Shamrock Bowl
| Sport | American football |
|---|---|
| Awarded for | Playoff champion of American Football Ireland (AFI) |
| Country | Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland |
| History | |
| First award | 1986 |
| First winner | Craigavon Cowboys |
| Most wins | Dublin Rebels (10) |
| Most recent | Louth Mavericks (1st) |
The Shamrock Bowl is the championship game of the American Football Ireland (AFI), the highest level of American football on the island of Ireland, culminating a season that begins in March of the current calendar season. The Shamrock Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, similar to the Super Bowl.
The reigning champions are the Louth Mavericks, who beat the Belfast Trojans 40-16 at Dubarry Park to win Shamrock Bowl XXXVIII on July 18, 2026.[1]
History
From 1986 to 1999, the Shamrock Bowl served as the championship game of the Irish American Football League (IAFL). This era was dominated by a handful of teams—namely the Craigavon Cowboys, Dublin Celts, Dublin Tornadoes, and Carrickfergus Knights—with at least one of these four teams appearing in every final and each securing multiple titles.[2]
Following the re-establishment of the competition under the Irish American Football Association (since rebranded as American Football Ireland) in 2001, the landscape of the Shamrock Bowl shifted. This modern era has been defined by the dominance of several programs, most notably the Dublin Rebels, who have secured a record 10 titles, and the Belfast Trojans, who have claimed the championship 6 times.
The format of the American Football Ireland (AFI) playoffs has varied over the years but generally involves the top-ranked teams from the Premier Division competing in a postseason bracket. As of 2025, the current format features a four-team playoff, with semifinal matches hosted at the home fields of the top two seeds. The winners advance to the Shamrock Bowl, which is played at a neutral venue as part of a triple-header championship event that also includes the Division 1 Harp Bowl and the women's flag football Claddagh Bowl.[3][4][5]
Results
| No. | Year | Date | Winner | Result | Runner-up | Venue | MVP | Position | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | 1986 | 5 October 1986 | Craigavon Cowboys | 6–2 | Dublin Celts | St Mary's RFC Templeville road Dublin | Nigel Trimble | Running back | [6][7][8][9] |
| II | 1987 | Dublin Celts | 43–25 | Craigavon Cowboys | North RFC Belfast | [6][7] | |||
| III | 1988 | Dublin Celts | 34–6 | Belfast Blitzers | Terenure College RFC | [6][7] | |||
| IV | 1989 | 5 November 1989 | Dublin Celts | 7–6 | Antrim Bulldogs | Musgrave Park Belfast | [6][7][8] | ||
| V[note 1] | 1990 | 11 August 1990 | Craigavon Cowboys | 31–6 | Belfast Spartans | Goodyear sports and conference centre, Craigavon | [10] | ||
| 1 September 1990 | Dublin Celts | 40–0 | Craigavon Cowboys | Goodyear sports and conference centre, Craigavon | [6][7][10] | ||||
| VI | 1991 | Dublin Celts | 44–0 | Antrim Bulldogs | Drogheda RFC Drogheda Co. Louth | [6][7] | |||
| VII | 1992 | Craigavon Cowboys | 14–6 | Antrim Bulldogs | Cooke Rugby Club, Belfast | [6][7] | |||
| VIII | 1993 | Dublin Tornadoes | 22–2 | Dublin Celts | Iveagh Grounds | [6][7] | |||
| IX | 1994 | Dublin Tornadoes | 21–15 | Carrickfergus Knights | Pat Jennings Park, Newry, Co Down | [6][7] | |||
| X | 1995 | Dublin Tornadoes | 34–12 | Carrickfergus Knights | Islandbridge, Dublin | Tornadoes offensive line (shared) | Offensive line | [6][7][8] | |
| XI | 1996 | Dublin Lightning | 26–8 | Dublin Tornadoes | St. Marys RFC, Dublin | [6][7] | |||
| XII | 1997 | Carrickfergus Knights | 21–0 | Dublin Bulls | Queens University Belfast | [6][7] | |||
| XIII | 1998 | 30 August 1998 | Carrickfergus Knights | 22–14 | Dublin Tigers | Woodburn Playing Fields, Carrickfergus | [6][7] | ||
| XIV | 1999 | 29 August 1999 | Dublin Tigers | 22–6 | Carrickfergus Knights | Sportslink, Santry, Dublin | [6][7] | ||
| N/a | 2000 | not played | [6][7] | ||||||
| XV | 2001 | 16 December 2001 | Dublin Rebels | 28–7 | Carrickfergus Knights | Woodburn Playing Fields, Carrickfergus | Brian Dennehy | Running back | [6][7] |
| XVI | 2002 | 16 June 2002 | Carrickfergus Knights | 66–0 | UL Vikings | University Bowl, Limerick | [6][7] | ||
| XVII | 2003 | 10 August 2003 | Dublin Rebels | 24–12 | Carrickfergus Knights | JJ McDowell Memorial Ground, Dublin | Brian Dennehy | Running back | [6][7][8] |
| XVIII | 2004 | 29 August 2004 | Dublin Rebels | 24–22 | Carrickfergus Knights | Dr. Hickey Park, Greystones | [6][7] | ||
| XIX | 2005 | 28 August 2005 | Dublin Rebels | 26–19 | Belfast Bulls | Grafton Arena, Deramore Park, Belfast | Andrew Dennehy | Quarterback | [6][7] |
| XX | 2006 | 20 August 2006 | Dublin Rebels | 44–12 | UL Vikings | Sportslink, Dublin | Ross McCooey | Linebacker | [6][7] |
| XXI | 2007 | 29 July 2007 | UL Vikings | 22–14 | Cork Admirals | UL Sports Ground, Limerick | Seamus Hogan | Running Back/Safety | [6][7][8] |
| XXII | 2008 | 10 August 2008 | UL Vikings | 14–12 | Dublin Rebels | CIT Stadium, Cork | Adrian Garvey | Running Back | [6][7][8] |
| XXIII | 2009 | 9 August 2009 | UL Vikings | 9–6(OT) | Dublin Rebels | Cooke Rugby Club, Belfast | Adrian Garvey | Running Back | [6][7] |
| XXIV | 2010 | 7 August 2010 | Dublin Rebels | 15–0 | UL Vikings | Tallaght Stadium, Dublin | Brian Carter | Safety | [6][7] |
| XXV | 2011 | 31 July 2011 | Dublin Rebels | 14–13 | UL Vikings | Morton Stadium, Dublin | Marcus Naylor | Safety | [6][7] |
| XXVI | 2012 | 14 July 2012 | Belfast Trojans | 16–14 | UL Vikings | Tallaght Stadium, Dublin | Neil Mongomery | Fullback | [6][7] |
| XXVII | 2013 | 20 July 2013 | Belfast Trojans | 48–18 | Dublin Rebels | Tallaght Stadium, Dublin | Neil Montgomery | Fullback | [6][7] |
| XXVIII | 2014 | 10 August 2014 | Belfast Trojans | 7–0 | Trinity College | Tallaght Stadium, Dublin | Connor Whitla | Linebacker | [6][7] |
| XXIX | 2015 | 9 August 2015 | Belfast Trojans | 28–14 | Trinity College | Dalymount Park, Dublin | Dave Colvin | Running Back | [6][7] |
| XXX | 2016 | 7 August 2016 | Dublin Rebels | 12–7 | Belfast Trojans | Tallaght Stadium, Dublin | Conrad Cook | Linebacker | [6][7] |
| XXXI | 2017 | 13 August 2017 | Dublin Rebels | 12–6 | Carrickfergus Knights | Tallaght Stadium, Dublin | Wellington Omorodion | Running Back | [6][7] |
| XXXII | 2018 | 19 August 2018 | Cork Admirals | 18–16 | Dublin Rebels | Tallaght Stadium, Dublin | Harris Monaghan | Linebacker | [6][7] |
| XXXIII | 2019 | 4 August 2019 | Belfast Trojans | 24–10 | South Dublin Panthers | Energia Park, Donnybrook, Dublin | Thomas Morris | Wide receiver | [6][7] |
| N/a | 2020 | not played | [6][7] | ||||||
| N/a | 2021 | not played | [6] | ||||||
| XXXIV | 2022 | 7 August 2022 | UCD American Football | 52–24 | Dublin Rebels | Kingspan Stadium, Belfast | Tom Donovan | Wide receiver | [6][11] |
| XXXV | 2023 | 16 July 2023 | Dublin Rebels | 40–34 | UCD American Football | MTU Stadium, Cork | Ty Henry | Quarterback | [6][12] |
| XXXVI | 2024 | 28 July 2024 | UCD American Football | 36–14 | Dublin Rebels | Dubarry Park, Athlone, Westmeath | Tom Donovan | Wide receiver | [6][13] |
| XXXVII | 2025 | 19 July 2025 | Belfast Trojans | 27–0 | UCD American Football | Dubarry Park, Athlone, Westmeath | Rayshawn Boswell | Running Back | [5][14][15] |
| XXXVIII | 2026 | 18 July 2026 | Louth Mavericks | 40–16 | Belfast Trojans | Dubarry Park, Athlone, Westmeath | Oisin Finn | Wide receiver | [16][1] |
Appearances by team
| Appearances | Team[note 2] | Wins | Losses | Season(s)[note 3] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | Dublin Rebels | 10 | 6 | 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2022, 2023, 2024 |
| 10 | Carrickfergus Knights | 3 | 7 | 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2017 |
| 8 | UL Vikings | 3 | 5 | 2002, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 |
| 8 | Belfast Trojans | 6 | 2 | 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2025, 2026 |
| 7 | Dublin Celts | 5 | 2 | 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990[note 1], 1991, 1993 |
| 4 | Dublin Tornadoes | 3 | 1 | 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996 |
| 4 | Craigavon Cowboys | 3 | 1 | 1986, 1987, 1990[note 1], 1992 |
| 4 | UCD American Football | 2 | 2 | 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 |
| 3 | Antrim Bulldogs | 0 | 3 | 1989, 1991, 1992 |
| 2 | Cork Admirals | 1 | 1 | 2007, 2018 |
| 2 | Dublin Tigers | 1 | 1 | 1998, 1999 |
| 2 | Trinity College | 0 | 2 | 2014, 2015 |
| 1 | Dublin Lightning | 1 | 0 | 1996 |
| 1 | Louth Mavericks | 1 | 0 | 2026 |
| 1 | Belfast Blitzers | 0 | 1 | 1988 |
| 1 | Dublin Bulls | 0 | 1 | 1997 |
| 1 | Belfast Bulls | 0 | 1 | 2005 |
| 1 | South Dublin Panthers | 0 | 1 | 2019 |
Notes
- 1 2 3 The 1990 Shamrock Bowl is disputed between the Craigavon Cowboys and the Dublin Celts. In 1990, the Celts elected to play in the second tier of the BAFL as well as playing unofficially against Irish teams. Meanwhile, the Cowboys won the Irish league competition, defeating the Belfast Spartans 31-6 in the final on August 11. At the end of the season, a match was organised between the Cowboys and Celts, which the Celts won 40-0.
- ↑ Bold indicate currently active team
- ↑ Bold years indicate winning seasons, italic years indicate games not yet played.
References
- 1 2 "The Louth Mavericks are Shamrock Bowl XXXVIII Champions!". American Football Ireland. 18 July 2026. Retrieved 18 July 2026.
- ↑ Journey to Thirty – American Football Ireland
- ↑ "2025 AFI Season Preview". Gaelic Gridiron. 19 February 2025. Retrieved 12 May 2025.
- ↑ UCP | AFI Weekly | The Road to Athlone is Set! – YouTube
- 1 2 AFI Championship Preview – Gaelic Gridiron (14 July 2025)
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 "Shamrock Bowl". Luckyshow.org. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 "American Football Ireland Shamrock Bowls 1986–Present". Eirball.ie. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Shamrock Bowls Box-Scores and Match Reports 1986–Present". Eirball.ie. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
- ↑ "Craigavon Cowboys Hall of Fame". Craigavon Cowboys. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
- 1 2 "Irish American Football Association Irish League and League of Ireland 1990". Eirball. Eirball.ie. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
- ↑ English, Jimmy (9 August 2022). "Irish American Football 2022 Premier Division Final Power Rankings". Gaelic Gridiron. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
- ↑ English, Jimmy (16 February 2024). "American Football Ireland 2024 Season Preview". Gaelic Gridiron. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
- ↑ English, Jimmy (29 July 2024). "Ireland: University College Dublin capture Shamrock Bowl XXXVI with overwhelming win over Dublin Rebels". American Football International. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
- ↑ "The 2025 champions have been decided". American Football Ireland. 14 July 2025. Retrieved 19 July 2025.
- ↑ Strange, Mark (20 July 2025). "Belfast Trojans win Shamrock Bowl after victory over UCD". The Irish News. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
- ↑ "American football finals set for Athlone". Westmeath Independent. 17 June 2026. Retrieved 17 June 2025.