The Ulster Towns Cup is a
rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...
competition organized by the
Ulster
Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kin ...
branch of the
Irish Rugby Football Union.
It is confined to teams outside of
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 Kingdom ...
. Since the resumption of play after
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, where a town is represented by a senior club, their second team is the one that competes.
The Final is traditionally played on
Easter
Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the '' Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samuel ...
Monday at
Ravenhill.
The most successful club is
Dungannon with 20 wins (19 outright wins and 1 shared win). The trophy is currently held by Ballyclare RFC.
FINALS
(''Records are incomplete'')
1880s
* 1883
City of Derry
* 1884
Dungannon
* 1885 Bessbrook
* 1886 Bessbrook & Dungannon (shared)
* 1887 Bessbrook
* 1888 Bessbrook
* 1889 City of Derry
1890s
* 1890
Armagh
* 1891
City of Derry
* 1892 City of Derry
* 1893 City of Derry
* 1894
Dungannon
* 1895 Dungannon 1 goal and 1 try – nil
Dundalk
Dundalk ( ; ga, Dún Dealgan ), meaning "the fort of Dealgan", is the county town (the administrative centre) of County Louth, Ireland. The town is on the Castletown River, which flows into Dundalk Bay on the east coast of Ireland. It is h ...
* 1896 Dungannon
* 1897 City of Derry
* 1898 City of Derry 3-0 Dungannon
* 1899 Dungannon
1900s
* 1900 Competition abandoned over a ground dispute between City of Derry & Dungannon
* 1901 Competition abandoned over a ground dispute between City of Derry & Dungannon
* 1902
Dungannon 18-0
City of Derry
* 1903 Dungannon
* 1904
Bangor 11-3 City of Derry
* 1905 Dungannon 24-0 City of Derry
* 1906 Bangor 12-10 City of Derry
* 1907 Dungannon 15-3 Bangor
(1907 - Bangor successfully protested the result of the original final, as Dungannon fielded an ineligible player and a replay was ordered. The original game finished as a 19–3 victory for Dungannon)
* 1908 City of Derry 8-3 Bangor
* 1909 Bangor 16-8
Armagh
1910s
* 1910
Armagh 13-0 Carrickfergus
* 1911 Carrickfergus 11-3 Armagh
* 1912
Dungannon 9-3 Armagh
* 1913 Carrickfergus 8-3 Larne
* 1914 Larne 9-3 Carrickfergus
* 1915-1919 Not played
1920s
* 1920 Bangor 5-3
Armagh
* 1921 Larne 7-0 Donaghadee
* 1922 Lurgan 6-0 Larne
* 1923 Bangor 19-8
Dungannon
* 1924 Donaghadee 4-3 Dungannon
* 1925 Lurgan 11-4 Larne
* 1926 Lurgan 17-8 Donaghadee
* 1927 Coleraine 11-3 Lurgan
* 1928
Ballymena 3-0 Lurgan
* 1929 Armagh 8-6 Bangor
1930s
* 1930 Bangor 9-7
Dungannon
* 1931 Coleraine 14-9 Larne
* 1932
Ballymena 16-3 Coleraine
* 1933
Banbridge
Banbridge ( , ) is a town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies on the River Bann and the A1 road and is named after a bridge built over the River Bann in 1712. It is situated in the civil parish of Seapatrick and the historic barony of Iv ...
3-0
Portadown
Portadown () is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The town sits on the River Bann in the north of the county, about southwest of Belfast. It is in the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council area and had a population of a ...
* 1934 Enniskillen 16-6 Dungannon
* 1935
City of Derry 9-6 Ballymena
* 1936 City of Derry 10-3 Dromore
* 1937 Enniskillen 5-3 Dromore (Replay - Game 1: 0-0 after extra time)
* 1938 Coleraine 12-3 Limavady
* 1939 Dromore 17-3 Donaghadee
1940s
* 1940-1945 Not played
* 1946 Bangor 11-6
City of Derry (after extra time)
* 1947
Armagh 9-8 Bangor
* 1948
Dungannon 8-0
Ballymena
* 1949 Dungannon 8-3 Ballymena
1950s
* 1950
Dungannon 5-3 Lurgan
* 1951
Armagh 3-0
Ballymena
* 1952 Lurgan 11-3 Armagh
* 1953 Ballymena 13-3 Donaghadee
* 1954 Coleraine 5-0 Lurgan
* 1955 Lurgan 3-0 Strabane
* 1956 Bangor 11-6 Lurgan
* 1957
Portadown
Portadown () is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The town sits on the River Bann in the north of the county, about southwest of Belfast. It is in the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council area and had a population of a ...
12-0
Banbridge
Banbridge ( , ) is a town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies on the River Bann and the A1 road and is named after a bridge built over the River Bann in 1712. It is situated in the civil parish of Seapatrick and the historic barony of Iv ...
* 1958 Lurgan 11-3 Donaghadee
* 1959 Portadown 11-0 Lurgan
1960s
* 1960
Dungannon II 9-6
Ballymena II
* 1961 Dungannon II 14-3
City of Derry
* 1962
Ards
Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a type of respiratory failure characterized by rapid onset of widespread inflammation in the lungs. Symptoms include shortness of breath (dyspnea), rapid breathing (tachypnea), and bluish skin color ...
8-3 Dungannon II
* 1963 Ballymena II 9-6 Coleraine
* 1964
Ballynahinch 11-0 Bangor (Replay after 6–6 draw)
* 1965 Dungannon II 3-0
Armagh
* 1966 Dungannon II 5-3 Armagh
* 1967 Coleraine 14-0 Dungannon II
* 1968 Bangor 26-11 Dungannon II
* 1969 Bangor 14-12 Ards
1970s
* 1970
Ballymena II 11-3
Dungannon II
* 1971
Armagh 6-3 Ballymena II
* 1972 Bangor II 3-0
Ards
Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a type of respiratory failure characterized by rapid onset of widespread inflammation in the lungs. Symptoms include shortness of breath (dyspnea), rapid breathing (tachypnea), and bluish skin color ...
* 1973 Ballymena II 58-7 Ballyclare
* 1974 Ballymena II 23-6
Magherafelt
Magherafelt (, mˠaxəɾʲəˈfʲiːlt̪ˠə is a small town and civil parish in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 8,805 at the 2011 Census. It is the biggest town in the south of the county and is the social, econo ...
* 1975 Bangor II 3-0 Dungannon II
* 1976 Ballyclare 19-6
Magherafelt
Magherafelt (, mˠaxəɾʲəˈfʲiːlt̪ˠə is a small town and civil parish in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 8,805 at the 2011 Census. It is the biggest town in the south of the county and is the social, econo ...
* 1977 Ballymena II 21-4 Lisburn
* 1978 Ballyclare 18-6 Armagh
* 1979 Ballymena II 6-3 Ballyclare
1980s
* 1980 Ballyclare 15-3
City of Derry (Replay - Game 1: 3-3)
* 1981
Armagh 15-6
Ballynahinch
* 1982 Carrickfergus 3-0 Larne
* 1983 Magherafelt 9-0 Coleraine
* 1984 Coleraine 9-4 Carrickfergus
* 1985 Lisburn 12-6
Magherafelt
Magherafelt (, mˠaxəɾʲəˈfʲiːlt̪ˠə is a small town and civil parish in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 8,805 at the 2011 Census. It is the biggest town in the south of the county and is the social, econo ...
* 1986 Ballyclare 18-4 Magherafelt
* 1987 Ballynahinch 9-4 Enniskillen
* 1988 Ballynahinch 9-4
Banbridge
Banbridge ( , ) is a town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies on the River Bann and the A1 road and is named after a bridge built over the River Bann in 1712. It is situated in the civil parish of Seapatrick and the historic barony of Iv ...
* 1989
Banbridge
Banbridge ( , ) is a town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies on the River Bann and the A1 road and is named after a bridge built over the River Bann in 1712. It is situated in the civil parish of Seapatrick and the historic barony of Iv ...
9-3
Antrim
1990s
* 1990
Ballynahinch 18-11
Ballymena II
* 1991 Ballymena II 13-7
Omagh
Omagh (; from ga, An Ómaigh , meaning 'the virgin plain') is the county town of County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is situated where the rivers Drumragh and Camowen meet to form the Strule. Northern Ireland's capital city Belfast is 68 m ...
* 1992 Carrickfergus 9-3 Ballyclare
* 1993
Banbridge
Banbridge ( , ) is a town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies on the River Bann and the A1 road and is named after a bridge built over the River Bann in 1712. It is situated in the civil parish of Seapatrick and the historic barony of Iv ...
23-8 Ballyclare
* 1994 Ballymena II 24-10
Magherafelt
Magherafelt (, mˠaxəɾʲəˈfʲiːlt̪ˠə is a small town and civil parish in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 8,805 at the 2011 Census. It is the biggest town in the south of the county and is the social, econo ...
* 1995 Ballynahinch 15-13 Banbridge
* 1996
Dungannon II 37-8 Coleraine
* 1997 Coleraine 19-17 Holywood
* 1998 Coleraine 18-8 Dromore
* 1999 Dungannon II 30-10 Coleraine
2000s
* 2000
Ballymena II 42-11 Limavady
* 2001
Magherafelt
Magherafelt (, mˠaxəɾʲəˈfʲiːlt̪ˠə is a small town and civil parish in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 8,805 at the 2011 Census. It is the biggest town in the south of the county and is the social, econo ...
57-31
Omagh
Omagh (; from ga, An Ómaigh , meaning 'the virgin plain') is the county town of County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is situated where the rivers Drumragh and Camowen meet to form the Strule. Northern Ireland's capital city Belfast is 68 m ...
* 2002
Omagh
Omagh (; from ga, An Ómaigh , meaning 'the virgin plain') is the county town of County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is situated where the rivers Drumragh and Camowen meet to form the Strule. Northern Ireland's capital city Belfast is 68 m ...
32-26
Ballynahinch II
* 2003
Ards
Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a type of respiratory failure characterized by rapid onset of widespread inflammation in the lungs. Symptoms include shortness of breath (dyspnea), rapid breathing (tachypnea), and bluish skin color ...
27-20 Coleraine
* 2004 Ballyclare 30-26 Coleraine
* 2005 Ballymena II 23-18 Magherafelt
* 2006 Coleraine 26-22 Clogher Valley
* 2007 Clogher Valley 13-9 Enniskillen
* 2008
Armagh 49-6
Portadown
Portadown () is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The town sits on the River Bann in the north of the county, about southwest of Belfast. It is in the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council area and had a population of a ...
* 2009
City of Derry 14-10 Ballynahinch II
2010s
* 2010 Ballymoney 15-14 Clogher Valley
* 2011 Clogher Valley 34-7
Ballynahinch II
* 2012 Clogher Valley 11-0
Ballymena II
* 2013 Ballyclare 28-28
City of Derry II after extra time TROPHY SHARED
* 2014 Clogher Valley 15-7 Donaghadee
* 2015 Ballynahinch II 17-13 Clogher Valley
* 2016 Bangor 31-25 Enniskillen
* 2017 Ballynahinch II 17-13 Enniskillen
* 2018 Ballyclare 27-6 Portadown
* 2019 Enniskillen 19-0 Ballyclare
2020s
* 2020 Ballynahinch II v Ballyclare Trophy Shared (COVID-19)
* 2022 Ballyclare 32-27 Dromore
Ulster Rugby
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Sources
{{Ulster Rugby Links
Rugby union competitions in Ulster