The Leinster Senior Cup is an association football cup competition organized by the Leinster Football Association. It is currently contested by LFA affiliated League of Ireland clubs, Leinster Senior League Senior Division clubs and invited teams from the various LFA affiliated junior leagues. Before the introduction of the FAI Cup, it was considered the major cup competition for clubs in what is now the Republic of Ireland. It is also the oldest association football cup competition in the Republic of Ireland.
| Organising body | Leinster Football Association |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1892 |
| Region |  Leinster |
| Current champions | St Patrick's Athletic (10 titles) |
| Most successful club(s) | Bohemians (33 titles) |
| Website | http://www.leinsterfa.ie/ |
 2024–25 Leinster Senior Cup | |
History
editEarly years
editAfter the Leinster Football Association was founded in 1892 it began organizing its own cup competition. The Leinster Senior Cup was first played for in 1892–93. The inaugural final saw Leinster Nomads defeat Dublin University 2–1.[1] After the inaugural win by Nomads, Bohemians and Shelbourne monopolised the cup for the next twenty-four years.[2] For most of this era Bohemians and Shelbourne were members of the Irish Football League.[3]
Olympia's Leinster Double
editAfter Leinster Nomads, Bohemians and Shelbourne, Olympia became the fourth team to win the Leinster Senior Cup. In 1917–18, with team that included Jack McCarthy and Fran Watters, Olympia won both the Leinster Junior Cup and Leinster Senior Cup. In doing so they also caused one of the biggest upsets in the history of Leinster football. After winning the Leinster Junior Cup, they qualified for the Leinster Senior Cup. After receiving a bye in the first round, Olympia beat St James's Gate in the semi-final. In the final they defeated Shelbourne 1–0 with a goal scored by Fran Watters. According to Peter Byrne this also resulted in a popular giant killing chat – "Remember Olympia once beat Shels".[4][2] Olympia effectively ended the Bohemians/Shelbourne monopoly and in subsequent seasons the cup was won by Leinster Senior League clubs such as St James's Gate and Dublin United.
Non-League of Ireland successes
editFollowing the introduction of the League of Ireland in 1921–22, League of Ireland clubs have dominated the competition. However non-League of Ireland clubs, mainly from the Leinster Senior League, have enjoyed some successes. Brideville in 1924–25, Distillery in 1941–42 and St Patrick's Athletic in 1947–48 were all winners. Brideville were losing finalists in 1923–24 as were Glasnevin in 1924–25, Grangegorman in 1946–47, Transport in 1947–48, St Patrick's Athletic in 1950–51 and Longford Town in 1954–55.[5] In the 1946–47 final Mick O'Flanagan scored six goals for Bohemians as they defeated Grangegorman 11–0.[6] Home Farm were winners in 1964–65 after defeating Dundalk 2–1 in the final on 26 December 1964 at Dalymount Park. Home Farm, Distillery in 1941–42 and Wayside Celtic in 1998–99 are the only non-League of Ireland clubs to defeat a League of Ireland club in the final. In more recent times St Francis, Cherry Orchard and St. Patrick's C.Y.F.C. have also been finalists.[5]
Decline and revival
editThe 2000–01 competition suffered with fixture rows and was eventually abandoned after the quarter-final draw was made due to the 2001 foot-and-mouth outbreak.[7] The cup was not played again until 2010.[8] The competition was played yearly until the Covid-19 pandemic halted sporting contests in 2020 in Ireland. The Leinster Senior cup returned for the 2023 season, with Bohemians winning a record 33rd title.
List of Leinster Senior Cup finals
edit- Notes
- ^ After 2–2 draw
- ^ After 1–1 draw
- ^ Not the current Dundalk club.
- ^ After 0–0 draw
- ^ After two 0–0 draws
- ^ After 0–0 draw
- ^ After 0–0 and 1–1 draws
- ^ After 2–2 draw
- ^ After 2–2 draw
- ^ After 0–0 draw
- ^ After 0–0 draw
- ^ After 1–1 draw
- ^ After 1–1 draw
- ^ After 0–0 draw
- ^ After 1–1 draw
- ^ After 1–1 draw
- ^ After 1–1 draw
- ^ After 0–0 draw
- ^ UCD won 5–4 on penalties
- ^ No competition between 2001 and 2009
- ^ Shelbourne won 6–5 on penalties
- ^ Competition abandoned due to COVID-19 pandemic from 2020-2022
Performance by club
edit| Club | Winners | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|
| Bohemians | 33 | 16 |
| Shelbourne | 21 | 15 |
| Shamrock Rovers | 19 | 12 |
| Drumcondra | 11 | 4 |
| St Patrick's Athletic | 10 | 8 |
| Dundalk | 8 | 13 |
| St. James' Gate | 5 | 5 |
| Athlone Town | 3 | 5 |
| UCD | 3 | 2 |
| Brideville | 1 | 1 |
| Wayside Celtic | 1 | 0 |
| Bray Wanderers | 0 | 3 |
| Dundalk[note 1] | 0 | 1 |
| Longford Town | 0 | 1 |
| Wexford Youths | 0 | 1 |
| Usher Celtic | 0 | 1 |
| St Mochta's | 0 | 1 |
- Notes
Performance by city/town
edit| City/town | Winners | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|
| Dublin | 104 | 65 |
| Dundalk | 8 | 14 |
| Athlone | 3 | 5 |
| Longford | 0 | 1 |
| Wexford | 0 | 1 |
References
edit- ^ Byrne, Peter (1996). Football Association of Ireland: 75 years. Dublin: Sportsworld. ISBN 1-900110-06-7.
- ^ a b Byrne, Peter (2012). Green Is The Colour: The Story of Irish Football. Andre Deutsch.
- ^ "Northern Ireland - Final League Tables 1890-1998". RSSSF. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
- ^ David Needham: Ireland's First Real World Cup -The Story of the 1924 Ireland Olympic Football Team (2012, The Manuscript Publisher) ISBN 978-0-9571157-2-9
- ^ a b c "Stat Attack - LSC Final:Leinster Senior Cup History". www.shamrockrovers.ie. 3 September 2012. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
- ^ "Obituary: Mick O'Flanagan Irish rugby and football international". www.independent.ie. 20 September 2015. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
- ^ a b "The Abandoned Leinster Senior Cup, One Season Wonders and more". League of Ireland History @ wordpress.com. 6 February 2015. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
- ^ "Leinster Senior Cup makes a return". www.herald.ie. 30 November 2009. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
- ^ a b c d Lynch, Frank (1991). A History of Athlone Town F.C: The First 101 Years. Athlone: Arcadia.
- ^ "Shelbourne win Leinster Senior Cup 2010". extratime.ie. 2 August 2010. Archived from the original on 25 June 2016. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
- ^ "Bohemians 0–2 St. Patrick's Athletic". extratime.ie. 11 October 2011. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
- ^ "Shamrock Rovers win Leinster Senior Cup". extratime.ie. 3 September 2012. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
- ^ "Shamrock Rovers claim third Cup victory of 2013". extratime.ie. 20 October 2013. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
- ^ "Longford Town 1-2 St Patrick's Athletic: Saints lift Leinster Senior Cup". www.goal.com. 9 September 2014. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
- ^ "Leinster Senior Cup Final Report: Dundalk 3-1 Shamrock Rovers". extratime.ie. 26 October 2015. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
- ^ Newstalk
- ^ ExtraTime.ie
- ^ the42.ie
- ^ "Leinster Senior Cup Final Report: St Patrick's Athletic 4 - 0 Athlone Town".
- ^ https://www.extratime.com/articles/31947/bohemians-secure-leinster-senior-cup-crown-win-over-usher-celtic/
- ^ Team, Extratime. "St Patrick's Athletic crowned Leinster Senior Cup winners". extratime.com.
Further reading
edit- Joe Dodd, George Briggs (1992). 100 Years of L.F.A: Leinster Football Association Centenary Yearbook.