Final Standings

Playoff Results

Regular Season Results

Note: 2 Pts Win, 1 Pts Tie, 0 Loss

Report

The 2005 IAFL season featured the same 6 teams as in 2004.

The Belfast Bulls showed how far they had come in such a short time, going 7-1 to claim the league title, ahead of the Dublin Rebels & Carrickfergus Knights on 5-2-1. Joining them in the playoffs were the Cork Admirals, who finished ahead of the much improved UL Vikings on tie-breaker after both teams had finished 3-5. Dublin Dragons propped up the table, losing all 8 matches.

Belfast Bulls won through to the Shamrock Bowl with a relatively easy win over the Cork Admirals, while the other Semi_Final was a thriller yet again between the Carrickfergus Knights and Dublin Rebels, with the Rebels winning 26-20.

The Shamrock Bowl itself was to prove a case of experience over youth, with the Rebels coming out on top 26-19 in another thriller against the Belfast Bulls.

References

Websites

[1] Irish American Football Association (2003) IAFL Logo [Internet] Available from: http://americanfootball.ie/iafl/images/logo.gif [Accessed 11 December 2017]

[2] Irish American Football Association (2005) 2005 LEAGUE TABLE, FIXTURES & RESULTS [Internet] Available from: http://www.americanfootball.ie/iafl/2005results.htm [Accessed 24 September 2016]

[3] Irish American Football Association (2018) Shamrock Bowl History [Internet] Available from: http://www.americanfootball.ie/american-football/shamrock-bowl-history/ [Accessed 16 April 2018]

Images

[3] American Football Ireland Facebook (2020) Photo, May 6, 2020: Shamrock Bowl XIX Logo “This weeks Shamrock Bowl throwback will be the 2005 nail bitter between the Dublin Rebels and the Belfast Bulls which was played at Deramore Park in Belfast. “ [Internet] Available from: https://scontent-dub4-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/96526942_3230254000341811_5182193439252414464_n.png?_nc_cat=105&_nc_sid=8024bb&_nc_ohc=QytfUYiPaiIAX8thM08&_nc_ht=scontent-dub4-1.xx&oh=f1db650dec2092d9b34a6bdb496cbea8&oe=5EE26B90 [Accessed 15 May 2020]

Videos

[4] You Tube Belfast Harlequins RFC Channel (2020) Shamrock Bowl XIX [Internet] Available from: https://youtu.be/98mJ8kptN_c [Accessed 31 January 2021]

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Cillian Smith, Michael Smith and Ralph Schmeer of the Irish American Football Association and Irish American Football Officials Association, and Sean Douglas, Dublin Rebels.

About this document

Researched, compiled and written by Enda Mulcahy for the

Eirball | Irish North American and World Sports Archive

Last Updated: 15 May 2020

(c) Copyright Enda Mulcahy and Eirball 2020

You may quote this document in part provided that proper acknowledgement is given to the authors. All Rights Resereved.

League Table

[2]

Playoff Results

[2]

Regular Season Results

[2]

5 Pts Win / 4 Pts Tie / 3 Loss / 0 Pts Forfeit #

Report

The 2004 IAFL season featured 6 teams as Divisions 1 & 2 from 2003 were merged into one 11-man League, with Belfast Bulls & UL Vikings making the step up from the 8-man Division 2, and only Craigavon Cowboys remaining as an 8-man team with 2nds teams.

Dublin Rebels and Carrickfergus Knights again proved the top teams, losing only to each other as the Rebels finished on 7-1 and the Knights on 6-1-1. Joining them in the playoffs were the Belfast Bulls, with an impressive 4-3-1 record in their first season in this level, and the Dublin Dragons who finished ahead of Cork Admirals on a tie-breaker, both teams finishing 3-5. UL Vikings struggled and finished bottom, losing all 8 matches.

The Semi-Finals finished with predictable wins for the Dublin Rebels (38-12 against Dublin Dragons) and Carrickfergus Knights (23-0 over Belfast Bulls), and Shamrock Bowl XVIII proved a thriller, with the Rebels edging the contest 24-22 in a see-saw battle, which was the closest margin of victory since the Dublin Celts beat the Antrim Bulldogs 7-6 in 1989.

References

Websites

[1] Irish American Football Association (2003) IAFL Logo [Internet] Available from: http://americanfootball.ie/iafl/images/logo.gif [Accessed 11 December 2017]

[2] Irish American Football Association (2004) 2004 LEAGUE TABLE, FIXTURES & RESULTS [Internet] Available from: http://www.americanfootball.ie/iafl/2004results.htm [Accessed 24 September 2016]

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Cillian Smith, Michael Smith and Ralph Schmeer of the Irish American Football Association and Irish American Football Officials Association, and Sean Douglas, Dublin Rebels.

About this document

Researched, compiled and written by Enda Mulcahy for the

Eirball | Irish North American and World Sports Archive

Last Updated: 4 March 2019

(c) Copyright Enda Mulcahy and Eirball 2019

You may quote this document in part provided that proper acknowledgement is given to the authors. All Rights Resereved.

League Table

[3][4]

Playoff Results

[3][4]

Regular Season Results Division 1

[3][4]

Report

The IAFL season of 2003 followed the same format of the previous season, with a four-team 11-man IAFL Division 1, with the other three teams and 2nds teams of Division 1 teams playing in an 8-man Division 2.

Cork Admirals made the step up to Division 1 from Division 2 in 2002, and the UL Vikings made the decision to drop down to Division 2 to rebuild following their end of season collapse the previous season after their American students had gone home at the end of term.

Cork Admirals qualified for the playoffs by virtue of a win over the Dragons in an 8-man match which was played when the Dragons couldn’t field the full 11 players for their trip to Cork. The Admirals were no match for the Rebels in the Semi-Finals, losing 56-8.

Dublin Rebels and Carrickfergus Knights again dominated proceedings as in 2001, with the Rebels reclaiming the Shamrock Bowl following 2002’s disappointments. The Shamrock Bowl finished 24-12 to the Rebels against the Knights.

This was the Rebels second Shamrock Bowl victory.

References

_____________________________________________________________________________

Websites

[1] Irish American Football Association (2003) IAFL Logo [Internet] Available from: http://americanfootball.ie/iafl/images/logo.gif [Accessed 11 December 2017]

[2] Irish American Football Association (2003) Shamrock Bowl XVII Logo [Internet] Available from: http://www.americanfootball.ie/iafl/Shamrockbowllogo.jpg [Accessed 11 December 2017]

[3] Irish American Football Association (2003) 2003 Results [Internet] Available from: http://www.americanfootball.ie/iafl/2003results.htm [Accessed 24 September 2016]

Internet Archive

[4] Irish American Football Association (2003) 2003 Results [Internet] Available from: http://web.archive.org/web/20170817073618/http://www.americanfootball.ie/iafl/2003results.htm [Accessed 18 April 2018]

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Cillian Smith, Michael Smith and Ralph Schmeer of the Irish American Football Association and Irish American Football Officials Association, and Sean Douglas, Dublin Rebels.

About this document

Researched, compiled and written by Enda Mulcahy for the

Eirball | Irish North American and World Sports Archive

Last Updated: 4 March 2019

(c) Copyright Enda Mulcahy and Eirball 2019

You may quote this document in part provided that proper acknowledgement is given to the authors. All Rights Resereved.

League Table

[2][3]

Playoff Results

[2][3]

Regular Season Results

[3]

2 Pts Win / 1 Pt Tie / 0 Pts Loss / x – Qualify for Shamrock Bowl

Report

The 2002 IAFL season featured the same four teams as in 2001 in Division 1, with newer teams playing in a DV8 8-man League.

The Dublin Rebels, winners of the previous Shamrock Bowl, lost their opening match in a shock win for the Dublin Dragons, and this set the scene for the rest of their season, finally getting one win in their last match with the Dragons.

The UL Vikings relied on American students for most of the season, but after they went home following the end of term, they struggled, forfeiting their last match of the season, and then getting trounced in the Shamrock Bowl, losing 66-0 to the Carrickfergus Knights, deserving winners of their third Shamrock Bowl.

References

Websites

[1] Irish American Football (2016) IAFA Logo [Internet] Available from: http://www.luckyshow.org/football/pics/IAFA.jpg [Accessed 5 June 2017]

[2] Irish American Football Association (2002) 2002 IAFL Standings/Schedule [Internet] Available from: http://www.americanfootball.ie/iafl-standings/2002-iafl-standingsschedule/ [Accessed 24 March 2014]

Internet Archive

[3] Belfast Bulls (2002) Welcome to the site of the Belfast Bulls [Internet] Available from: http://web.archive.org/web/20020801235005/http://www.belfastbulls.com [Accessed 8 October 2017]

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Cillian Smith, Michael Smith and Ralph Schmeer of the Irish American Football Association and Irish American Football Officials Association, and Sean Douglas, Dublin Rebels.

About this document

Researched, compiled and written by Enda Mulcahy for the

Eirball | Irish North American and World Sports Archive

Last Updated: 4 March 2019

(c) Copyright Enda Mulcahy and Eirball 2019

You may quote this document in part provided that proper acknowledgement is given to the authors. All Rights Reserved.

League Table

Reference: [2]

Playoff Results

Reference: [2][3]

Regular Season Results

2Pts Win / 1 Pt Tie / 0 Pts Loss / x – Qualify for Shamrock Bowl

Shamrock Bowl XV

Carrickfergus Knights 7 Dublin Rebels 28 – The Carrickfergus Knights were appearing in their sixth Shamrock Bowl in seven seasons, and the Rebels, a merger of the Greystones Rebels and Dublin Tigers, were appearing in their first, although many, including Brian Dennehy saw Shamrock Bowl action in 1998 and 1999 for the Tigers.

The teams were evenly matched throughout the season, both finishing on 5-1 Won-Loss Records, with the Rebels giving up Home Field Advantage with a loss on the final day of the regular season to the Knights. The Shamrock Bowl, however, was to be a Rebel victory, as Running Back Brian Dennehy scored with a 90-yard Kickoff Return from the first whistle, and then ran in the two-point conversion. Carrickfergus didn’t get a hand on him until the one-yard line and never recovered.

Rebels Quarterback Paddy Blood played the game of his life, returning from injury. With the Dublin defense winning the ball back, he drove the offense the length of the field, sweeping behind the offensive line, and finishing with a 20-yard Touchdown pass to Paraic Reddington.

The Knights recovered their composure momemtarily, as they recovered the ball from a blocked punt and Quarterback Stephen McDowell drove to the 10-yard line, where he connected on an out pattern to Wide Receiver Ron Smyth to bring them back to within one touchdown. The Extra-Point Kick was successful, making the score 14-7.

That was as close as the Knights would get for the rest of the afternoon, as the momentum was still with the Rebels. They scored again just before halftime on a half back option, as Dennehy connected with Wide Receiver Brian Martin for a 30-yard touchdown. Paddy Blood then hooked up with Dennehy for the two-point conversion.

Both teams stepped up on defense, as the Rebels hung on, comfortable and composed but not complacent. Michael Finucane and Steve Porteous were punishing Carrickfergus from the Defensive Line, and the Knights defense, playing tight as a unit, managed to halt the Rebels offense.

The Knights decided to switch to an aerial attack for the remainder of the game in the third quarter, and completed passes to Smyth and Paul McKillop. Two goal-line stands by the Rebels, with Free Safety Marcus Naylor making a crucial acrobatic tackle kept the Knights out in what was a nail-biting time for the Rebels.

The game was sealed late in the third quarter as Dennehy kept the ball for most of a 70-yard drive that culminated in him seeping in from two-yards out, making the score 28-7. That was the way the score stayed throughout the fourth quarter, as the Rebels celebrated their first Shamrock Bowl win, in a game which bode well for the future of Irish American Football, in its first season since 1999, and with a new Spring League just around the corner in 2002.

Season Report

After a break of over a year, the Irish American Football League was restarted under new administration, led by brothers Cillian and Michael Smith. There were four teams in the League, and the Dublin Rebels, a merger of the Greystones Rebels, and 1999 Shamrock Bowl Champions the Dublin Tigers, won their first Shamrock Bowl, defeating the Carrickfergus Knights 28-7 in the finale. New teams the Dublin Dragons, an offshoot of the Dublin Gladiators Flag Football team, and the University of Limerick Vikings, who had started as a Flag Football team in 1999 rounded out the four-team League.

Team Changes and League Structure and Organisation

The Irish american Football Association was set up in 2001, under the leadership of Cillian Smith, formerly of the Dublin Lightning, and his brother, Official Michael Smith. It took over the running of the League from the American Football Association of Ireland, under Image Management and Promotions, led by Jim Hutton.

There were four teams in the League in 2001, up from 3 in 1999, and two in 2000 after the Greystones Rebels and Dublin Tigers had merged and the Queens University Broncos had folded after the 1999 season. Bringing the total number of teams up to four were new teams the Dublin Dragons and University of Limerick Vikings. the teams played a balanced Home & Away schedule of 6 games each followed by the Shamrock Bowl, between the top two teams at the end of the Regular Season.

Home Venues

Report

The IAFL was restarted in Winter 2001 after a lapse of over a year, with entirely new teams, although Carrickfergus Knights had been in existence since 1994, the Dublin Rebels were a reformed Greystones Rebels & the University of Limerick Vikings had been in existence as a flag football team since 1999. The Dublin dragons joined them in a four team league, themselves also starting off in the 1990s as a flag football team: the Dublin Gladiators.

There was a big gap in the playong standards between the more established fully kitted teams (Rebels & Knights both finished 5-1) and the newer teams which grew out of flag football teams (Dragons and Vikings both finished 1-5)

The top two teams all season, the Dublin Rebels & Carrickfergus Knights met in the Shamrock Bowl, with the Rebels emerging victorious, 28-7 in Carrickfergus.

References

Websites

[1] Irish American Football (2016) IAFA Logo [Internet] Available from: http://www.luckyshow.org/football/pics/IAFA.jpg [Accessed 5 June 2017]

[2] Irish American Football Association (2001) 2001 IAFL Standings/Schedule [Internet] Available from: http://www.americanfootball.ie/iafl-standings/2001-iafl-standingsschedule/ [Accessed 24 March 2014]

[3] Irish American Football (2017) IAFL Shamrock Bowl [Internet] Available from: http://www.luckyshow.org/football/Shamrock%20Bowl.htm [Accessed 5 June 2017]

Images

[4] Dublin Rebels | Wayback Machine (2007) 2001shamrockbowl [Internet] Available from: https://web.archive.org/web/20071117020944im_/http://www.dublinrebels.com/images/2001shamrockbowl.jpg [Accessed 29 May 2020]

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Cillian Smith, Michael Smith and Ralph Schmeer of the Irish American Football Association and Irish American Football Officials Association, and Sean Douglas, Dublin Rebels.

About this document

Researched, compiled and written by Enda Mulcahy for the

Eirball | Irish North American and World Sports Archive

Last Updated: 4 March 2019

(c) Copyright Enda Mulcahy and Eirball 2019

You may quote this document in part provided that proper acknowledgement is given to the authors. All Rights Resereved.