor Park, Belfast
2 – 0 (2 – 2 agg.) (19 – 9 corner kicks) Dalymount Park, Dublin
1943–44   Glentoran (1) 3 – 3   Belfast Celtic Windsor Park, Belfast
2 – 1 (5 – 4 agg.) Dalymount Park, Dublin
1944–45   Bohemians (1) 2 – 2   Belfast Celtic Windsor Park, Belfast
1 – 0 (3 – 2 agg.) Dalymount Park, Dublin
1945–46   Shamrock Rovers (2) 3 – 1   Belfast Celtic Windsor Park, Belfast
0 – 1 (3 – 2 agg.) Dalymount Park, Dublin
1946–47   Shamrock Rovers (3) 3 – 1   Drumcondra Dalymount Park, Dublin
1 – 0 (4 – 1 agg.) Windsor Park, Belfast
1947–48   Belfast Celtic (1)
  Distillery (1)
2 – 1[n 1] Solitude, Belfast (1st leg)
1948–49   Shamrock Rovers (4) 3 – 0   Dundalk Dalymount Park, Dublin

Performance by club edit

Club Winners Runners-up Winning Years Runners-up Years
Shamrock Rovers 4 1 1942–43, 1945–46, 1946–47, 1948–49 1941–42
Belfast Celtic 1 (shared) 3 1947–48 (shared) 1943–44, 1944–45, 1945–46
Dundalk 1 1 1941–42 1948–49
Bohemians 1 1 1944–45 1942–43
Glentoran 1 0 1943–44
Distillery 1 (shared) 0 1947–48 (shared)
Drumcondra 0 1 1946–47

Notes edit

  1. ^ The second leg of the final was not played and both teams agreed to share the trophy.

See also edit

External links edit