The 1895–96 Irish League was the 6th edition of the Irish League, the highest level of league competition in Irish

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

. The league comprised four teams, and

Distillery Distillation, also classical distillation, is the process of separating the component substances of a liquid mixture of two or more chemically discrete substances; the separation process is realized by way of the selective boiling of the mixt ...

won the championship for the first time after a play-off with

Cliftonville Cliftonville is a coastal area of Margate in the Thanet District, Thanet district of Kent, England. It includes the Palm Bay, UK, Palm Bay estate, built in the 1930s with wide avenues and detached and semi-detached houses with driveways, gar ...

Season summary

No clubs were excluded or elected to the league for this season, meaning the league again continued with four clubs. For the first time, the top two teams finished level on points, meaning a play-off (referred to contemporaneously as a "test match") was required. Played at

's home ground

Solitude Solitude, also known as social withdrawal, is a state of seclusion or isolation, meaning lack of socialisation. Effects can be either positive or negative, depending on the situation. Short-term solitude is often valued as a time when one may wo ...

won the match 2–1 with two goals from

Olphie Stanfield Olphert Martin Stanfield (26 February 1869 – 13 March 1952) was an Irish footballer who played for Distillery and Ireland during the 1880s and 1890s. Stanfield was a complete forward, capable of scoring with either foot and his head. He was a ...

to win their first league title.

Teams and locations

League standings

Results

League

Championship play-off

References

External links

Northern Ireland - List of final tables (RSSSF)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Irish League 1895-96 1895-96 1895–96 domestic association football leagues Lea