The Harp Bowl is the championship game of Division 1 of American Football Ireland (AFI), the second tier of AFI competition under the Premier Division. The winner of the Harp Bowl is promoted to the Premier Division in the following season, replacing the team at the bottom of the Premier Division standings. The Harp Bowl represents the culmination of Division 1's regular season, in which the top four teams advance to a playoff bracket whose finalists meet in the Harp Bowl.
The Harp Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, similar to the Super Bowl and the Premier Division's Shamrock Bowl. The reigning champions are the South Dublin Panthers, who beat the Northwest Vipers 60–6 at Dubarry Park to win Harp Bowl XI on 18 July 2026.
History The Harp Bowl competition was previously known as the IAFL1 Bowl from 2014–2021 (including a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic) and the Division 1 Bowl in 2022–23, and was reintroduced as the Harp Bowl in 2024, with Roman numeral nomenclature retroactively applied to previous Division 1 titles.
Results No. Year Date Winner Result Runner-up Venue References I 2014 UCD American Football 40–0 Cork Admirals II 2015 Waterford Wolves 13–12 Cork Admirals III 2016 Cork Admirals 38–7 Belfast Trojans 2nds IV 2017 20 July 2017 Louth Mavericks 23–18 Craigavon Cowboys V 2018 12 August 2018 West Dublin Rhinos 16–14 Craigavon Cowboys Gorey Celtic FC, Gorey, Co. Wexford VI 2019 28 July 2019 Craigavon Cowboys 28–27 Westmeath Minotaurs Navan RFC 2020 not played 2021 not played VII 2022 Westmeath Minotaurs 16–13 UL Vikings VIII 2023 9 July 2023 UL Vikings 6–2 Louth Mavericks Garryowen RFC, Limerick IX 2024 27 July 2024 Craigavon Cowboys 35–0 West Dublin Rhinos Dubarry Park, Athlone X 2025 19 July 2025 Louth Mavericks 44–0 Westmeath Minotaurs Dubarry Park, Athlone XI 2026 18 July 2026 South Dublin Panthers 60–6 Northwest Vipers Dubarry Park, Athlone
Appearances by team AppearancesTeamBold indicate currently active teamWinnersRunner-upSeason(s)Bold years indicate winning seasons, italic years indicate games not yet played.References4Craigavon Cowboys222017, 2018, 2019, 20243Louth Mavericks212017, 2023, 20253Cork Admirals122014, 2015, 20163Westmeath Minotaurs122019, 2022, 20252UL Vikings112022, 2023 2West Dublin Rhinos112018, 20241University College Dublin1020141Waterford Wolves1020151South Dublin Panthers1020261Northwest Vipers0120261Belfast Trojans 2nds012016
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