Dungannon Swifts wrote a new chapter in the history books at Stangmore Park last season when they lifted the Irish Cup for the very first time.
The Swifts erased their penalty shootout agony from 2007’s showpiece final against Linfield as they overcame Cliftonville on spot kicks to seal a famous victory for the County Tyrone side.
Rodney McAree’s side showed their mettle to keep going despite Shea Kearney cancelling out John McGovern’s first-half header and having to play for over an hour with 10 men after Steven Scott’s dismissal.
The Reds’ relationship with the Irish Cup has been a love/hate one. Jim Magilton’s side ended 45 years of hurt with a 3-1 win over Linfield in the 2024 final, then came out second best last year, and now have the opportunity to reach the decider for a third season in a row.
The 2024 final will live long in the memory of the Solitude faithful especially after Ronan Hale’s iconic second goal in extra time, when he ran two-thirds of the pitch to fire into an empty goal.
After winning the cup seven times between 1883 and 1909 Cliftonville had to wait another 70 years for that legendary 3-2 win over Portadown in 1979.
Coleraine fans have also had to show a lot of patience in the Irish Cup down the years with their first triumph coming against Glenavon in 1965.
The 1970s was their peak years in the competition with three wins – 1972 against Portadown, and twice against Linfield in 1975 and 1977.
Twenty-six years passed before the Bannsiders’ next win in 2003 when Jody Tolan’s goal stopped Glentoran winning the ‘clean sweep’.
Coleraine last lifted the trophy in 2018 thanks to a 3-1 win over Cliftonville with Eoin Bradley’s trophy-clinching goal setting off wild scenes of celebration including then manager Kearney haring off down the Windsor Park touchline for a massive pile-on.
Remarkably, Larne are the only side in the last four who have yet to win the Irish Cup, but they have appeared in six finals.
The most recent came back in 2021 when Jeff Hughes scored a late consolation for the Inver Reds as Shayne Lavery and Joel Cooper were on target to secure the win for Linfield at Mourneview Park.
