Category: American Football Ireland 11v11 Teams

March 30, 2021October 29, 2023

West Dublin Rhinos American Football Ireland Team 2008-Present

Factfile

Irish American Football League Team 2008-Present

Home Ground: Castleknock College, Dublin 15.

Colours: Black Helmets; Red Jerseys; Black Pants.

Honours: IAFL 1 Bowl Champions 2018, defeating Craigavon Cowboys 16-14 in the Final.

All-Time Record: Total W-L-T: 33-65-3 / Regular W-L-T: 29-62-3 / Postseason W-L-T: 4-3-0

League History: IAFL 2008-2012; IAFL Shamrock Bowl Coference 2013-2015; IAFL 1 Conference 2016-2018; IAFL Shamrock Bowl Conference 2019.

History: Team founded in 2008 as Dublin Rhinos, posting a 1-7 record in first season, then as West Dublin Rhinos from 2009 onwards they improved steadily behind a strong defense that helped them reach the playoffs in 2010 with a 3-3-2 record, winning their first game ever in the playoffs before falling in the Semi-Finals. They stayed around mid-table for most of the next four years, reaching the playoffs twice before being relegated to the IAFL 1 Conference after a 1-7 record in 2015. In the 1 Conference they built up their team again, winning the Conference with a 3-game playoff run in 2018 which saw them earn their first, and so far only honour, the 1 Bowl, defeating former Shamrock Bowl Champions Craigavon Cowboys 16-14. Back in the Shamrock Bowl Conference for 2019 they finished 7th of 8 with a 2-6 record. The 2020 season was cancelled due to concerns regarding the COVID-19 Coronavirus Pandemic.

West Dublin Rhinos Logo [References: 1]

All-Time Record

Year	League	RS W-L-T	Pct/Pos	PS W-L-T	Champ	Other	Champ
2008	IAFL Central	1-7-0	2 / 3rd	0-0-0	None	0-0-0	None
2009	IAFL	0-7-1	1 / 7th	0-0-0	None	0-0-0	None
2010	IAFL Central	3-3-2	8 / 2nd	1-1-0	None	0-0-0	None
2011	IAFL Central	2-6-0	4 / 2nd	0-0-0	None	0-0-0	None
2012	IAFL SBC North	4-4-0	8 / 2nd	0-1-0	None	0-0-0	None
2013	IAFL SBC North	2-6-0	4 / 4th	0-0-0	None	0-0-0	None
2014	IAFL SBC South	3-5-0	6 / 3rd	0-1-0	None	0-0-0	None
2015	IAFL SBC South	1-7-0	2 / 5th	0-0-0	None	0-0-0	None
2016	IAFL 1C North	4-4-0	8 / 4th	0-0-0	None	0-0-0	None
2017	IAFL 1C	3-5-0	6 / 6th	0-0-0	None	0-0-0	None
2018	IAFL 1C South	6-2-0	12 / 3rd	3-0-0	1 Bowl	0-0-0	None
2019	IAFL SBC	2-6-0	4 / 7th	0-0-0	None	0-0-0	None

[References: ]

Home Venue: Castleknock College, Dublin 15

References

Images

[1] West Dublin Rhinos | Twitter (2019) West Dublin Rhinos Logo [Internet] Available from: https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/834675830257229824/fw7mbNXR_400x400.jpg [Accessed 21 January 2019]

Websites

[2] Irish American Football Association (2006) 2006 LEAGUE TABLE, FIXTURES & RESULTS [Internet] Available from: http://www.americanfootball.ie/iafl/2006results.htm [Accessed 24 September 2016]

[3] Irish American Football Association (2007) 2007 Results [Internet] Available from: www.americanfootball.ie/iafl/2007results.htm [Accessed 24 September 2016]

[4] Irish American Football Association (2008) 2008 Results [Internet] Available from: www.americanfootball.ie/iafl/2008results.htm [Accessed 17 October 2009]

[5] Irish American Football Association (2009) 2009 IAFL Fixtures [Internet] Available from: www.americanfootball.ie/2009iaflfixtures.htm [Accessed 24 September 2016]

[6] Irish American Football Association (2010) 2010 IAFL Schedule Published [Internet] Available from: www.americanfootball.ie/2010-iafl-schedule-published/ [Accessed 24 March 2014]

[7] Irish American Football Association (2011) 2011 IAFL Schedule Published [Internet] Available from: www.americanfootball.ie/2011-iafl-schedule-published/ [Accessed 24 March 2014]

[8] Irish American Football Association (2014) 2012 IAFL Standings [Internet] Available from: www.americanfootball.ie/iafl-standings/ [Accessed 13 January 2014]

Internet Archive

[11] Dublin Rebels – Wayback Machine Internet Archive (2008) News: 2008 League Standings [Internet] Available from: http://web.archive.org/web/20081019054255/http://www.dublinrebels.com/news.php [Accessed 5 July 2017]

Websites

[12] Irish American Football Association (2013) IAFL Standings [Internet] Available from: www.americanfootball.ie/iafl-standings/ [Accessed 23 August 2013]

[13] Irish American Football Association (2014) IAFL Standings [Internet] Available from: www.americanfootball.ie/iafl-standings/ [Accessed 23 August 2014]

[14] Irish American Football Association (2015) IAFL Standings [Internet] Available from: www.americanfootball.ie/iafl-standings/ [Accessed 14 July 2015]

[15] Irish American Football Association (2016) IAFL 1 Conference [Internet] Available from: www.americanfootball.ie/contact-football/iafl1-conference/ [Accessed 26 October 2016]

[16] Irish American Football Association (2016) IAFL 1 2016 Schedule [Internet] Available from: www.americanfootball.ie/schedule/iafl1-2016-schedule/ [Accessed 26 October 2016]

[17] Irish American Football Association Facebook Page (2016) Post August 14 2016 [Internet] Available from: https://www.facebook.com/iafaireland/posts/1233266033373961 [Accessed 26 October 2016]

[18] Irish American Football Association Facebook Page (2016) Post July 17 2016 [Internet] Available from: https://www.facebook.com/iafaireland/posts/1212468245453740 [Accessed 26 October 2016]

[19] Irish American Football Association (2017) IAFL-1 Conference Standings http://www.americanfootball.ie/american-football/iafl1-conference/ [Accessed 24 July 2017]

[20] Irish American Football Association Facebook Page (2017) Facebook Post July 23 2017 [Internet] Available from: https://www.facebook.com/iafaireland/posts/1596885733678654 [Accessed 24 July 2017]

[21] IAFA Ireland Facebook Page (2017) Facebook Post August 27 2017 [Internet] Available from: https://www.facebook.com/iafaireland/posts/1632046600162567 [Accessed 28 August 2017]

[22] IAFA Ireland Facebook Page (2017) Facebook Post August 20 2017 [Internet] Available from: https://www.facebook.com/iafaireland/posts/1625971890770038 [Accessed 28 August 2017]

[23] Irish American Football Association (2018) IAFL 1 Conference Standings [Internet] Available from: http://www.americanfootball.ie/american-football/iafl1-conference/ [Accessed 28 May 2018]

[24] Irish American Football Association (2018) IAFL1 Schedule & Results 2018 [Internet] Available from: http://www.americanfootball.ie/schedule/iafl-1-schedule-results-2018/ [Accessed 28 May 2018]

Websites

[25] Irish American Football Association (2019) SBC 2019 [Playoffs][Standings][Results & Fixtures] [Internet] Available from: https://www.americanfootball.ie/home/kitted-football/sbc-2019/ [Accessed 22 July 2019]

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Alan Grey.

About this document

Researched, compiled and written by Enda Mulcahy for the

Eirball | Irish North American and World Sports Archive

Last Updated: 30 March 2021

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

February 1, 2021October 29, 2023

Dublin Rebels American Football Ireland Team Roster and Game Summaries 2005

Dublin Rebels Logo 2001-2005 [References: 1]

IAFA Irish American Football League 2005

	P	W	L	T	PF	PA	Pts
Belfast Bulls (P)	8	7	1	0	144	56	14
Dublin Rebels (P)	8	5	2	1	234	90	11
Carrickfergus Knights (P)	8	5	2	1	291	114	11
Cork Admirals (P)	8	3	5	0	174	188	6
University of Limerick Vikings	8	3	5	0	96	174	6
Dublin Dragons	8	0	8	0	8	301	0

Irish American Football League Standings 2005 [Ref: 2]

Date	Home Team		Away Team
	Shamrock Bowl XIX		Harlequins RFC Belfast
28.08.2005	Belfast Bulls	19	Dublin Rebels	26

Irish American Football League Playoffs 2005 [Ref: 2]

Dublin Rebels 2005 Results

Week	Date	H/A	Opposition	W/L	Score
1	20.02.2005	A	University of Limerick Vikings	W	30-0
3	13.03.2005	A	Belfast Bulls	L	14-22
7	17.04.2005	H	Carrickfergus Knights	T	8-8
9	22.05.2005	H	Cork Admirals	W	34-20
10	29.05.2005	H	Dublin Dragons	W	50-0
12	12.06.2005	A	Carrickfergus Knights	L	20-32
15	10.07.2005	A	Dublin Dragons	W	52-8
17	24.07.2005	H	Belfast Bulls	W	26-0
SF	14.08.2005	H	Carrickfergus Knights	W	26-20
SB XIX	28.08.2005	Belfast	Belfast Bulls	WS	26-19

[References: 2]

Season Report

Dublin Rebels came back from a disappointing mid-season slump which saw them lose on the road to both main rivals Belfast Bulls and Carrickfergus Knights, as well as only tying at home to the Knights, to win their third Shamrock Bowl in three years and fourth overall in 2005 when they triumphed 26-19 over Belfast Bulls in Shamrock Bowl XIX at the homde of Belfast Harlequins RFC.

Having easily defeated University of Limerick Vikings at UL 30-0 in their opening fixture they then lost a close match 14-22 at Belfast Bulls before tying 8-8 at home in a low-scoring affair with the Carrickfergus Knights. Two wins over the Cork Admirals and Dublin Dragons were followed by another loss away from home in Antrom as they were downed 20-32 by the Knights. This appeared to galvanise the Rebels and they came back from the loss with two big statements, a 52-8 victory away to the Dublin Dragons in Lucan followed by a massive 26-0 defeat of the Bulls zat home in Gresytones, Co. Wicklow.

This win gave the home field advantage for their semifinal match-up with Carrickfergus which they won 26-20. In Shamrock Bowl XIX in Belfast they went 18-0 up in the third quarter, only to let matters slip, finding themselves 18-19 down with minutes to play, when Fearghal O’Donnchu caught a pass 10 yards out from Andrew Dennehy and then forced himself through the Bulls line to put the Rebels 26-19 up after the 2-point conversion. The Bulls then took the ball to the Rebels 6 yard line with q14 seconds left but a Rebels goalline stand kept the Bulls out giving the Rebels their fourth Shamrock Bowl title.

Dublin Rebels celebrate with the Shamrock Bowl Trophy [References: 6]

Week 1 – 20 February 2005 – University of Limerick Vikings 0 Dublin Rebels 30

At University of Limerick	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Total
Dublin Rebels	8	8	0	14	30
University of Limerick Vikings	0	0	0	0	0

[References: 4]

Team	Scorers	Score
	1st Quarter
REB	Carl Faichney 11 yd Pass from Andrew Dennehy (Mark Kelly 2xpt)	8-0
	2nd Quarter
REB	Carl Faichney 18yd Pass from Andrew Dennehy (Mark Kelly 2xpt)	16-0
	3rd Quarter
–	No Scoring	16-0
	4th Quarter
REB	Fearghal O’Donnchu 14 yd Pass from Andrew Dennehy	22-0
REB	Sam Hodgins 7 yd Run (Brian Dennehy 2xpt)	30-0

[References: 4]

Week 3 – 15 March 2005 – Dublin Rebels 14 Belfast Bulls 22

At Cherryvale Playing Fields, Belfast	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Total
Dublin Rebels	0	0	0	14	14
Belfast Bulls	0	14	0	8	22

[References: 4]

Team	Scorers	Score
	1st Quarter
–	No Scoring	0-0
	2nd Quarter
BBL	Mark Helferty 25 yd Pass from Kevin Downs	0-6
BBL	Mark Helferty 20 yd Pass from Kevin Downs (Wagner 2xpt)	0-14
	3rd Quarter
–	No Scoring	0-14
	4th Quarter
REB	Sam Hodgins 2 yd Run	6-14
BBL	Erin Wagner 6 yd Run (Kevin Downs 2xpt)	6-22
REB	Brian Dennehy 23 yd Pass from Andrew Dennehy (Simon Mackey 2xpt)	14-22

[References: 4]

Week 7 – 24 April 2005 – Dublin Rebels 8 Carrickfergus Knights 8

At Greystones RFC, Co. Wicklow	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Total
Carrickfergus Knights	0	0	0	8	8
Dublin Rebels	0	8	0	0	8

[References: 4]

Team	Scorers	Score
	1st Quarter
–	No scoring	0-0
	2nd Quarter
REB	Mark Kelly 6 yd Run (Brian Dennehy 2xpt)	0-8
	3rd Quarter
–	No scoring	0-8
	4th Quarter
CAR	Bobby Murray 2 yd Run (David Wright 2xpt)	8-8

[References: 4]

Week 9 – 22 May 2000 – Dublin Rebels 34 Cork Admirals 20

At Greystones RFC, Co. Wicklow	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Total
Cork Admirals	0	0	8	12	20
Dublin Rebels	12	8	6	8	34

[References: 4]

Team	Scorers	Score
	1st Quarter
REB	Simon Mackey 15 yd Pass from Andrew Dennehy	0-6
REB	Sam Hodgins 20 yd Pass from Andrew Dennehy	0-12
	2nd Quarter
REB	Conor Ryan 30 yd Pass from Andrew Dennehy (Conor Ryan 2xpt)	0-20
	3rd Quarter
COR	MacHale 10 yd Pass from David Lomansey (MacHale 2xpt)	8-20
REB	Andrew Dennehy 1 yd Run	8-26
	4th Quarter
COR	David Lomansey 5 yd Run	14-26
COR	Keith O’Callaghan 35 yd Pass from David Lomansey	20-26
REB	Sam Hodgins 50 yd Run (Sam Hodgins 2xpt)	20-34

[References: 4]

Week 10 – 29 May 2005 – Dublin Rebels 50 Dublin Dragons 0

At Greystones RFC, Co. Wicklow	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Total
Dublin Dragons	0	0	0	0	0
Dublin Rebels	16	0	14	20	50

[References: 4]

Team	Scorers	Score
	1st Quarter
REB	Conor Ryan 50 yd Pass from Andrew Dennehy	0-6
REB	Defensive Safety	0-8
REB	Sam Hodgins 2 yd Run (Sam Hodgins 2xpt)	0-16
	2nd Quarter
–	No scoring	0-16
	3rd Quarter
REB	Myles Majid 10 yd Pass from Andrew Dennehy	0-22
REB	Fearghal O’Donnchu 10 yd Pass from Andrew Dennehy (Steve Archibald 2xpt)	0-30
	4th Quarter
REB	Fearghal O’Donnchu 12 yd Pass from Andrew Dennehy (Marcus Naylor 2xpt)	0-38
REB	Steve Archibald 43 yd Pass from Andrew Dennehy	0-44
REB	Marcus Naylor 3 yd Pass	0-50

[References: 4]

Week 12 – 13 June 2005 – Carrickfergus Knights 32 Dublin Rebels 20

At Woodburn Road, Carrickfergus	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Total
Dublin Rebels	0	0	8	12	20
Carrickfergus Knights	6	6	6	14	32

[References: 4]

Team	Scorers	Score
	1st Quarter
CAR	Bobby Murray 3 yd Run	0-6
	2nd Quarter
CAR	David Wright 1 yd Run	0-12
	3rd Quarter
REB	Barry Flinn 21 yd Pass from Andrew Dennehy (Marcus Naylor 2xpt)	8-12
CAR	Clinton McDowell 35 yd Reverse	8-18
	4th Quarter
REB	Andrew Dennehy 1 yd Run	14-18
CAR	Bobby Murray 9 yd Run	14-24
REB	Barry Flinn 40 yd Pass from Andrew Dennehy	20-24
CAR	Stephen McDowell 1 yd Run (Spencer McDowell 2xpt)	20-32

[References: 4]

Week 15 – Dublin Dragons 8 Dublin Rebels 52

At Lucan, Co. Dublin	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Total
Dublin Rebels	8	24	8	12	52
Dublin Dragons	0	0	8	0	8

[References: 4]

Team	Scorers	Score
	1st Quarter
REB	Barry Flinn 26 yd Pass from Andrew Dennehy (Brian Dennehy 2xpt)	8-0
	2nd Quarter
REB	Ross McCooey 40 yd Int Return (Barry Flinn 2xpt)	16-0
REB	Conor Ryan 60 yd Pass from Andrew Dennehy (Barry Flinn 2xpt)	24-0
REB	Barry Flinn 28 yd Pass from Andrew Dennehy (Brian Dennehy 2xpt)	32-0
	3rd Quarter
REB	Sam Hodgins 7 yd Run (Sam Hodgins 2xpt)	40-0
DRA	Robert Popciobobartepolus 47 yd Pass from Robert Olwill (John Durrad 2xpt)	40-8
	4th Quarter
REB	Brian Dennehy 6 yd Pass from Andrew Dennehy	46-8
REB	Conor Ryan 4 yd Run	52-8

[References: 4]

Week 17 – 26 July 2005 – Dublin Rebels 26 Belfast Bulls 0

At Greystones RFC, Co. Wicklow	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Total
Belfast Bulls	0	0	0	0	0
Dublin Rebels	14	6	0	6	26

[References: 4]

Team	Scorers	Score
	1st Quarter
REB	Barry Flinn 11 yd Pass from Andrew Dennehy	0-6
REB	Conor Ryan 55 yd Punt Return (Barry Flinn 2xpt)	0-14
	2nd Quarter
REB	Fearghal O’Donnchu 9 yd Pass from Andrew Dennehy	0-20
	3rd Quarter
–	No Scoring	0-20
	4th Quarter
REB	Brian Dennehy 8 yd Run	0-26

[References: 4]

Semi-Final – 15 August 2005 – Dublin Rebels 26 Carrickfergus Knights 20

At Greystones RFC, Co. Wicklow	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Total
Carrickfergus Knights	6	0	0	14	20
Dublin Rebels	0	12	14	0	26

[References: 4]

Team	Scorers	Score
	1st Quarter
CAR	Ian McIlroy 8 yd Pass from Adam Devenney	6-0
	2nd Quarter
REB	Brian Dennehy 8 yd Run	6-6
REB	Barry Flinn 12 yd Pass from Andrew Dennehy	6-12
	3rd Quarter
REB	Sam Hodgins 7 yd Run (Fearghal O’Donnchu 2xpt)	6-20
REB	Sam Hodgins 11 yd Run	6-26
	4th Quarter
CAR	Clinton McDowell 56 yd Pass from Adam Devenny (David Wright 2xpt)	14-26
CAR	Colin Esler 25 yd Pass from Adam Devenney	20-26

[References: 4]

Shamrock Bowl XIX – Belfast Bulls 19 Dublin Rebels 26

Belfast Bulls 19 Dublin Rebels 26

At Grafton Arena, Belfast	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Total
Dublin Rebels	12	6	0	8	26
Belfast Bulls	0	7	6	6	19

[References: 4]

Team	Scorers	Score
	1st Quarter
REB	Brian Dennehy 1yd Run	6-0
REB	Mark Smyth 10yd Fumble Return	12-0
	2nd Quarter
REB	Sam Hodgins 5yd Run	18-0
BBL	Mark Helferty 15yd Pass from James McKelvey (Eoghan Murphy PAT)	18-7
	3rd Quarter
BBL	Erin Wagner 13yd Run	18-13
	4th Quarter
BBL	Kris Donaghy 9yd Pass from James McKelvey	18-19
REB	Fearghal O’Donnchu 15yd Pass from Andrew Dennehy (Brian Dennehy 2xpt)	26-19

[References: 4]

Dublin Rebels 2005 Shamrock Bowl XIX Roster

Number	Name	Position	Years	Hometown
	Players
8	Samuel Hodgins	Tailback	R	Dublin
10	Andy Dennehy	Quarterback	12	Dublin
20	Mark Kelly	Running Back / Linebacker	16	Dublin
21	Kevin Finnegan	Defensive Back	2	Dublin
22	Steve Archibald	Wide Receiver / Defensive Back	11	England
23	Eric O’Byrne	Defensive Back	1	Dublin
25	Sean Shanahan	Linebacker / Running Back	15	USA
26	Darragh Farrell	Free Safety	2	Dublin
28	Pat Quinn	Defensive Back	3	Dublin
29	Myles Majid	Wide Receiver	R	Wicklow
31	Darren Conway	Defensive End	2	Dublin
32	James Collins	Wide Receiver / Kicker	1	Dublin
33	Darrin O’Toole	Defensive Back	4	Dublin
40	Kenny Hudson	Middle Linebacker	10	Dublin
45	Andy Flynn	Middle Linebacker / Fullback	10	Dublin
52	Shane Campbell	Offensive Line	3	Dublin
54	Ross McCooey	Middle Linebacker	R	Dublin
55	Paul Weldon	Middle Linebacker	1	Dublin
60	Dave Sherwin	Center	5	Dublin
66	Fergal O’Hanlon	Offensive Line	10	Dublin
67	Eris Gras	Outside Linebacker	6	Dublin
69	Mikkel Soelberg	Offensive Line	R	Denmark
72	Tobias Hansson	Offensive Line	5	Sweden
74	Al Kelly	Defensive Tackle	15	Dublin
76	Simon Connellon	Offensive Lineman	1	Dublin
77	David Griffith	Offensive Lineman	3	Dublin
80	Marcus Naylor	Free Safety /Running Back	10	Wicklow
81	Barry Flinn	Wide Receiver	R	Dublin
82	Carl Faichney	Wide Receiver	3	Dublin
85	Fearghal O’Donnchu	Tight End / Outside Linebacker	12	Dublin
86	Simon Mackey	Tight End / Outside Linebacker	2	Wicklow
87	Conor Ryan	Wide Receiver	2	Wicklow
88	Brian Dennehy	Running Back	14	Dublin
94	Paul Smyth	Defensive End	2	Dublin
96	Conor Walsh	Defensive End	3	Dublin
99	Steve Wilson	Defensive Tackle	3	Dublin
	Coaches
OC	Brian Dennehy	Offensive Coach		Dublin
DC	Fearghal O’Donnchu	Defensive Coach		Dublin

[References: 5;7]

Dublin Rebels 2005 Scorers

Name	TD	2XP	Points
Sam Hodgins	9	3	60
Barry Flinn	6	3	42
Brian Dennehy	5	5	40
Conor Ryan	5	1	32
Andy Dennehy	2	0	12
Carl Faichney	2	0	12
Marcus Naylor	1	2	10
Mark Kelly	1	2	10
Simon Mackey	1	1	8
Steve Archibald	1	1	8
Myles Majid	1	0	6
Ross McCooey	1	0	6
Safety	0	2	2

[References: 3]

Video – Shamrock Bowl XIX – Dublin Rebels 26 Belfast Bulls 19

[References: 4]

References

Logos

[1] Dublin Rebels Wayback Machine Internet Archive (2004) logo [Internet] Available from: http://web.archive.org/web/20041207102917im_/http://www.dublinrebels.com/images/logo.gif [Accessed 1 February 2021]

Websites

[2] Irish American Football Association (2005) 2005 Results [Internet] Available from: www.americanfootball.ie/iafl/2005results.htm [Accessed 24 September 2016]

Internet Archive

[3] Dublin Rebels Wayback Machine (2005) Main[Internet] Available from: http://web.archive.org/web/20051204011916/http://www.dublinrebels.com:80/main.html [Accessed 5 July 2017]

[4] Dublin Rebels Wayback Machine (2005) 2005 Game Reports #SBXIX [Internet] Available from: http://web.archive.org/web/20060222031229/http://www.dublinrebels.com/2005.htm#shamxix [Accessed 1 February 2021]

[5] Dublin Rebels Wayback Machine (2005) 2005 Roster [Internet] Available from: http://web.archive.org/web/20051204011225/http://www.dublinrebels.com/roster.htm [Accessed 1 February 2021]

Images

[6] Dublin Rebels Wayback Machine (2005) 2005shamrockbowl1 [Internet] Available from: http://web.archive.org/web/20050901182936im_/http://www.dublinrebels.com/2005shamrockbowl1.jpg [Accessed 1 February 2021]

Videos

[7] You Tube Belfast Harlequins RFC Channel (2020) Shamrock Bowl XIX [1:40-4:00] [Internet] Available from: https://youtu.be/98mJ8kptN_c [Accessed 31 January 2021]

Acknowledgements

Thanks to 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: 1 February 2021

January 24, 2021October 29, 2023

Dublin Lightning American Football Ireland Team Roster and Game Summaries 1996

Dublin Lightning Logo [Reference: 3]

1996 Results

Week	Date	H/A	Opposition	W/L	Score
	25.08.1996	H	Belfast Spartans
SB XI	15.09.1996	N	Dublin Tornadoes	W	26-6

[Reference: 2[

Dublin Lightning Team Roster 1996

Number	Name	Position
	Coaches
	Derek Ward	Coach
	Tom Walls	Coach
	Martin Rodgers	Coach
	Players
1	Cillian Smith	Wide Receiver
2	C. McDermott	Kicker
5	D. Neidell	Kicker / Defensive Back
11	C. Rousset	Wide Receiver / Defensive Back
12	R. MCullach	Wide Receiver
13	Eoin Goggins	Quarterback / Safety
22	R. Andrews	Running Back
28	G. Stanley	Defensive End
32	Derek Ward	Quarterback / Wide Receiver/ Defensive Back
33	N. McCabe	Fullback / Outside Linebacker
34	D. Cash	Running Back
36	P. Singleton	Defensive Back
38	C. Ward	Cornerback / Running Back
44	R. McCabe	Running Back / Inside Linebacker
45	M. Rochford	Cornerback
46	G. McManus	Outside Linebacker
47	Al Burke	Tight End
48	J. O’Neill	Defensive Tackle
50	E. Brunton	Offensive Line / Defensive Tackle
51	D. Walsh	Defensive Tackle
56	M. Rodgers	Offensive Line / Inside Linebacker
61	B. McEvilly	Offensive Line / Defensive Tackle
63	T. Walls	Offensive Line / Inside Linebacker
65	S. Mooney	Offensive Line
67	Kevin Sharkey	Offensive Tackle / Defensive Tackle
71	E. Quinlivan	Defensive End / Guard
81	P. Whelan	Wide Receiver
82	R. Kieran	Wide Receiver

[References: 4]

Report

Dublin Lightning caused a shock in Shamrock Bowl XI in 1996 triumphing 26-8 against three-times Champions Dublin Tornadoes in the Final Game. The strategy all game was for the defense, led by Tom Walls, to shut down the Tornadoes offense led by Brian Sutton and Brian Dennehy, and apart from a brief period in the first half it worked. The Lightning had knocked out the Carrickfergus Knights 7-0 in the Semi-Finals.

Newspapers

[2] Naughton, L. (1996) “American Football” Evening Herald. Thursday, 22 August 1996, pg. 67.

[3] Naughton, L. (1996) “US Football”Evening Herald. Thursday, 9 September 1996, pg. 65.

[4] (1996) “US Football”, Evening Herald, Thursday, September 19, 1996, pg. 79

Images

[5] Dublin Lightning (1999) Lightning Logo [Internet] Available from: http://web.archive.org/web/20010614095221im_/http://www.geocities.com:80/Colosseum/Stadium/6662/lightninglogo.jpg [Accessed 4 July 2018]

[6] Kevin Sharkey Facebook (2012) Photo, April 12, 2012 [Internet] Available from: https://scontent-dub4-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/552941_2609201649151_269204123_n.jpg?_nc_cat=107&_nc_sid=43edb5&_nc_ohc=zK6xXOBBa3QAX8u6o0U&_nc_ht=scontent-dub4-1.xx&oh=2c16d3398c781197aeaca2cf3fd4cade&oe=5EF3A76B [Accessed 28 May 2020][Cropped and Resized]

Programmes

[7] American Football Association of Ireland Shamrock Bowl ’96 Dublin Lightning v Dublin Tornadoes

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Cillian Smith and Kevin Sharkey

About this document

Researched, compiled and written by Enda Mulcahy for the

Eirball | Irish American Football Archive

Last Updated: 24 January 2021

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

January 23, 2021October 29, 2023

Dublin Tornadoes American Football Ireland Team Roster and Game Summaries 1996

Dublin Tornadoes Logo [Reference: 1]

1996 Results

Week	Date	H/A	Opposition	W/L	Score
	9 June	H	Belfast Spartans	W	30-6
	Aug	H	Portadown Panthers	W	34-0
	25 Aug	A	Carrickfergus Knights
SB XI		N	Dublin Lightning	L	8-26

[References: 2-6]

Dublin Tornadoes Shamrock Bowl XI 1996 Roster

Number	Player / Coach	Position
	Coaches
	Denis Fitzgerald	Coach
14	Brian Sutton	Coach / Quarterback / Wide Receiver
66	Alan O’Brien	Coach / Center / Defensive Tackle
89	Danny O’Callaghan	Coach / Inside Linebacker
	Players
13	D. Furillo	Wide Receiver / Defensive Back
15	M. Harris	Inside Linebacker / Defensive Back
20	Q. McEntaggart	Defensive Back
26	Seaghan Sutton	Wide Receiver / Defensive Back
27	D. Grabow	Running Back / Outside Linebacker
28	Conor Leonard	Free Safety / Wide Receiver
34	P. McCowan	Fulback / Inside Linebacker
44	Craig Morrell	Outside Linebacker / Fullback
56	S. Harley	Defensive Tackle / Defensive End
66	F. O’Donnchu	Defensive End
67	John Jones	Nose Tackle / Offensive Tackle
68	R. Hedges	Offensive Tackle / Defensive Tackle
77	M. Murphy	Offensive Tackle / Defensive Tackle
80	T. Tighe	Outside Linebacker / Wide Receiver
81	J. Durrad	Wide Receiver / Defensive Back
83	M. Sinclair	Guard / Defensive Tackle
85	Gary Morrell	Quarterback / Running Back / Kicker
86	Simon McMinn	Running Back / Strong Safety
87	Padraig Reddington	Tight End
88	Brian Dennehy	Running Back / Defensive Back
90	M. Dillon	Guard / Defensive Tackle

[References: 7]

Logos

Image References

[1] Dublin Tornadoes Logo – provided by email from Judd Lasher at http://www.417helmets.com

[1A] Dublin Tornadoes (1995) Timmy Tornado Logo [Internet] Available from: http://web.archive.org/web/19961115063729im_/http://fiachra.ucd.ie:80/~alan/Icons/American/timmy.gif [Accessed 3 July 2018]

Websites

[2] Naughton, L. (1996) “American Football”Evening Herald. Thursday, 22 August 1996, pg. 67. [62] Naughton, L. (1996) “US Football”Evening Herald. Thursday, 9 September 1996, pg. 65.
[3] Naughton, L. (1996) “US Football – Tornadoes call-up”Evening Herald. Thursday, 1 February 1996, pg. 61.
[4] Naughton, L. (1996) “US Football”Evening Herald. Thursday, 13 June 1996, pg. 71.

Internet Archive

[5] Dublin Tornadoes (1996) Irish American Football League 1995: The League Schedule ’95 / Results in ’95 [Internet] Available from: http://web.archive.org/web/19961115060654/http://fiachra.ucd.ie/~alan/american_football.html#main_menu [Accessed 5 July 2017]
[6] Irish American Football Association (2018) Nostalgia – A look a some pictures from the archives [Internet] Available from: http://www.americanfootball.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/20171016_165339-1024×768.jpg [Accessed 3 July 2018]

Programmes

[7] American Football Association of Ireland Shamrock Bowl ’96 Dublin Lightning v Dublin Tornadoes

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Ciaran Simms.

About this document

Researched, compiled and written by Enda Mulcahy for the

Eirball | Irish North American and World Sports Archive

Last Updated: 23 January 2021

January 9, 2021October 29, 2023

Dublin Rebels American Football Ireland Team Roster and Game Summaries 2008

Dublin Rebels Logo [Reference: 1]

Final Standings

Team	P	W	L	T	PF	PA	Pts
IAFL North
Belfast Trojans (D)	8	6	2	0	226	79	12
Carrickfegus Knights	8	3	5	0	156	193	6
Belfast Bulls	8	2	6	0	84	262	4
IAFL Central
*Dublin Rebels* (D)	8	7	1	0	301	22	14
Dublin City University Saints (P)	8	4	4	0	133	141	8
Dublin Rhinos	8	1	7	0	49	295	2
IAFL South
UL Vikings (D)	8	7	1	0	286	88	14
Cork Admirals (P)	8	6	2	0	332	92	12
Tallaght Outlaws	8	0	8	0	0	434	0

Irish American Football League 2008 [Ref: 6]

Playoff Results

Date	Home Team	Score	Away Team	Score
	Wildcard Playoffs
20.07.2008	Cork Admirals	34	DCU Saints	2
	Semi-Finals
27.07.2008	UL Vikings	42	Belfast Trojans	8
27.07.2008	*Dublin Rebels*	19	Cork Admirals	12
	Shamrock Bowl XXII
10.08.2008	*Dublin Rebels*	12	UL Vikings	14

Irish American Football League Playoff Results 2008 [Ref: 2-4]

Season Report

Dublin Rebels reached the Shamrock Bowl, losing 12-14 to University of Limerick Vikings after going 7-1 during the season and defeating Cork Admirals 19-12 in the Semi-Finals. The recorded four successive shutouts over DCU Saints twice, Dublin Rhinos and a massive 72-0 win over Belfast Bulls in the middle of the season. They started with two shutouts also, over Belfast Trojans (16-0) and Dublin Rhinos (64-0) before losing 6-0 to Cork Admirals. They finished the Regular Season with a 34-12 victory over UL Vikings, but were left disappointed in the end with a loss to the same team in Shamrock Bowl XXII.

Dublin Rebels Results 2008

Week	Date	H/A	Opposition	W/L	Score
1	30.03.2008	A	Belfast Trojans	W	16-0
3	13.04.2008	A	Dublin Rhinos	W	64-0
4	20.04.2008	H	Cork Admirals	L	0-6
6	04.05.2008	H	Dublin City University Saints	W	25-0
8	18.05.2008	H	Dublin Rhinos	W	52-0
9	25.05.2008	A	Dublin City University Saints	W	39-0
12	15.06.2008	H	Belfast Bulls	W	72-0
13	22.06.2008	A	University of Limerick Vikings	W	32-14
SF	27.07.2008	H	Cork Admirals	W	19-12
SB XXII	10.08.2008		University of Limerick Vikings	L	12-14

[References: 2]

Week 1 – 30 March 2008 – Belfast Trojans 0 Dublin Rebels 16

At Malone Rugby Club, Belfast	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Total
Dublin Rebels	0	0	8	8	16
Belfast Trojans	0	0	0	0	0

[References: 8]

Team	Scorers	Score
	1st Quarter
	No Scoring	0-0
	2nd Quarter
	No Scoring	0-0
	3rd Quarter
REB	Barry Flinn 6 Pass from Andy Dennehy (Sam Hodgins 2xpt)	8-0
	4th Quarter
REB	Sam Hodgins 20 Run (Sam Hodgins 2xpt)	16-0

[References: 8]

Week 3 – 13 April 2008 – Dublin Rhinos 0 Dublin Rebels 66

At Castleknock Community College, Dublin	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Total
Dublin Rebels	30	20	16	0	66
Dublin Rhinos	0	0	0	0	0

0[References: 8]

Team	Scorers	Score
	1st Quarter
REB	Sam Hodgins 10 Run (Barry Flinn 2xpt)	8-0
REB	Dave O’Neill 20 Pass from Andrew Dennehy	14-0
REB	Barry Flinn 30 Pass from Andrew Dennehy (Kevin Finnegan 2xpt)	22-0
REB	Kevin Finnegan 8 Run (Paul Smyth 2xpt)	30-0
	2nd Quarter
REB	Marcus Naylor 13 Int Return	36-0
REB	Kevin Finnegan 18 Pass from Andrew Dennehy (Barry Flinn 2xpt)	44-0
REB	Paul Grogan 10 Run	50-0
	3rd Quarter
REB	Kevin Finnegan 7 Run (Kevin Finnegan 2xpt)	58-0
REB	Tom Berrigan 30 Pass from Andrew Dennehy (Sam Hodgins 2xpt)	66-0
	4th Quarter
	No Scoring	66-0

[References: 8]

Week 4 – 20 April 2008 – Dublin Rebels 0 Cork Admirals 6

At Sportslink, Santry, Dublin 9	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Total
Cork Admirals	0	0	6	0	6
Dublin Rebels	0	0	0	0	0

[References: 8]

Team	Scorers	Score
	1st Quarter
	No Scoring	0-0
	2nd Quarter
	No Scoring	0-0
	3rd Quarter
COR	Matthew Spada 70 Pass from David Lomansey	6-0
	4th Quarter
	No Scoring	6-0

[References: 8]

Week 6 – 4 May 2008 – Dublin Rebels 25 Dublin City University Saints 0

At Sportslink, Santry, Dublin	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Total
Dublin Rebels	12				25
Dublin City University Saints	0				0

[References: 8]

Team	Scorers	Score
	1st Quarter
REB	Shahin Nikroo Pass from Barty Flinn	6-0
REB	Stephen Archinbald 37 Int Ret	12-0
	Quarter ??
REB	Sam Hodgins 5 Run	18-0
REB	Sam Hodgins 7 Run	24-0
REB	PAT	25-0

[References: 8]

Week 8 – 18 May 2008 – Dublin Rebels 52 Dublin Rhinos 0

At Sportslink, Santry, Dublin	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Total
Dublin Rhinos	0	0	0	0	0
Dublin Rhinos					52

[References: 8]

Team	Scorers	Score
	Quarter ??
REB	Marcus Naylor Run (Barry Flinn 2xpt)
REB	Paul Smyth Pass from Andrew Dennehy
REB	Barry Flinn Pass from Andrew Dennehy
REB	Paul Grogan Pass from Andrew Dennehy
	3rd Quarter
REB	Marcus Naylor Run
REB	Ross McCoeey Run
	4th Quarter
REB	Andrew Dennehy 7 Run
REB	Barry Flinn Pass from Andrew Dennehy	52-0

[References: 8]

Week 9 – Dublin City University Saints 0 Dublin Rebels 39

At ALSAA, Dublin Airport	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Total
Dublin Rebels				13	39
Dublin City University Saints	0	0	0	0	0

0[References: 8]

Team	Scorers	Score
	Quarter ??
REB	Dave O’Neill 11 Pass from Andrew Dennehy
REB	Kevin Finnegan 8 Run
REB	Ross McCoeey 1 Run
REB	Barry Flinn 33 Pass from Andrew Dennehy
REB	Paul Grogan PAT
REB	Paul Grogan PAT
	4th Quarter
REB	Sam Hodgins 43 Run	32-0
REB	Sam Hodgins 1 Run (Paul Grogan PAT)	39-0

[References: 8]

Week 12 – 15 June 2008 – Dublin Rebels 72 Belfast Bulls 0

At	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Total
Belfast Bulls	0	0	0	0	0
Dublin Rebels

[References: 8]

Team	Scorers	Score
	Quarter ??
REB	Barry Flinn Pass from Andrew Dennehy
REB	Paul Grogan Pass from Andrew Dennehy
REB	Barry Flinn Pass from Andrew Dennehy
REB	Paul Smyth Pass from Andrew Dennehy
REB	Kevin Finnegan Run
REB	Barry Flinn Pass from Andrew Dennehy
REB	Kevin Finnegan Run
REB	Barry Flinn 60 Pass from Sam Hodgins
REB	Steve Archibald 18 Int Ret	65-0
REB	Paul Grogan 34 FG
REB	Sam Hodgins Pass from Paul Grogan (Paul Grogan PAT)	72-0

[References: 8]

Week 13 – 22 June 2008 – University of Limerick Vikings 16 Dublin Rebels 36

At University of Limerick	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Total
Dublin Rebels					36
University of Limerick Vikings					16

[References: 8]

Team	Scorers	Score
	1st Half
REB	Sam Hodgins Run	6-0
REB	Barry Flinn 27 Pass from Andrew Dennehy	12-0
REB	Sam Hodgins 96 Pass from Andrew Dennehy (Barry Flinn 2xpt)	20-0
	3rd Quarter
REB	Sam Hodgins Kick Return	26-0
ULV	Liam Ryan 8 Run (2xpt Good)	26-8
REB	Sam Hodgins Run	32-8
	4th Quarter
REB	Seamus Feehan Pass from Liam Ryan (2xpt Good)	32-16

[References: 8]

Shamrock Bowl XXII – Dublin Rebels 12 UL Vikings 14

Dublin Rebels 12 University of Limerick Vikings 14 – Adrian Garvey scored a Touchdown run for the UL Vikings, winning the MVP Award in the process as the Limerick side won Shamrock Bowl XXII 14-12 in a close game against the Dublin Rebels. Darragh O’Callaghan with an Interception Return and Seamus Feehan with a two-point conversion were the other Vikings scorers. The Rebels points came from a Paul Smyth Touchdown, which was converted for one point, a Paul Grogan Field Goal, and a Penalty Safety.

At CIT Stadium, Cork	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Total
University of Limerick Vikings					14
Dublin Rebels					12

Shamrock Bowl XXII – 10 August 2008 [Ref: 9]

Team	Scorers	Score
ULV	Adrian Garvey, TD Run
ULV	Darragh O’Callaghan Int Return TD (Seamus Feehan 2XPT)
REB	Paul Smyth TD (1XPT Good)
REB	Paul Grogan FG
REB	Penalty Safety

Shamrock Bowl XXII Box-Score – 10 August 2008 [Ref: 9]

MVP (Most Valuable Player)

Adrian Garvey

University of Limerick Vikings

Shamrock Bowl XXII MVP – 10 August 2008 [Ref: 9]

Dublin Rebels Roster 2008

Number	Name	Position	Exp	Origin
1	Marcus Naylor	Free Safety / Running Back	13	Wicklow
4	Dave O’Neill	Wide Receiver	2	Dublin
5	Paul Calner	Linebacker	11	USA
7	Russell Cornelius	Wide Receiver	–	USA
8	Samuel Hodgins	T-Back	3	Dublin
10	Henry Wassermann	Halfback / Tight End	20	USA
13	Eamonn McCoeey	Quarterback	R	Dublin
15	Sean Shanahan	Linebacker	18	USA
16	Andy Dennehy	Quarterback	8	Dublin
17	Matt Adams	Wide Receiver	R	Dublin
18	Paul Grogan	Wide Receiver / Kicker	1	Dublin
19	Thomas Berrigan	Wide Receiver	R	Dublin
20	Darragh Farrell	Defensive Back	4	Dublin
21	Kevin Finnegan	Outside Linebacker	5	Dublin
22	Stephen Archibald	Defensive Back / Outside Linebacker	13	England
23	Sam Whelan	Defensive Back	1	Dublin
24	Gavin Murphy	Defensive Back	R	Dublin
25	David McKeating	Defensive Back	R	Dublin
26	Simon Huttley	Defensive Back	R	Dublin
28	Pat Quinn	Linebacker	4	Dublin
29	Gavin Kane	Linebacker	1	Dublin
30	David Phelan	Defensive Back	1	Dublin
31	Darren Conway	Defensive End	5	Dublin
33	Garrie O’Neill	Defensive Back	R	Dublin
34	John Keegan	Defensive Back	2	Dublin
35	Eoin Daly	Defensive Back	2	Dublin
36	Tom O’Mahony	Defensive Back	R	Dublin
40	Steve Walsh	Defensive End / Fullback	6	Dublin
42	Ciaran Tighe	Linebacker	R	Dublin
45	Andrew Flynn	Middle Linebacker / Fullback	13	Dublin
50	Keith Murphy	Linebacker	R	Dublin
51	Ross McCoeey	Middle Linebacker	3	Dublin
52	Shane Campbell	Offensive Lineman	6	Dublin
53	Luke Begley	Linebacker	R	Dublin
54	Michael Stankard	Linebacker	1	Dublin
55	Paul Weldon	Middle Linebacker	4	Dublin
56	Dave Sherwin	Center	7	Dublin
60	Maclean Burke	Defensive Tackle	3	Dublin
66	Fergal O’Hanlon	Offensive Lineman	13	Dublin
72	Tobias Hansson	Offensive Lineman	10	Sweden
76	Simon Connellan	Offensive Lineman	4	Dublin
78	Mick Finucane	Offensive Lineman / Tight End	9	Dublin
81	Barry Flinn	Wide Receiver / Tight End	3	Dublin
83	Sahin Nikroo	Wide Receiver	R	Dublin
84	James Butterly	Wide Receiver	R	Dublin
85	Fionn Kelly	Wide Receiver	1	Dublin
87	Conor Ryan	Wide Receiver	5	Wicklow
89	Hugh Lyons	Wide Receiver	R	Dublin
92	Kenny Hudson	Middle Linebacker	13	Wicklow
94	Paul Smyth	Defensive End / Halfback	6	Dublin
96	Conor Walsh	Defensive End / Tackle	5	Wicklow
99	Steve Wilson	Defensive Tackle	6	Wicklow

[Reference: 5; 7]

Home Venue – Sportslink, Santry, Dublin 9

References

Logos

[1] Irish American Football Association (2018) Dublin Rebels Team Logo [Internet] Available from: https://www.americanfootball.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Team-Logo-Dublin-Rebels-2.png [Accessed 22 July 2018]

Websites

[2] Irish American Football Association (2008) 2008 LEAGUE TABLE, FIXTURES & RESULTS [Internet] Available from: http://www.americanfootball.ie/iafl/2008results.htm [Accessed 24 September 2016]
[3] Irish American Football Association (2009) Index Early 2009 [Internet] Available from: http://www.americanfootball.ie/iafl/indexearly2009 [Accessed 15 October 2017]
[4] Irish American Football Association (2018) Shamrock Bowl History [Internet] Available from: hhttp://www.americanfootball.ie/american-football/shamrock-bowl-history/ [Accessed 23 March 2018]

[5] Irish American Football Association (2019) Shamrock Bowl XXII Game Preview Dublin Rebels [Internet] Available from: http://www.americanfootball.ie/iafl/sbxxiirebels.htm [Accessed 26 June 2019]

Internet Archive

[6] Dublin Rebels (2008) News: 2008 League Standings [Internet] Available from: http://web.archive.org/web/20081019054255/http://www.dublinrebels.com/news.php [Accessed 5 July 2017]

[7] Dublin Rebels Wayback Machine (2008) 2008 Roster [Internet] Available from: http://web.archive.org/web/20080617034342/http://www.dublinrebels.com:80/page.php?39 [Accessed 27 November 2018]

[8] Dublin Rebels Wayback Machine (2008) News [Internet] Available from: http://web.archive.org/web/20080723223049/http://www.dublinrebels.com/ [Accessed 27 November 2018]

Newspapers

[9] Naughton, Lindie (2008) “Garvey the hero for Vikings” Evening Herald. Thursday, August 14, 2008. Pg. 66 [Past copies of the Evening Herald are available online at the Irish Newspaper Archive at https://www.irishnewsarchive.com/ which is a subscription service.]

Images

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: 20 January 2021
(c) Copyright Enda Mulcahy and Eirball 2021
You may quote this document in part provided that proper acknowledgement is given to the authors. All Rights Reserved.

February 5, 2020October 29, 2023

Belfast Spartans American Football Ireland Team 1985-1996

Factfile

IAFL Senior Team 1986-1996
Home Ground: Musgrave Park & Cooke Rugby Club, Belfast
Colours: Black / Blue / Yellow
Career Record: Unknown
Honours:IAFL Irish Conference Champions 1988.
History: The Belfast Spartans were one of the first American Football teams formed in Ireland in 1985, the Belfast Spartans played in the Unkitted Junior Division in 1986 and then played in the first full IAFL season in 1987. They were winners of the Irish Conference in 1988, losing to eventual winners, the Dublin Celts, in the Semi-Finals. In 1992 they missed out on the playoffs by a tie-breaker and also played in the Four Nations Bowl in Stoke, England against the home team Spitfites and the Cardiff Mets of Wales. In 1994 they went 0-6 before taking a year out and then competed in 1996 folding. They posted winning seasons in 1988 & 1992.

Home Venue Map

Year-by-Year Record

	Lge	Reg W-L-T	Pct	PS W-L-T	Chp	Other W-L-T	L	T
1987	IAFL	4-5-1	.450	0-0-0	–	0-0-0	0	0
1988	IAFL	3-1-1	.700	0-1-0	–	0-0-0	0	0
1989	CGL	4-4-0	.500	0-0-0	–	0-0-0	0	0
1990	IAFL
1991	IAFL
1992	AFAI	4-2-0	.667	0-0-0	–	0-2-0	0	0
1993	AFAI
1994	IAFL	0-6-0	.000	0-0-0	–	0-0-0	0	0

Belfast Spartans Team Photo (Unknown Year) [30]

1986 Results

Week	Date	H/A	Opposition	W/L	Score
?		H	Craigavon Cowboys	W
?		A	Craigavon Cowboys	L	0-49

1987 Results

Week	Date	H/A	Opposition	W/L	Score
1	27.04.1987	H	Dublin Celts	L	6-7
4	17.05.1987	H	Carrickfergus Cougars	L	2-15
5	24.05.1987	A	East Side Jets	W	30-9
9	21.06.1987	A	Belfast Blitzers	L	0-63
10	28.06.1987	A	Coleraine Chieftains	W	6-0
12	12.07.1987	H	Jordanstown Jaguars	W	1-0#
13	19.07.1987	H	Dublin Celts	L	0-27
18	30.08.1987	H	Craigavon Cowboys	L	0-52
19	06.09.1987	H	Bangor Buccaneers	W	1-0#
19	06.09.1987	H	Belfast Giants	W	0-1#
??	??	A	F-14 Tomcats (Eng)	L	14-42

1988 Results

Week	Date	H/A	Opposition	W/L	Score
1	17.04.88	H	Carrickfergus Cougars	W	7-6
2	01.05.88	A	Coleraine Chieftains	W	14-7
5	29.05.88	H	Carrickfergus Cougars	W	14-13
6	12.06.88	A	Craigavon Cowboys	L	13-41
9	24.07.88	H	Coleraine Chieftains	T	32-32
SF	14.08.88	A	Dublin Celts	L	6-45

1989 Results

Week	Date	H/A	Opposition	W/L	Score
1	07.05.89	H	A26 Bulldogs	L	0-40
2	13.05.89	A	East Antrim Cougars	W	36-14
5	03.06.89	H	Craigavon Cowboys	W	26-21
8	24.06.89	H	East Antrim Cougars	W	35-3
9	02.07.89	A	NI Giants	L	3-30
10	08.07.89	H	Dublin Celts	L	12-48
10	09.07.89	A	Dublin Tornadoes	W	1-0#
?	?	H	Craigavon Cowboys	L	0-46
?	?	A	Jersey Senates / Guernsey Gladiators (ChI)	T	12-12

1990 Results

Week	Date	H/A	Opposition	W/L	Score
?	06.05.90	A	A26 Bulldogs	L	12-15
	13.05.90	A	A26 Bulldogs	W
	27.05.90	H	Craigavon Cowboys	L
	10.06.90	A	Craigavon Cowboys
SF	22.07.90	H	A26 Bulldogs	L	0-6
F	11.08.90	A	Craigavon Cowboys	L	3-54

1991 Results

Week	Date	H/A	Opposition	W/L	Score
1	11.05.91	A	Dublin Tornadoes	W	14-6
3	26.05.91	H	Newtownabbey Warriors	W	54-6
4	29.05.91	A	Antrim Bulldogs	T	6-6
5	09.06.91	A	Dublin Celts
	21.07.91	H	Antrim Bulldogs	L	6-27
	08.91	A	Dublin Tornadoes	W	8-6

1992 Results

Week	Date	H/A	Opposition	W/L	Score
1		H	Dublin Tornadoes	W	16-13
3	05.07.1992	A	Craigavon Cowboys	L	0-14
5	19.07.1992	H	Dublin Celts	W	13-12
7	02.08.1992	H	Drogheda Vikings	W	50-9
10	23.08.1992	H	Lee Valley Steelers	W	18-0
4NB	30.08.1992	Stoke	Stoke Spitfires (Eng)	L	0-20
4NB	30.08.1992	Stoke	Cardiff Mets (Wal)	L	0-13
12	06.09.1992	A	Antrim Bulldogs	L	8-11

[References: 30]

1993 Results

Week	Date	H/A	Opposition	W/L	Score
1	16.05.93	A	Dublin Tornadoes	L
5	05.06.93	H	Lee Valley Steelers	W	17-0
6	13.06.93	A	Dublin Celts	L	0-13
	04.07.93	A	Dublin Tornadoes	L	0-33
SF	12.09.93	A	Dublin Tornadoes	L	0-20

1994 Results

Week	Date	H/A	Opposition	W/L	Score
1	21.04.94	H	Dublin Tornadoes	L	6-15
2	01.05.94	A	Dublin Tornadoes	L	6-45
		A	Carrickfergus Knights	L	6-15
	29.05.94	H	Carrickfergus Knights	L	2-26
8	06.94	A	Lurgan Area Raiders	L	6-13
	09.07.94	H	Lurgan Area Raiders	L	0-20

1995 Results

Week	Date	H/A	Opposition	W/L	Score
			Did not compete

1996 Results

Week	Date	H/A	Opposition	W/L	Score
	09.06.96	A	Dublin Tornadoes	L	6-30

Websites

[1] Britball Now (2016) Results Section [1987] [Internet] Available from: http://www.britballnow.co.uk/history-index/results-section.html [Accessed 23 March 2017]

[2] Irish American Football Association (2018) Shamrock Bowl History [Internet] Available from: hhttp://www.americanfootball.ie/american-football/shamrock-bowl-history/ [Accessed 23 March 2018]

[3] Britball Now (2016) Results Section [1988] [Other Kitted] [Internet] Available from: http://www.britballnow.co.uk/history-index/results-section.html [Accessed 27 February 2017]

[4] Britball Now (2016) Historial League Tables [1989] [CGL] [Internet] Available from: http://www.britballnow.co.uk/history-index/historical-league-tables-in/ [Accessed 27 February 2017]

[5]Britball Now (2016) Results Section [1989] [CGL] [Internet] Available from: http://www.britballnow.co.uk/history-index/results-section.html [Accessed 27 February 2017]

[30] Lucky Show (2016) Irish American Football [Internet] Available from: http://www.luckyshow.org/football/Shamrock%20Bowl.htm [Accessed 5 June 2017]

Sources

[6] Naughton, L. (1991) “Minority Report: Spartans supreme”, Evening Herald. Thursday, May 16, 1991, pg. 62.

[7] Naughton, L. (1991) “Minority Report: Tornadoes toppled!”, Evening Herald. Thursday, August 15, 1991, pg. 44.

[8] Anon. (1992) “IRISH CHAMPION CELTS STUNG BY BULLDOG SPIRIT”, First Down. July 11, 1992, pg. 17.

[9] Anon. (1992) “Dublin Celts still winless”, First Down. July 25, 1992, pg. 19.

[10] FD Reporter. (1992) “At last! It’s the Dub-win Celts!”, First Down. August 15, 1992, pg. 17.

[11] Naughton, L. (1992) “Minority Reports: U.S. Football”, Evening Herald. Thursday, September 3, 1992, pg. 94

[12] Naughton, L. (1992) “Minority Reports: U.S. Football”, Evening Herald. Thursday, September 10, 1992, pg. 70

[13] (1993) Storm Dave Talks Back. First Down. 15 May, p. 18.

[14] (1993) Irish Zeros. First Down. 19 June, p. 21.

[15] Carrickfergus Knights (1994) Knights American Football Club Carrickfergus Shamrock Bowl Programme. Belfast. Aldine Print

[16] Anon. (1994) Dublin Clinch Crown. First Down. 8 October1994. p. 22

[17] Anon. (1994) Scoreboard. First Down. 9 July 1994. p. 19

[18] Anon. (1994) Lurgan Blank Belfast. First Down. 9 July 1994. p. 20

[19] Anon. (1994) Scoreboard. First Down. 18 June 1994. p. 19

[20] Anon. (1994) Full Round-Up of BAFA’s Divisions Two and Three. First Down. 7 May 1994. pg. 21

[21] Anon. (1994) Chicago Knights maintain challenge. Carrick Times. 6 June 1994. pg. 60

[22] Naughton, L. (1994) American Football. Evening Herald. Thursday, 5 May 1994 . pg. 91

[23] Naughton, L. (1994) American Football. Evening Herald. Thursday, 26 May 1994 . pg. 68

[24] Naughton, L. (1994) Tornadoes turn up the power. Evening Herald. Thursday, 28 July 1994. pg. 55

[17] Naughton, L. (1994) American Football. Evening Herald. Thursday, 22 September 1994. pg.78

[18] Naughton, L. (1994) US Football. Evening Herald. Thursday, 29 September1994. pg.58

[19] Traynor, Jonathan (1991) “American Football: Clash of Titans!” Sunday Life May 28, 1991. pg. 46

[20] Anon. (1991) “Scoreboard: Gridiron” Sunday Life June 2, 1991. pg. 53

[21] Anon. (1991) “Gridiron: Antrim Dawgs go for walkies” Sunday Life June 9, 1991. pg. 41

[22] Anon. (1991) “American Football: Rows spoil Irish scene” Sunday Life July 28, 1991. pg. 43

[23] Anon. (1990) “American Football double-header” Sunday Life May 6, 1990. pg. 59

[24] Anon. (1990) “American Football Column: Spartans in revenge bid” Sunday Life May 13, 1990. pg. 46

[25] Anon. (1990) “American Football” Sunday Life May 20, 1990. pg. 56

[26] Anon. (1990) “American Football: Junior game is on the up!” Sunday Life May 27, 1990. pg. 58

[27] Anon. (1990) “American Football: off form Bulldogs lack any real bite” Sunday Life June 3, 1990. pg. 46

[28] Traynor, Jonathan (1990) “Local League action hots up” Sunday Life June 10, 1990. pg. 42

[29] Anon. (1990) “American Football: Cowboys riding high..” Sunday Life August 5, 1990. pg. 43

Newspapers

[30] FD Reporter (1992) “Spitfires win Four Nations Bowl Crown” First Down. September 5, 1992. Pg. 19

Logos

[31] Belfast Blitzers Facebook Page (2021) Post to Page by Belfast Blitzers, 5 February 2021: [Internet] Available from: https://scontent-dub4-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/146339398_3535274803250316_484236705150193506_n.jpg?_nc_cat=104&ccb=2&_nc_sid=dbeb18&_nc_ohc=APIfzLRulaMAX9g3LLc&_nc_ht=scontent-dub4-1.xx&oh=72bcf54f0435a9ab26cd035a8d2cf7c7&oe=604502C2 [Accessed 5 February 2021]

Images

[32] Belfast Spartans (2019) Belfast Spartans Team Photo [Internet] Available from: http://www.belfastspartans.co.uk/uploads/7/9/7/0/7970653/241186.jpg [Accessed 30 July 2019]

Acknowledgements

Thanks to David Turner.

About this document

Researched, compiled and written by Enda Mulcahy for the

Eirball | Irish North American and World Sports Archive

Last Updated: 5 February 2021

Pos	Team	W	L	Pct	PF	PA	Net Pts
1	Belfast Blitzers	9	1	0.900	449	47	402
2	Dublin Tornadoes	6	4	0.600	121	164	-43
3	Carrickfergus Cougars	4	6	0.400	99	126	-27
4	Coleraine Chieftains	1	9	0.100	58	234	-176
5	East Side Jets	1	9	0.100	10	284	-274