The Kirk Cup is the oldest hockey tournament in Ulster and the oldest provincial hockey trophy in Ireland.Belfast Newsletter 18 April 1928 Page 5 It has become a tradition since the 1966–67 season for the final to be played on Boxing Day, a date previously reserved for the Anderson Cup Final. The final attracts the largest crowd of the Ulster hockey season. The cup is named after its donor, Mr. John Kirk, J.P, who was a member of the Antrim club. Following the creation of the Irish Hockey League, the competition remained open only to Ulster Senior League members, until 2018–19, when Irish Hockey League teams from Ulster were admitted.Belfast Telegraph
In the early years of the competition it was also known as the Ulster Senior Challenge Cup.
Historical format
From the introduction of the Cup in the 1897–98 season until the major re-organisation of the Ulster Senior League for the 1969–70 season, the format was that of a knockout competition. The Cup was competed for towards the end of the season.
From the 1969-70 all the teams in Senior League Section One and Two were split into four groups. The winner of each group would go forward to an open draw for semi-final matches.
From the 2000-01 until the 2008–09 season, the format of the competition was altered slightly. The eight teams in the Ulster Premier Hockey League were drawn into four groups. The top eight teams from Section One were drawn into these groups to create four groups of four teams each. The eight Section One teams were the relegated Premier League team from the previous season and the teams finishing in second to eighth places in the final league standings of the previous season.
Each club played the other teams in their Group once. The winners of each Group proceed to semi-final matches, with the ties decided via an open draw.
The Premier League reverted to ten teams for the 2009–10 season and these teams together with the top six teams in Section One were drawn into four groups of four teams. Each team played the other teams in their group once. The group winners contested the semi-final with the ties decided by an open draw. The two semi-final winners contested the final which is scheduled for Boxing Day. This format was used in 2010-11 too.
Current format
For the start of the 2011–12 season the entry was restricted to the Premier League teams. The ten Premier League teams were drawn in two pools of five teams, with each team playing the other teams in their pool once. The semi-finals saw the winner of one pool playing the runner-up of the other pool, with the winners of the semi-finals going on to contest the final. In 2016–17, the top sixteen teams in the Ulster Senior League were drawn into four groups of four, but since 2017-18 it has reverted to two groups of five.
Finals
(records incomplete)
1890s
Year Winner Runner-up Notes1897–98North Staffordshire Regiment32Antrim1898–99 Antrim31 King's Own Liverpool Regiment
1900s
Year Winner Runner-up Notes1899–1900North Down42Cliftonville1900–01 Antrim31 Banbridge1901–02 North Down21 Cliftonville1902–03 Strabane10 North Down1903–04 Cliftonville10 Banbridge 1904–05 Antrim21 Banbridge after extra time1905–06 Banbridge10 Malone 1906–07 Antrim31 Downpatrick 1907–08 Malone &North Down SHARED 1908–09 Banbridge52 Malone
1910s
Year Winner Runner-up Notes1909–10Banbridge30Malone1910–11 Banbridge32 Queen's University 1911–12 Cliftonville21 North Down 1912–13 Banbridge31 Queen's University 1913–14 Banbridge20 Queen's University 1914–05 Not played due to World War I1915–16 Not played due to World War I1916–17 Not played due to World War I1917–18 Not played due to World War I1918–19 Not played due to World War I
1920s
Year Winner Runner-up Notes1919–20Banbridge41Queen's University1920–21 North Down10 Banbridge1921–22 South Antrim21 Banbridge1922–23 Lisnagarvey30 North Down1923–24 Lisnagarvey20 Cliftonville1924–25 Lisnagarvey10 East Antrim1925–26 Banbridge21 Antrim1926–27 Banbridge30 East Antrim1927–28 Antrim10 East Antrim1928–29 North Down21 South Antrim after extra time
1930s
Year Winner Runner-up Notes1929–30Cliftonville30Derry YMCA1930–31 Cliftonville41 Derry YMCA1931–32 South Antrim20 East Antrim1932–33 East Antrim20 Banbridge1933–34 Lisnagarvey54 Cliftonville1934–35 Banbridge10 North Down1935–36 North Down20 Wanderers after extra time1936–37 North Down31 Lisnagarvey after extra time1937–38 Banbridge31 North Down after extra time1938–39 Lisnagarvey21 Antrim
1940s
Year Winner Runner-up Notes1939–40 Not Played due to World War II1940–41 Not Played due to World War II1941–42Lisnagarvey21North Down1942–43 Lisnagarvey20 Banbridge 1943–44 North Down31 Banbridge after two periods of extra time1944–45 Lisnagarvey21 Short & Harland 1945–46 Lisnagarvey21 Wanderers 1946–47 Portrush10 Banbridge1947–48 Lisnagarvey21 Belfast YMCA1948–49 Portrush31 Lisnagarvey
1950s
Year Winner Runner-up Notes1949–50Banbridge20Antrim1950–51 Banbridge Parkview 1951–52 1952–53 Lisnagarvey 1953–54 Lisnagarvey21 Mossley after extra time1954–55 1955–56 Parkview &Lisnagarvey SHARED 1956–57 Banbridge 1957–58 Belfast YMCA Banbridge 1958–59 Belfast YMCA Antrim
1960s
Year Winner Runner-up Notes1959–60Belfast YMCA10Portrush1960–61 Lisnagarvey21 Banbridge1961–62 Lisnagarvey20 Banbridge1962–63 Competition abandoneddue to severe winter weather1963–64 Lisnagarvey20 Antrim1964–65 Portrush42 BanbridgeAET – Replay – Game 1: 2-21965–66 Antrim10 Lisnagarvey1966–67 Parkview21 Banbridge1967–68 Cliftonville30 Antrim1968–69 Cliftonville10 Instonians
1970s
Year Winner Runner-up Notes1969–70Portrush31Instonians1970–71 Lisnagarvey CliftonvilleReplay – Game 1: 1-11971–72 Antrim &Instonians SHARED2nd replay – Game 1: 2-2, Game 2:1972–73 Lisnagarvey10 Friends School Old Boys1973–74 Lisnagarvey30 MossleyReplay – Game 1: 1-11974–75 Instonians21 Lisnagarvey1975–76 Instonians21 Cliftonville1976–77 Belfast YMCA20 Instonians1977–78 Lisnagarvey20 Belfast YMCA1978–79 Belfast YMCA30 Antrim
1980s
Year Winner Runner-up Notes1979–80LisnagarveyInstoniansReplay – Game 1: 1-11980–81 Instonians31 Banbridge1981–82 Lisnagarvey11 Banbridge Replay – Lisnagarvey won 4–2 onpenalty strokes – Game 1: 2-21982–83 Banbridge21 Belfast YMCA1983–84 Mossley20 Lisnagarvey1984–85 Belfast YMCA30 Lisnagarvey1985–86 Banbridge21 RUC1986–87 Banbridge20 CookstownReplay – Game 1: 1-11987–88 Banbridge21 MossleyReplay – Game 1: 1-11988–89 Cookstown10 Mossley
1990s
Year Winner Runner-up Notes1989–90Lisnagarvey20Banbridge1990–91 Holywood 8721 Lisnagarvey Replay – Game 1: 2-21991–92 Holywood 8710 Lisnagarvey1992–93 Holywood 8720 Instonians1993–94 Instonians31 Banbridge1994–95 Lisnagarvey21 Instonians1995–96 Lisnagarvey20 Newry1996–97 Lisnagarvey32 Instonians1997–98 Lisnagarvey20 Annadale1998–99 Lisnagarvey21 Cookstown
2000s
Year Winner Runner-up Notes1999–2000Annadale11Lisnagarveyafter extra time – Annadalewon 3–1 on penalty strokes2000–01Lisnagarvey21Annadale 2001–02Lisnagarvey21Instonians 2002–03Cookstown21Instonians 2003–04Annadale21BanbridgeAnnadale won with "Golden Goal" in 7th minute of extra time2004–05Instonians22LisnagarveyInstonians won 5–4 onpenalty strokes2005–06Banbridge21Annadale2006–07Cookstown21Lisnagarvey2007–08Annadale32Lisnagarvey2008–09Cookstown43Lisnagarveyafter extra time
2010s
Year Winner Runner-up Notes2009–10Cookstown20Banbridge2010–11Banbridge42Cookstown2011–12Lisnagarvey21Cookstown2012–13Cookstown31Lisnagarvey2013–14Annadale11Lisnagarveyafter extra time – Annadale win 4–2 on penalty strokes2014–15Banbridge31Cookstown2015–16Instonians82MossleyNews Letter, 26 December 2015BBC2016–17Annadale81Cookstown 2017–18Kilkeel11MossleyKilkeel win 3–2 on penalties.2018–19Banbridge41Annadale
2020s
Year Winner Runner-up Notes2019–20Banbridge32LisnagarveyBelfast Telegraph2020–21Not played due to Covid-192021–22Lisnagarvey32BanbridgeFront Row Union2022–23Lisnagarvey22BanbridgeGarvey won on penalty run-insUlster Hockey2023–24Lisnagarvey20BanbridgeUlster Hockey2024–25Lisnagarvey50CookstownUlster Hockey
Sources
External links Ulster Branch of Irish Hockey Association