AFAI All-Ireland American Football League 1991

	P	W	L	T	PF	PA	Pct
*Dublin Celts	7	7	0	0			1.000
*Belfast Spartans	6	3	2	1			.583
Antrim Bulldogs	7	3	3	1			.500
Dublin Tornadoes	8	3	5	0			.375
Newtownabbey Warriors	5	0	5	0			.000
Craigavon Cowboys	0	0	0	0			.000

Date	Home Team		Away Team
	Shamrock Bowl VI		29 September 1991
1991	Dublin Celts	66	Antrim Bulldogs	6

AFAI All-Ireland American Football League 1992

	P	W	L	T	PF	PA	Pct
Mourne Conference
*Craigavon Cowboys	5	4	1	0	124	18	.800
*Antrim Bulldogs	6	4	2	0	127	16	.667
Belfast Spartans	6	4	2	0	105	59	.667
Tara Conference
*Dublin Tornadoes	6	4	2	0	81	49	.667
*Dublin Celts	6	3	3	0	77	57	.500
Drogheda Vikings	5	1	4	0	15	135	.200
Lee Valley Steelers	6	0	6	0	0	195	.000

Date	Home Team		Away Team
	Semi-Finals
13.09.1992	Dublin Tornadoes	6	Antrim Bulldogs	19
13.09.1992	Craigavon Cowboys	10	Dublin Celts	6
	Shamrock Bowl VII
20.09.1992	Craigavon Cowboys	14	Antrim Bulldogs	6

AFAI All-Ireland American Football League 1993

Date	Home Team		Away Team
	Semi-Finals
12.09.1993	Dublin Tornadoes	20	Belfast Spartans	0
12.09.1993	Craigavon Cowboys	0	Dublin Celts	19
	Shamrock Bowl VII
26.09.1993	Dublin Tornadoes	19	Dublin Celts	2

AFAI All-Ireland American Football League 1994

	P	W	L	T	PF	PA	Pct
*Dublin Tornadoes	6	5	1	0	128	35	.833
*Carrickfergus Knights	6	5	1	0			.833
Lurgan Area Raiders	6	2	4	0			.333
Belfast Spartans	6	0	6	0	26	112	.000

Date	Home Team		Away Team
	Shamrock Bowl IX
1994	Dublin Tornadoes	18	Carrickfergus Knights	13

AFAI All-Ireland American Football League 1995

	P	W	L	T	PF	PA	Pct
*Dublin Tornadoes	8	8	0	0			1.000
*Dublin Lightning	6	4	2	0			.667
*Carrickfergus Knights	7	2	5	0			.287
*Lurgan Area Raiders	7	0	7	0			.000

Date	Home Team		Away Team
	Semi-Finals
17.09.1995	Dublin Tornadoes	60	Lurgan Area Raiders	0
17.09.1995	Dublin Lightning	L	Carrickfergus Knights	W
	Shamrock Bowl X
24.09.1995	Dublin Tornadoes	34	Carrickfergus Knights	12

AFAI All-Ireland American Football League 1996

Date	Home Team		Away Team
	Shamrock Bowl XI
1996	Dublin Lightning	26	Dublin Tornadoes	8

AFAI Irish Senior League 1997

Date	Home Team		Away Team
	Playoff
07.09.1997	Dublin Bulls	14	Dublin Lightning	0
	Shamrock Bowl XII
21.09.1997	Carrickfergus Knights	21	Dublin Bulls	0

Report

In 1991 the Irish League was reunited, as the Dublin Celts rejoined after a season playing in the English second division, and the Dublin tornadoes joined them and the Irish League of American Football teams in an All-Ireland American Football League. The Carrickfergus Cougars and Coleraine Chieftains had merged as one Antrim team, the Newtownabbey Warriors. Craigavon Cowboys didn’t play that season. Dublin Celts, as expected, ran away with the League title, and then defeated Antrim Bulldogs 66-6 in Shamrock Bowl VI.

In 1992 there was again two conferences, Tara and Mourne, named after mountain ranges associated with Irish Kings, and the addition of the Lee Valley Steelers from Cork, and Drogheda Vikings, a split from the Celts, brought the league up to 7 teams again. The Cowboys also returned, but the Warriors disbanded. On opening day the A26 Bulldogs became the first Irish team to beat the Celts since 1988, and the Celts proceeded to lose their first three matches before winning their last three to make the playoffs. Conference Champions were the Dublin Tornadoes and Craigavon Cowboys, who defeated Antrim Bulldogs 14-6 to take their second or third Shamrock Bowl (there is sill dispute over who won in 1990).

The League again became one division after the Drogheda Vikings disbanded and reformed as the Ardee Falcons in a 8-v-8 Mini-League. Dublin Tornadoes and Dublin Celts met in the first ever all-Dublin Shamrock Bowl, after knocking out the Belfast Spartans and Craigavon Cowboys in the Playoffs. The Tornadoes won their first of three Shamrock Bowls, defeating the Celts in what would be their last ever game, 19-2.

1994 saw big changes to the league. New teams were the Carrickfergus Knights, a follow on from the Prospect Pumas Junior team, and the Lurgan Area Raiders (a reformed Craigavon Cowboys), but the league lost the Celts, Bulldogs and Lee Valley Steelers. The Bulldogs had lost three Bowls in four years, and the Celts had also disbanded after lack of success. The league was now just four teams, and the Dublin Tornadoes again won the Shamrock Bowl, beating the Carrickfergus Knights 18-13.

In 1995 a new team, Dublin Lightning, formed partially from old Dublin Celts and Drogheda Vikings players entered the league, but the league remained at four teams as the Belfast Spartans sat out the season. All for teams made the playoffs, and the Tornadoes won their third in a row, again defeating the Knights, 34-12.

The 1996 season saw the return of the Belfast Spartans, and the Lurgan Area Raiders, moved to Portadown, becoming the Pumas. The Dublin Lightning won their only Shamrock Bowl, defeating the Dublin Tornadoes 26-8 in Shamrock Bowl XI, in what was the last game the Tornadoes played, as another team disbanded after losing the Shamrock Bowl, with a lot of players retiring.

A new organisation, Image Management and Promotions, took over the running of the league in 1997, renaming it the Irish Senior League, like its British counterpart, and the Dublin Bulls, a new team based in Gateway Computers, joined the league, however, the Spartans had left for good, and with the loss of the Tornadoes, this left the League with four teams again. Carrickfergus Knights won the first of their Shamrock Bowls, 21-0 against the Bulls.

The new organisation was unpopular with a number of players and teams, and the Lightning dropped out, and the Greystones Rebels (who had formed in 1997 but didn’t play) also went alone, setting the scene for a dispute between the IAFA and Image Management and Promotions, which lasted until 2001.

References

Sources

[2] Naughton, L. (1991) “Minority Report: Tornadoes are flying”, Evening Herald. Thursday, April 18, 1991, pg. 56.

[3] Naughton, L. (1991) “Minority Report: Look out for the Dublin Tornadoes”, Evening Herald. Thursday, May 9, 1991, pg. 55.

[4] Anon. (1991) “TODAY: AMERICAN FOOTBALL”, Irish Press. Saturday, May 11, 1991, pg. 46.

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

[6] Naughton, L. (1991) “Minority Report: Tornadoes all the way”, Evening Herald. Thursday, June 13, 1991, pg. 60.

[7] Naughton, L. (1991) “Minority Report: Defensive Tornadoes do it”, Evening Herald. Thursday, June 27, 1991, pg. 59.

[8] Naughton, L. (1991) “Minority Report: CELTS STAY UNBEATEN”, Evening Herald. Thursday, July 25, 1991, pg. 55.

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

[10] Naughton, L. (1991) “Minority Report: CELTS TOP LEAGUE”, Evening Herald. Thursday, August 22, 1991, pg. 53.

[11] Naughton, L. (1991) “Minority Report: Tip-toe around American grid!”, Evening Herald. Thursday, September 26, 1991, pg. 91.

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

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

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

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

[16] Berry, Lee (1992) “Moon Ready to Belt the Celts” First Down March 28, 1992. pg. 18 [Available on the Internet at Dublin Celts | Facebook (2019) Post to Page by Dermot Connolly September 8, 1992 “Blast from the past… clearing out the attic” [Internet] available from: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10219514768330762&set=pcb.975213116205143&type=3&theater&ifg=1 [Accessed 5 October 1992]

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

[18] Anon. (1990) Cowboys Riding High Sunday Life August 5, 1990. pg. 43

Newspapers

[19] Anon. (1992) “IRISH CHAMPION CELTS STUNG BY BULLDOG SPIRIT”, First Down. July 11, 1992, pg. 17.
[20] Naughton, L. (1992) “Minority Reports: U.S. Football”, Evening Herald. Thursday, July 2, 1992, pg. 65
[21] Anon. (1992) “Sad Celts are Torn to shreds”, First Down. July 18, 1992, pg. 16.
[22] Naughton, L. (1992) “Minority Reports: Celts blown away”, Evening Herald. Thursday, July 9, 1992, pg. 66
[23] Naughton, L. (1992) “Minority Reports: U.S. Football”, Evening Herald. Thursday, July 16, 1992, pg. 69
[24] Anon. (1992) “Dublin Celts still winless”, First Down. July 25, 1992, pg. 19.
[25] FD Reporter. (1992) “At last! It’s the Dub-win Celts!”, First Down. August 15, 1992, pg. 17.
[26] Anon. (1992) “IRISH RESULTS”, First Down. August 29, 1992, pg. 17.
[27] Naughton, L. (1992) “Minority Reports: Vikings ready to invade Tallaght”, Evening Herald. Thursday, August 13, 1992, pg. 66
[28] Naughton, L. (1992) “Minority Reports: Tornadoes ko Vikings”, Evening Herald. Thursday, August 20, 1992, pg. 61
[29] Naughton, L. (1992) “Minority Reports: U.S. Football”, Evening Herald. Thursday, August 27, 1992, pg. 61
[30] Naughton, L. (1992) “Minority Reports: U.S. Football”, Evening Herald. Thursday, September 3, 1992, pg. 94
[31] Anon. (1992) “Vikings Victory”, Drogheda Independent. Friday, September 4, 1992, pg. 11
[32] Naughton, L. (1992) “Minority Reports: U.S. Football”, Evening Herald. Thursday, September 10, 1992, pg. 70
[33] Naughton, L. (1992) “Minority Reports: Gridiron grief for Dubs!”, Evening Herald. Thursday, September 17, 1992, pg. 76
[34] Naughton, L. (1992) “Minority Reports: U.S. Football”, Evening Herald. Thursday, October 8, 1992, pg. Sport 7

[35] (1993) “Tornadoes Bowl Glory”, First Down, October 9, 1993, pg. 20

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

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

[38] Anon. (1994) Scoreboard. First Down. 16 July 1994. p. 19

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

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

[41] Anon. (1994) Scoreboard. First Down. 2 July 1994. p. 19

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

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

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

[45] Naughton, L. (1994) Tornadoes hit!. Evening Herald. Thursday, 21 April 1994 . pg. 54

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

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

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

[49] Naughton, L. (1994) American Football. Evening Herald. Thursday, 11 August 1994. pg. 44

[50] Naughton, L. (1994) Tornadoes blow Knights away!. Evening Herald. Thursday, 25 August 1994. pg. 50

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

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

[53] Anon (1995) Tornadoes breeze past Carrickfergus to claim third straight Irish title. First Down. 7 October 1995, pg. 21.

[54] (1996) “US Football”, Evening Herald, Thursday, September 19, 1996, pg. 79

[55] Anon. (1992) “Cowboys take on Bulldogs” Sunday Life. September 20, 1992. pg. 52

Websites

[56] 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]

[57] Britball (2016) Shamrock Bowl Results www.britball.co.uk/history-index/ireland/shamrock-bowl-results-1986.html [Accessed 2 October 2016]

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

Social Media

[59] Dublin Celts American Football Team Facebook Page (2016) Post by Kevin Sharkey, August 27, 2016 [Internet] Available from: https://www.facebook.com/groups/259540917772370/permalink/268518076874654/ [Accessed 6 June 2018]

Websites

[60] 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]

[61] Dublin Tornadoes (1997) Shamrock Bowl [Internet] Available from: www.connect.ie/users/tornadoes/Shamrock.html [Accessed 6 April 2001]

[62] Dublin Tornadoes (1997) Irish League and Shamrock Bowl [Internet] Available from: http://web.archive.org/web/19980520033318/http://connect.ie:80/users/tornadoes/Shamrock.htm [Accessed 5 July 2017]

Images

[63] 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]

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Cillian Smith, Michael Smith, Ralph Schmeer and Michael Brophy of the Irish American Football Association and Irish American Football Officials Association.

About this document

Researched, compiled and written by Enda Mulcahy for the

Eirball | Irish North American and World Sports Archive

Last Updated: 22 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.

IAFA Irish American Football League 2006

	P	W	L	T	PF	PA	Pts
*Dublin Rebels	8	8	0	0	267	36	16
*Carrickfegus Knights	8	6	2	0	168	115	12
*University of Limerick Vikings	8	5	2	1	156	54	11
*Cork Admirals	8	4	3	1	184	107	9
Dublin Dragons	8	2	4	2	82	123	6
Belfast Bulls	8	3	5	0	142	201	6
Dublin City University Saints	8	1	7	0	125	324	2
North Dublin Marshals	8	1	7	0	129	303	2

Date	Home Team		Away Team
	Semi-Finals
06.08.2006	Dublin Rebels	58	Cork Admirals	22
06.08.2006	Carrickfergus Knights	25	University of Limerick Vikings	30
	Shamrock Bowl XX		Sportslink, Santry
20.08.2006	Dublin Rebels	44	University of Limerick Vikings	12

IAFA Irish American Football League 2007

	P	W	L	T	PF	PA	Pts
IAFL North
*Belfast Bulls	8	4	3	1	98	85	9
Belfast Trojans	8	3	3	2	126	110	8
Carrickfergus Knights	8	3	4	1	82	96	7
IAFL Central
*Dublin Rebels	8	7	1	0	260	50	14
Dublin Dragons	8	2	6	0	52	194	4
Dublin City University Saints	8	2	6	0	34	216	4
IAFL South
*University of Limerick Vikings	8	7	1	0	299	70	14
Cork Admirals	8	6	2	0	327	70	12
Tallaght Outlaws	8	0	8	0	18	389	0

Date	Home Team		Away Team
	Wild-Card Playoff
15.07.07	Cork Admirals	30	Belfast Trojans	0
	Semi-Finals
22.07.07	Dublin Rebels	6	Cork Admirals	8
22.07.07	University of Limerick Vikings	44	Belfast Bulls	2
	Shamrock Bowl XXI
29.07.07	University of Limerick Vikings	22	Cork Admirals	14

IAFA Irish American Football League 2008

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

Date	Home Team		Away Team
	Wild-Card Playoff
2008	Dublin City University Saints	2	Cork Admirals	34
	Semi-Final
27.07.2008	Belfast Trojans	8	University of Limerick Vikings	52
27.07.2008	Cork Admirals	12	Dublin Rebels	19
	Shamrock Bowl XXII
2008	Dublin Rebels	12	University of Limerick Vikings	14

IAFA Irish American Football League 2009

	P	W	L	T	PF	PA	Pts
*Dublin Rebels	8	7	0	1	275	60	15
*University of Limerick Vikings	8	6	1	1	212	46	13
*Carrickfergus Knights	8	6	2	0	171	112	12
*Dublin City University Saints	8	3	4	1	86	182	7
Belfast Trojans	8	2	6	0	126	250	4
Cork Admirals	8	2	6	0	138	135	4
West Dublin Rhinos	8	0	7	1	54	277	1

Date	Home Team		Away Team
	Semi-Finals
26.07.2009	Dublin Rebels	38	Dublin City University Saints	0
26.07.2009	University of Limerick Vikings	20	Carrickfergus Knights	0
	Shamrock Bowl XXIII
09.08.2009	Dublin Rebels	6	University of Limerick Vikings	9 ot

IAFA Irish American Football League 2010

	P	W	L	T	PF	PA	Pts
IAFL North
*Carrickfergus Knights	8	6	2	0			12
Craigavon Cowboys	8	4	4	0			8
Belfast Trojans	8	3	5	0			6
IAFL Central
*Dublin Rebels	8	8	0	0			16
*West Dublin Rhinos	8	3	3	2			8
Dublin City University Saints	8	2	5	1			5
Trinity College Dublin	8	2	5	1			5
IAFL South
*University of Limerick Vikings	8	6	1	1			13
Cork Admirals	8	5	2	1			11
University College Dublin	8	2	6	0			4
Dublin Dragons	8	0	8	0			0

Date	Home Team		Away Team
	Wild-Card Playoff
18.06.2010	Cork Admirals	6	West Dublin Rhinos	8
	Semi-Finals
25.06.2010	Dublin Rebels	65	West Dublin Rhinos	0
25.06.2010	University of Limerick Vikings	20	Carrickfergus Knights	0
	Shamrock Bowl XXIV
07.08.2010	Dublin Rebels	15	University of Limerick Vikings	0

IAFA Irish American Football League 2011

	P	W	L	T	PF	PA	Pts
IAFL North
*Carrickfergus Knights	8	6	2	0			12
*Belfast Trojans	8	6	2	0			12
Craigavon Cowboys	8	4	4	0			8
IAFL Central
*Dublin Rebels	8	5	3	0			10
West Dublin Rhinos	8	2	6	0			4
Trinity College Dublin ###	8	3	5	0			3
IAFL South
*University of Limerick Vikings	8	8	0	0			16
University College Dublin	8	4	4	0			8
Cork Admirals ##	8	2	6	0			2
Dublin Dragons	8	0	8	0			0

Date	Home Team		Away Team
	Shamrock Bowl XXV
2011	Dublin Rebels	14	University of Limerick Vikings	13

IAFA Irish American Football League 2012

	P	W	L	T	PF	PA	Pts
SBC North
*Belfast Trojans	8	8	0	0			16
*West Dublin Rhinos	8	4	4	0			8
*Carrickfergus Knights	8	2	6	0			4
Craigavon Cowboys	8	2	6	0			4
Dublin Dragons	8	0	8	0			0
SBC South
*University of Limerick Vikings	8	8	0	0			16
*Dublin Rebels	8	6	2	0			12
*Trinity College Dublin	8	6	2	0			12
University College Dublin	8	4	4	0			8
Cork Admirals	8	3	5	0			6
Tullamore Phoenix #	8	1	7	0			1

Date	Home Team		Away Team
	Wild-Card Playoff
24.06.2012	West Dublin Rhinos	2	Carrickfergus Knights	7
17.06.2012	Dublin Rebels	28	Trinity College Dublin	6
	Semi-Finals
01.07.2012	Belfast Trojans	66	Dublin Rebels	38
01.07.2012	University of Limerick Vikings	63	Carrickfergus Knights	3
	Shamrock Bowl XXVI
14.07.2012	Belfast Trojans	16	University of Limerick Vikings	14

Report

In 2007 the Irish American Football League began rapid expansion. For 2006 North Dublin Marshals and Dublin City University Saints were added, bringing the League up to 8 teams, the most since 1987. Dublin Rebels again won the Shamrock Bowl, defeating University of Limerick Vikings 44-12, in the first of UL’s run of seven Shamrock Bowl’s in a row,

the Marshals lasted only one season but the addition of The Tallaght Outlaws and Belfast Trojans in 2007 necessitated the creation of three divisions: North, Central and South, which were won by Belfast Bulls, Dublin Rebels and the Vikings. the University of Limerick won their first Shamrock Bowl, beating the Cor Admirals 22-14 in the showcase game.

In 2008 the IAFA added a second League, the DV8 Development League, an 8-v-8 Development League, to help new teams gain experience before joining the IAFL. The Dragons dropped down to the DV8 Development League and were replaced in the IAFL by the Dublin Rhinos. The Belfast Trojans won the IAFL North, with the Central and South divisions again going to the Rebels and Vikings, who met in Shamrock Bowl XX, the Vikings winning 14-12.

The Belfast Bulls, DCU Saints and Tallaght Outlaws all disbanded after the 2008 season, and the Dublin Dragons dropped down to the DV8 Development League, in the first contraction in a long time. The Rhinos became the West Dublin Rhinos, and the IAFL became one single division again. Dublin Rebels won the League title, although the 2009 Shamrock Bowl was to elude them as the Vikings won 9-6 in the first Shamrock Bowl to go to overtime.

The next season, 2010, saw another big expansion, with Dublin Dragons and Craigavon Cowboys making the step back up to the IAFL from the DV8 League, and they were joined by Trinity College Dublin and University College Dublin. The three divisions were won by the Carrickfergus Knights, Dublin Rebels and UL Vikings, with the Shamrock Bowl being a math-up between the Rebels and Vikings for the third year in succession, and the fourth in five years. The Rebels won out 15-0.

The DCU Saints folded before the 2011 season, with the Central and South Divisions again won by the Rebels and Vikings, although the Carrickfergus Knights showed signs of returning to their glory days by winning the IAFL North. For the fourth year in succession the Rebels and Vikings met in the Shamrock Bowl, which was a again a nail-biting, close encounter, with the Rebels winning 14-13.

For 2012 there was a new look to the League, with just two divisions; North and South, after the addition of Tullamore Phoenix from the DV8 Development League. The North Division was won by the Belfast Trojans, and the Vikings edged the Rebels in a hotly-contested South. A new team was etched onto the name of the winners roll when the Belfast Trojans beat the University of Limerick Vikings 16-14 in Shamrock Bowl XVI.

The League added a full 11-a-side IAFL 1 Conference in 2013, and IAFL 2 Conference in 2014 (levels 2 and 3) with the top level renamed the Shamrock Bowl Conference.

References

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]

[9] Irish American Football Association (2016) History [Internet] Available from: www.americanfootball.ie/iafl/history.htm [Accessed 26 October 2016]

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

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]

Images

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

[13] Dublin Dragons | Wayback Machine (2007) Dublin Rebels v UL Vikings – Shamrock Bowl XX [Internet] Available from: http://web.archive.org/web/20071117040541im_/http://www.dublindragons.com/e107/e107_images/2006/Pic14.jpg [Accessed 11 November 2019]

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Tim Leadingham (Tallaght Outlaws)

About this document

Researched, compiled and written by Enda Mulcahy for the

Irish North American and World Sports Archive

Last Updated: 28 December 2018

(c) Copyright Enda Mulcahy and INAWSA 2018

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

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.

AFAI Senior League 1997

Date	Home Team		Away Team
	Shamrock Bowl XII
1997	Carrickfergus Knights	21	Dublin Bulls	0

AFAI Senior League 1998

	P	W	L	T	PF	PA	Pct
*Dublin Tigers	8	6	0	2	292	106	.875
*Carrickfergus Knights	8	6	0	2	232	54	.875
*Greystones Rebels	8	4	4	0	132	124	.500
*Craigavon Cowboys	8	1	7	0	71	232	.125
Queens University Belfast Broncos	8	1	7	0	66	277	.125

Note: Teams tied on winning percentage separated by points scored

Date	Home Team		Away Team
	Playoffs
16.08.1998	Dublin Tigers	30	Craigavon Cowboys	0
16.08.1998	Carrickfergus Knights	40	Greystones Rebels	0
	Shamrock Bowl XIII
30.08.1998	Dublin Tigers	14	Carrickfergus Knights	22

AFAI Senior League 1999

	P	W	L	T	PF	PA	Pct
*Carrickfergus Knights	4	3	1	0	92	24	.750
*Dublin Tigers	4	3	1	0	114	34	.750
Queens University Belfast Broncos	4	0	4	0	10	158	.000

Date	Home Team		Away Team
	Shamrock Bowl XIV		Santry, Dublin
15.08.1999	Dublin Tigers	22	Carrickfergus Knights	6

IAFL Winter League 2001

	P	W	L	T	PF	PA	Pts
*Dublin Rebels	6	5	1	0	142	32	10
*Carrickfergus Knights	6	5	1	0	174	30	10
University of Limerick Vikings	6	1	5	0	12	177	2
Dublin Dragons	6	1	5	0	20	109	2

Date	Home Team		Away Team
	Shamrock Bowl XV
16.12.2001	Dublin Rebels	28	Carrickfergus Knights	7

IAFL Spring League 2002

	P	W	L	T	PF	PA	Pts
*University of Limerick Vikings	6	5	1	0	72	64	10
*Carrickfergus Knights	6	4	2	0	167	46	8
Dublin Dragons	6	2	4	0	54	95	4
Dublin Rebels	6	1	5	0	40	128	2

Date	Home Team		Away Team
	Shamrock Bowl XVI
16.06.2002	UL Vikings	0	Carrickfergus Knights	66

IAFL Division 1 2003

	P	W	L	T	PF	PA	Pts
*Carrickfergus Knights	6	5	1	0	170	26	10
*Dublin Rebels	6	5	1	0	185	39	10
Cork Admirals	6	1	5	0	68	182	2
Dublin Dragons	6	1	5	0	36	212	2

Date	Home Team		Away Team
	Semi-Final
27.07.2003	Dublin Rebels	56	Cork Admirals	8
	Shamrock Bowl XVII
10.08.2003	Carrickfergus Knights	12	Dublin Rebels	24

IAFL Super League 2004

	P	W	L	T	PF	PA	Pts
*Dublin Rebels	8	7	1	0	300	88	38
*Carrickfergus Knights	8	6	1	1	289	81	37
*Belfast Bulls	8	4	3	1	161	107	33
*Dublin Dragons	8	3	5	0	91	229	30
Cork Admirals #	8	3	5	0	124	281	27
University of Limerick Vikings	8	0	8	0	35	213	21

Note: 5 Pts Win, 4 Pts Tie, 3 Pts Loss, 0 Pts Forfeit #

Date	Home Team		Away Team
	Shamrock Bowl XVIII
29.08.2004	Dublin Rebels	24	Carrickfergus Knights	22

IAFA Irish American Football League 2005

	P	W	L	T	PF	PA	Pts
*Belfast Bulls	8	7	1	0	144	56	14
*Dublin Rebels	8	5	2	1	234	90	11
*Carrickfergus Knights	8	5	2	1	291	114	11
*Cork Admirals	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

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

Report

The American Football Association of Ireland had been running the All-Ireland American Football League since the reunification of the League in 1991. In 1997 a new organisation, Image Management and Promotions, under Jim Hutton, took over the running of the League. A number of teams dropped out of the League during this period, most notably Dublin Lightning, who were dissatisfied with the running of the sport.

In 1997 Carrickfergus Knights defeated new team Dublin Bulls, who were formed by Gateway Computers and had a very international feel to the team, 21-0 to win their first Shamrock Bowl.

In 1998 a new team emerged, Dublin Tigers, who were a merger of the Dublin Bulls and players who had played for the Dublin Tornadoes. Based on the Northside they tied with Carrickfergus Knights for the League title, only winning on Points Scored. Carrickfergus Knights won the Shamrock Bowl 22-14.

In 1999, two more teams left the League: Greystones Rebels and Craigavon Cowboys, leaving three teams: Carrickfergus Knights, Dublin Tigers and Queens University Belfast Broncos. Again the Tigers and Knights met in the Shamrock Bowl, with the Tigers gaining revenge 22-6.

With Queens University disbanding after the season and the Rebels and Tigers merging, there was no League in 2000, and the only match played was between the Ireland National Team and a High School from Baltimore, Maryland. A resulting Court Case involving Image Management and Promotions saw the League Organisation awarded to the Irish American Football Association, under Cillian Smith of the Dublin Lightning, with the history of the League also awarded to the IAFA.

In 2001 a new League started up in Winter, with all new teams: Carrickfergus Knights returned, and the Greystones Rebels reformed as the Dublin Rebels. They were joined by Dublin Dragons and University of Limerick Vikings, who had been Flag Football teams from 1999. Shamrock Bowl XV saw Dublin Rebels defeat the Knights 28-7.

The same four teams played in Spring 2002, with the Carrickfergus Knights winning easily in the Shamrock Bowl against a University of Limerick team shorn of their American players, who had left after the College Term had finished. The Vikings made the decision to drop down to the newly formed Division 2 (an 8-v-8 League) in 2003 to focus on developing their own players, and the Cork Admirals, who had played 8v8 challenge matches in 2002 made the step up to Division 1.

Again the Rebels and Knights met in the Shamrock Bowl in 2003, with the rebels winning 24-12 after thrashing the Cork Admirals 56-8 in the Semi-Final. For 2004 Divisions 1 and 2 were merged into one Super League of six teams, with Belfast Bulls making the step up along with the Vikings. The Craigavon Cowboys decided to continue playing 8v8 Football.

with a new 6-team League playing an expanded 8-game schedule the Irish American Football League again made the pages of the Evening Herald, and the Dublin Rebels (7-1) and Carrickfergus Knights (6-1-1) were again the teams to beat. Showing they weren’t just making up the numbers though were the Belfast Bulls and Dublin Dragons who both made the playoffs for the first time. Dublin Rebels won the closest Shamrock Bowl in a decade, beating Carrickfergus 24-22.

In 2005 the same six teams again took part, with The Belfast Bulls causing a shock, winning the League title on a 7-1 record, ahead of the Dublin Rebels and Carrickfergus Knights (both 5-2-1) with Cork Admirals also making the playoffs. Experience told in the Shamrock Bowl, however, as the Rebels defeated the Belfast team 26-19.

References

Websites

Websites

[19] Dublin Tornadoes (1997) Shamrock Bowl [Internet] Available from: www.connect.ie/users/tornadoes/Shamrock.html [Accessed 6 April 2001]

[1] Carrickfergus Knights (1998) Full 1998 Results and League Table [Internet] Available from: http://www.sugarcube.co.uk/knight/Full_1998_AFAI_Results_and.htm [Accessed 23 May 2000]

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

Newspaper

[3] Naughton, L. (1998) Tigers roar. Evening Herald. Saturday, 17 October 1998. p. 29.

[4] Naughton, L. (1998) New season. Evening Herald. Saturday, 29 May 1999. p. 25.

Websites

[5] Irish American Football Association (2019) Shamrock Bowl Winners [Internet] Available from: https://www.americanfootball.ie/home/kitted-football/shamrock-bowl-history/ [Accessed 11 August 2019]

Newspapers

[6] Naughton, L. (1999) Tigers roar. Evening Herald. Saturday, 21 August 1999, pg. 111.

[7] Naughton, L. (1999) Tigers maul the Knights. Evening Herald. Saturday, 19 June 1999, pg. 27.

[8] Naughton, L. (1999) Tigers roar!. Evening Herald. Saturday, 3 July 1999, pg. 25.

[9] Naughton, L. (1999) Tigers spring into final. Evening Herald. Saturday, 31 July 1999, pg. 24.

[10] Anon. (1999) “Factfile and Greyhound Racing: American Football” Irish Independent. Wednesday, July 21, 1999. pg. 22. [Internet] Available from: the British Newspaper Archive at: https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/print/bl/0001715/19990721/257/0022 [Accessed 22 April 2020]

Internet Archive

[11] Carrickfergus Knights | Wayback Machine (1999) News [Internet] Available from: https://web.archive.org/web/19990824010758/http://www.sugarcube.co.uk/knight/ [Accessed 23 March 1999]

Websites

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

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

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

[15] Irish American Football Association (2004) 2004 Results [Internet] Available from: www.americanfootball.ie/iafl/2004results.htm [Accessed 24 September 2016]

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

Images

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

[18] Irish American Football Association (2017) October 22, 2017: Nostalgia: A rare photo from the year that competitive football returned to Ireland in 2001. Dublin Rebels (black) play Dublin Dragons (burgundy) in Ringsend Park in Dublin.  [Internet] Available from: https://www.americanfootball.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/20171016_165519-1024×768.jpg [Accessed 21 April 2020]

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Cillian Smith, Michael Smith, Michael Brophy and Ralph Schmeer of the Irish American Football Association and Irish American Football Officials Association.

About this document

Researched, compiled and written 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.