| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Country | Northern Ireland |
| Teams | 76 |
| Defending champions | Glentoran |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Ballymena United (5th win) |
| Runners-up | Larne |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 81 |
| Goals scored | 263 (3.25 per match) |
The1988–89 Irish Cup was the 109th edition of theIrish Cup,Northern Ireland's premierfootball knock-out cup competition. It concluded on 6 May 1989 with the final.
Glentoran were the defending champions after winning their fourth consecutive Irish Cup the previous season by beatingGlenavon 1–0 in the 1988 final.[1] Their grip on the cup was finally broken byLinfield, who defeated them in the quarter-finals to inflict Glentoran's first Irish Cup defeat in 5 years.Ballymena United won the cup for the fifth time (sixth if you includeBallymena's record), defeatingLarne 1–0 in the final.[2] To date, this is Ballymena United's last cup success. In fact, they did not reach the final again until2014.
The cup was expanded to 76 clubs this season, including more non-league clubs. There would now be five rounds, then the quarter-finals, semi-finals and the final.
Annalong Swifts, Downshire Young Men, RUC, Queen's University and Blue Circle all received byes into the second round.
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Armagh City | 0–1 | Orangefield Old Boys |
| Armoy United | 3–1 | Dromara Village |
| Ballynahinch United | 2–2 (2–3p) | Civil Service |
| Bangor Amateurs | 3–1 | Larne Tech Old Boys |
| Barn United | 0–2 | Park |
| Comber Recreation | 0–4 | Harland & Wolff Sports |
| Crewe United | 6–1 | Cullybackey |
| Cromac Albion | 2–0 | Annagh United |
| Dundela | 6–2 | Ballymoney United |
| GEC | 2–1 | Loughgall |
| Harland & Wolff Welders | 3–0 | UUC |
| Institute | 0–1 | Ards Rangers |
| Islandmagee | 2–1 | Kilmore Recreation |
| Killyleagh Youth | 6–1 | Armagh Town |
| Limavady United | 2–1 | Standard Telephones & Cables |
| Macosquin | 4–0 | Saintfield United |
| Moyola Park | 4–0 | Oxford United |
| Portstewart | 0–1 | 1st Bangor Old Boys |
| POSC | 2–1 | A.F.C. Craigavon |
| Rathfriland Rangers | 2–2 (6–3p) | Newtownabbey Town |
| Shorts | 2–1 | Sirocco Works |
| Star of the Sea | 5–1 | UUJ |
| Tandragee Rovers | 2–5 | Roe Valley |
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Annalong Swifts | 1–2 | Limavady United |
| Bangor Amateurs | 1–0 | Orangefield Old Boys |
| Cromac Albion | 2–1 | Shorts |
| Downshire Young Men | 1–2 | Rathfriland Rangers |
| Dundela | 4–3 | Killyleagh Youth |
| GEC | 2–4 | Ards Rangers |
| Harland & Wolff Welders | 5–0 | Crewe United |
| Islandmagee | 2–1 | POSC |
| Macosquin | 0–1 | Armoy United |
| Moyola Park | 1–2 | Harland & Wolff Sports |
| Park | 3–0 | 1st Bangor Old Boys |
| Queen's University | 3–0 | Civil Service |
| Roe Valley | 5–1 | Blue Circle |
| RUC | 2–2 (6–5p) | Star of the Sea |
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Armoy United | 3–1 | Rathfriland Rangers |
| Cromac Albion Youth | 2–1 | Bangor Amateurs |
| Dundela | 6–0 | Islandmagee |
| Harland & Wolff Welders | 1–0 | Queen's University |
| Limavady United | 2–1 | Ards Rangers |
| Park | 0–0 (4–3p) | Harland & Wolff Sports |
| Roe Valley | 3–1 | RUC |
The 14 top flight clubs entered in this round, along with the seven third round winners, and 11 non-league clubs given byes to this round.
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Ballyclare Comrades | 2–2 | Ballymena United |
| Carrick Rangers | 2–1 | Portadown |
| Cliftonville | 1–0 | Park |
| Crusaders | 1–0 | Banbridge Town |
| Larne | 6–1 | Donegal Celtic |
| Glenavon | 0–3 | Linfield |
| Omagh Town | 2–3 | Glentoran |
| Tobermore United | 1–1 | Cromac Albion |
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Ballymena United | 5–1 | Ballyclare Comrades |
| Cromac Albion | 0–1 | Tobermore United |
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Cliftonville | 0–0 | Tobermore United |
| Crusaders | 2–3 | Ballymena United |
| Larne | 0–0 | Carrick Rangers |
| Glentoran | 0–3 | Linfield |
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Carrick Rangers | 2–3 | Larne |
| Tobermore United | 0–1 | Cliftonville |
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Cliftonville | 1–1 | Larne |
| Linfield | 1–1 | Ballymena United |
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Ballymena United | 2–1 | Linfield |
| Larne | 2–1 | Cliftonville |
| Ballymena United | 1 – 0 | Larne |
|---|---|---|
| Hardy | Report |