Connacht Junior Cup (association football)

The Connacht Junior Cup or Connaught Junior Cup is a cup competition organised by the Connacht Football Association for junior association football clubs. In the seasons when there has been no active Connacht Senior League or Connacht Senior Cup, this junior cup competition has effectively been the top level competition for non-League of Ireland clubs affiliated to the CFA. As a result, it is often simply just referred to as the Connacht Cup or Connaught Cup. The inaugural winners were Galway Town. The competition's most successful clubs have been Castlebar Celtic and Galway Bohemians who have been winners at least nine times each. Sligo Rovers, Longford Town, Galway Rovers and Mervue United were all winners before going on to join the League of Ireland.^[1][2][3]

Connacht Junior Cup

Organising body	Connacht Football Association
Founded	1928
Region	Connacht
Current champions	Athenry FC
Most successful club(s)	Castlebar Celtic (9) Galway Bohemians (9)^[1]
Website	www.connachtfa.com

List of finals

Date	Winner	Score	Runners-up	Venue
2022-23	Athenry	5-4 PENS	Castlebar Celtic	Solar 21 Park, Castlebar
2019–20	Salthill Devon	2–1	Westport United	Mile Bush, Castlebar
2018–19	Corrib Rangers	1–0	Manulla	Eamonn Deacy Park
2017–18	Mervue United	5–4 PENS	Carbury FC	The Showgrounds
2016–17	Ballinasloe Town	3–2	West United	Eamonn Deacy Park
2015–16	Athenry^[4]	7–0	Ballinasloe Town	Lecarrow
2014–15	Mervue United	2–1	Athenry	Eamonn Deacy Park
2013–14	Ballinasloe Town^[5]	0–0 ^[note 1]	Castlebar Celtic	Milebush Park, Castlebar
2012–13	Ballinasloe Town		Athenry
2011–12	Westport United
2010–11	Athenry
2009–10	Athenry
2008–09	Castlerea Celtic
2007–08	Athenry
2006–07	Athenry
2005–06	Abbey United		Castlebar Celtic
2004–05	Mervue United	4–1	Glenview Stars
2003–04	Ballinasloe Town	2–1	Manulla
2002–03	Castlebar Celtic		Moyne Villa
2001–02	Mervue United
2000–01	Galway Hibernians	2–1	Skyvalley
1999–2000	Galway Hibernians	4–2	Charlestown Athletic
1998–99	Strand Celtic		Ballyglass
1997–98	Mervue United		Crescent United
1996–97	Galway Bohemians		Cliffoney Celtic
1995–96	Calry Bohemians	1–0	Ballyglass
1994–95	Galway Hibernians
1993–94	Galway Hibernians	2–0	Abbey United
1992–93	Galway Bohemians
1991–92	Crescent United	1–0	Urlaur United
1990–91	Mervue United
1989–90	Mervue United
1988–89	Castlebar Town	4–0	Calry Bohemians
1987–88	Sligo Corinthians
1986–87	Westport United	2–1^[6]	West United
1985–86	Castlebar Celtic	2–1	Galway Hibernians
1984–85	Castlebar Celtic	3–2	Mervue United^[3]
1983–84	Sligo Collegians
1982–83	Galway Hibernians
1981–82	West United
1980–81	Coolera Rovers
1979–80	Castlebar Celtic		Mervue United^[3]
1978–79	UCG
1977–78	Galway Bohemians
1976–77	Ballina Town	2–1	Galway Descpo
1975–76	UCG		West United
1974–75	West United	5–1	Westport
1973–74	Westport United	1–0^[7]	OLBC (Galway)	Westport Sports Park
1972–73	UCG	2–0	Ballina Town
1971–72	Galway Bohemians
1970–71	Gilooly Rangers
1969–70	Galway Bohemians
1968–69	collegians
1967–68	Collegians
1966–67	UCG	1–0	Sligo Collegians
1965–66	Shannon (Sligo)
1964–65	UCG
1963–64	Castlebar Celtic	5–2	Westport United
1962–63	OLBC (Galway)
1961–62	Collegians
1960–61	Westport United	4–1	Sligo Rangers
1959–60	Castlebar Celtic	3–0	OLBC (Galway)
1958–59	Castlebar Celtic	2–1	Sligo Collegians
1957–58	Galway Rovers
1956–57	Shamrock Athletic		Sligo St. Annes
1955–56	Galway Bohemians
1954–55	Castlebar Celtic
1953–54	Sligo Bohemians
1952–53	Galway Bohemians
1951–52	^[note 2]
1950–51	Galway Hibernians
1949–50	Westport Town
1948–49	Sligo Bohemians
1947–48	M.C.R. Sligo		Castlebar Celtic
1946–47	Castlebar Celtic	1–0	Galway Rovers
1945–46	Galway Bohemians
1944–45	Westport Town
1943–44	Galway Bohemians
1942–43	Sligo Bohemians
1941–42	Westport Town	3–2	Galway Bohemians
1940–41	St Mary's (Sligo)
1939–40	Killybegs
1938–39	Galway Bohemians
1937–38	Galway Bohemians
1936–37	Distillery F.C. (Sligo)
1935–36	Sligo Bohemians
1934–35	Sligo Bohemians
1933–34	Killybegs	5–4	Galway
1932–33	Glen Celtic AFC
1931–32	Longford Town
1930–31	Hibernians (Athlone)	5–1 ^[note 3]	Galway^[8]
1929–30	Sligo Rovers
1928–29	Galway Town	1–1 ^[note 4]	Hibernians (Athlone)^[8]	Sligo

Source:^{[1][9][10][3][11][12]}

Notes

1. Ballinasloe Town won 4–2 on penalties
2. The list of Connaught Junior Cup Past Finals at foot.ie lists Galway Bohemians and Killybegs as winners and runners up respectively
3. This was a second replay. Two earlier games both finished 1–1
4. The game finished 1–1 and Hibernians (Athlone) refused to play extra time. Galway Town were awarded cup following a meeting of the Connacht Football Association

References

1. (PDF). inform.fai.ie. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 February 2016. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
2. . castlebarceltic.com. Archived from the original on 5 April 2016. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
3. "Mervue United Club Role of Honour". mervueunited.com. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
4. "It's seven up for Athenry in one-sided Junior Cup final". Connacht Tribune. 19 May 2016. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
5. "Ballinasloe Town retain Connacht Junior Cup with win over Castlebar Celtic". thejuniorsoccerportal. 12 May 2014. Retrieved 19 April 2016.
6. "Westport Utd F.C., History 1980 – 2001". mayo-ireland.ie. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
7. "Westport Utd FC, History 1911 – 1980". mayo-ireland.ie. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
8. Lynch, Frank (1991). A History of Athlone Town F.C: The First 101 Years. Athlone: Arcadia.
9. . castlebarceltic.com. Archived from the original on 4 April 2016. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
10. . westportunited.com. Archived from the original on 6 February 2010. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
11. "Athenry F.C. – Club Honours". athenryfootballclub.com. Retrieved 19 April 2016.
12. "Connaught Junior Cup Past Finals". foot.ie. 5 April 2007. Retrieved 19 April 2016.