The 1923 FAI Cup Final was contested by League of Ireland side Shelbourne of

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

and

Alton United Alton United F.C. is a defunct Irish football club who were based in Belfast, Northern Ireland and played in the Falls District League. During their time in the Falls District League, Alton United played their home matches in the Falls Road area ...

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

's Fall's League on 17 March at

Dalymount Park Dalymount Park (Irish: ''Páirc Cnocán Uí Dhálaigh'') is a football stadium in Phibsborough on the Northside of Dublin, Ireland. It is the home of Bohemian F.C., who have played there since the early 20th century. Affectionately known as D ...

Matchday summary

Given the turbulent political situation in Dublin at the time,

were given an armed escort from Amiens Street Station by the

IRA Ira or IRA may refer to: *Ira (name), a Hebrew, Sanskrit, Russian or Finnish language personal name *Ira (surname), a rare Estonian and some other language family name *Iran, UNDP code IRA Law *Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, US, on status of ...

. The Dubliners who were red hot favourites to lift the trophy in only its second year, played well below par and the visitors won it through the only goal. Alton's players were presented with their medals after the game, but the Football Association of Ireland refused them permission to take the trophy back to Belfast with them due to the tense political situation there. Shortly after Alton affiliated to the

Irish Football Association The Irish Football Association (IFA) is the governing body for association football in Northern Ireland. It organised the Ireland national football team from 1880 to 1950, which after 1954, became the Northern Ireland national football team. ...

and therefore never defended the trophy the following season.

Match details

Shelbourne 0-1 Alton United Scorer:McSherry Shelbourne line-up:Paddy Walsh, Paddy Kavanagh, James Connolly, Dan Delaney,

Val Harris Valentine Harris (Irish: ''Vailintín Ó hEarchaí''; 23 June 1884 in Ringsend, Dublin, Ireland – 9 November 1963), commonly referred to as Val Harris, was an Irish footballer who played Gaelic football for the Dublin county team and soccer f ...

, Mick Foley, Eddie Brierley, Stephen Doyle, Jimmy Harvey, Ralph Ardiff, Sammy Wilson Alton United line-up: Jimmy Maginnis, Edward McNeill, Hugh Bell, Paddy Devlin, Michael Brennan, Bobby Loughran, Andy McSherry, Billy Duffy, Sammy Ward, Jack Russell, Hugh McCann Attendance:14,000 Gate receipts:£694/11/0

Road to Dalymount Park

{{Shelbourne F.C.

1923 Events January–February * January 9 – Lithuania begins the Klaipėda Revolt to annex the Klaipėda Region (Memel Territory). * January 11 – Despite strong British protests, troops from France and Belgium occupy the Ruhr area, t ...

Fai Cup Final 1923

Final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...

FAI Cup Final, 1923 FAI Cup Final