IAFA Irish American Football League 1986
| Date | Home Team | Away Team | ||
| Shamrock Bowl I | ||||
| 1990 | Craigavon Cowboys | 6 | Dublin Celts | 2 |
[3]
IAFA Irish American Football League 1987
| P | W | L | T | PF | PA | Pct | |
| Tara Conference | |||||||
| *Dublin Celts | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | ||
| *Craigavon Cowboys | 10 | 8 | 2 | 0 | .800 | ||
| *Belfast Giants | 10 | 7 | 3 | 0 | .700 | ||
| Belfast Spartans | 10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | .450 | ||
| Bangor Buccaneers | 10 | 3 | 7 | 0 | .300 | ||
| Jordanstown Jaguars | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0 | .000 | ||
| Mourne Conference | |||||||
| *Belfast Blitzers | 10 | 9 | 1 | 0 | .900 | ||
| Carrickfergus Cougars | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | .500 | ||
| Dublin Tornadoes | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | .500 | ||
| Coleraine Chieftans | 10 | 2 | 8 | 0 | .200 | ||
| East Side Jets | 10 | 2 | 8 | 0 | .200 |
| Date | Home Team | Away Team | ||
| Semi-Finals | ||||
| 12.09.1987 | Belfast Blitzers | 20 | Craigavon Cowboys | 28 |
| 12.09.1987 | Dublin Celts | 43 | Belfast Giants | 0 |
| Shamrock Bowl II | ||||
| 27.09.1987 | Craigavon Cowboys | 25 | Dublin Celts | 43 |
IAFA Irish American Football League 1988
| P | W | L | T | PF | PA | Pct | |
| National Conference | |||||||
| *Belfast Blitzers | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 136 | 51 | .833 |
| *Dublin Celts | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 118 | 33 | .800 |
| *Craigavon Cowboys | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 80 | 74 | .500 |
| Dublin Tornadoes | 6 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 58 | 123 | .167 |
| Irish Conference | |||||||
| *Labatt Belfast Spartans | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 80 | 99 | .700 |
| Carrickfergus Cougars | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 67 | 58 | .250 |
| Coleraine Chieftans | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 39 | 140 | .125 |
| Date | Home Team | Away Team | ||
| Semi-Finals | ||||
| 14.08.1988 | Belfast Blitzers | 26 | Craigavon Cowboys | 12 |
| 14.08.1988 | Dublin Celts | 45 | Labatt Belfast Spartans | 6 |
| Shamrock Bowl III | ||||
| 21.08.1988 | Belfast Blitzers | 6 | Dublin Celts | 34 |
Combined Gridiron League Irish Conference 1989
| P | W | L | T | PF | PA | Pct | |
| Duke Premier Division | |||||||
| *Dublin Celts | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 242 | 43 | 1.000 |
| Belfast Spartans | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 113 | 202 | .500 |
| Craigavon Cowboys | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 127 | 160 | .375 |
| East Antrim Cougars | 8 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 38 | 206 | .125 |
| Baron First Division | |||||||
| *A26 Bulldogs | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 88 | 28 | .875 |
| NI Giants | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 123 | 84 | .625 |
| Dublin Tornadoes | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8 | .000 |
| Date | Home Team | Away Team | ||
| Shamrock Bowl IV | ||||
| 1989 | Dublin Celts | 7 | A26 Bulldogs | 6 |
Irish League of American Football 1990
| Date | Home Team | Away Team | ||
| Semi-Finals | ||||
| 22.07.1990 | Belfast Spartans | 6 | A26 Bulldogs | 0 |
| 22.07.1990 | Craigavon Cowboys | 1 | Carrickfergus Cougars | 0# |
| Irish League Final | ||||
| 11.08.1990 | Craigavon Cowboys | 54 | Belfast Spartans | 3 |
Craigavon Cowboys met Dublin Celts in Title Game to Decide All-Ireland Champions [Ref: 8]
| Date | Home Team | Away Team | ||
| Shamrock Bowl V | ||||
| 1990 | Dublin Celts | 40 | Craigavon Cowboys | 0 |
Report
The first Irish American Football team was the Dublin Celts, formed in the Phoenix Park in 1984. With no opposition in Ireland to play against they played a couple of friendly matches against English opposition in 1985. at the same time teams were forming in Northern Ireland, although they were not fully kitted. The first match in Ireland between two Irish Teams took place in Omagh Co. Tyrone in 1985 with the Tyrone Tornadoes and Coleraine Chieftains the teams involved.
By 1986 there were enough teams to start an informal league – Belfast Blitzers won both the Irish American Football Association League and Cup, and also won the Northern Ireland American Football Association Championship, which included all the IAFA matches played between Northern Irish teams (i.e. it was a League on paper only). Other teams were the Carrickfergus Cougars, Coleraine Chieftains, Belfast Spartans and Craigavon Cowboys. Ballymena Wolfhounds played Junior only.
There was a Shamrock Bowl at the end of the season which was by invite, but the Blitzers declined to take part as they considered themselves already Champions having won both League and Cup. The Craigavon Cowboys beat the Dublin Celts 6-2 to take the first Shamrock Bowl.
By 1987 there were 11 teams playing full-contact kitted American football, with the addition of the Belfast Giants, East Side Jets, Jordanstown Jaguars, Bangor Buccaneers and Dublin Tornadoes, meaning the creation of two Conferences: Tara and Mourne, named after two mountain ranges associated with ancient Irish kings. Dublin Celts gained revenge in the Bowl, beating the Cowboys 43-25.
Two of the sides in the League, Jordanstown and East Side had disbanded by the halfway stage of the 1987 season, and in 1988, the Bangor Buccaneers moved to Newtownards, becoming the North Down Raiders, but never took part in the League that year. Belfast Giants also sat out the season. The two Conferences were renamed the National and Irish Conferences, and in Shamrock Bowl III, Dublin Celts defeated Belfast Blitzers 34-6.
By 1990, the League lost another team as the Blitzers disbanded after losing the Shamrock Bowl, but the Giants returned, now playing as the NI giants, and based in Lisburn. The League elected to play in the Combined Gridiron League, which was intended to unite the various competing leagues in Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and the English Regional Leagues. As well as playing in the CGL playoffs, the winners of the two Irish Conference played each other for the Shamrock Bowl, and the title of Irish Champions. Dublin Celts beat new team A26 Bulldogs, from Antrim 7-6.
The Irish League returned to independent status in 1990, but the Dublin Celts continued playing in the British Second Division (NCMMA), and the Dublin Tornadoes did not take part, leaving a five team Irish League, which was Ulster teams only. The Celts played a number of matches against the Irish teams as well as NCMMA teams, and after the Craigavon Cowboys beat the Belfast Spartans 54-3 to win the Irish League title, they met the Dublin Celts for the All-Ireland title in Shamrock Bowl V, which the Dublin Celts won 40-0
References
Sources
[5] (1988) “Ireland” American Football News. 18 August 1988. pg.[6] (1988) “Shamrock Bowl report” American Football News. 29 September 1988. pg. 22
[6] (1988) “Shamrock Bowl report” American Football News. 29 September 1988. pg. 22
Websites
[1] Britball Now (2016) Results Section [1986] [Internet] Available from: http://www.britballnow.co.uk/history-index/results-section.html [Accessed 23 March 2017]
[2] Britball Now (2016) Bangor Buccaneers [Internet] Available from: http://www.britballnow.co.uk/History/Britball%20Teams/BangorBuccaneers.htm [Accessed 23 March 2018]
[3] Britball Now (2016) Results Section [1987] [Internet] Available from: http://www.britballnow.co.uk/history-index/results-section.html [Accessed 23 March 2017]
[7] 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]
[8] Irish American Football Association (2018) Shamrock Bowl History [Internet] Available from: hhttp://www.americanfootball.ie/american-football/shamrock-bowl-history/ [Accessed 23 March 2018]
Newspapers
[9] Anon. (1990) “American Football: Cowboys riding high..” Sunday Life August 5, 1990. pg. 43
Websites
[10] Lucky Show (2016) Irish American Football [Internet] Available from: http://www.luckyshow.org/football/Shamrock%20Bowl.htm [Accessed 5 June 2017]
[11] American Football Ireland (2020) Shamrock Bowl Champions [Internet] Available from: https://www.americanfootball.ie/home/american-football/shamrock-bowl-champions/ [Accessed 30 April 2020]
Images
[11] Dublin Celts American Football Team | Facebook (2017) [Internet] Available from: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10213260818544676&set=gm.457477981311995&type=3&theater&ifg=1 [Accessed 21 January 2019]
Acknowledgements
Thanks to John Malone, Declan Mulvey, Gareth Quigley & John O’Reilly.
About this document
Prepared and maintained by Enda Mulcahy for the
Eirball | Irish North American and World Sports Archive
Last Updated: 21 April 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 Reserved.