# 1988–89 Irish Cup

The 1988–89 Irish Cup was the 109th edition of the Irish Cup, Northern Ireland's premier football 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 beating Glenavon 1–0 in the 1988 final. Their grip on the cup was finally broken by Linfield, 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 include Ballymena's record), defeating Larne 1–0 in the final. To date, this is Ballymena United's last cup success. In fact, they did not reach the final again until 2014.
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.

## Results
### First round

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 (2–3 p) | 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 (6–3 p) | Newtownabbey Town |
| Shorts | 2–1 | Sirocco Works |
| Star of the Sea | 5–1 | UUJ |
| Tandragee Rovers | 2–5 | Roe Valley |

### Second round

| 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 (6–5 p) | Star of the Sea |

### Third round

| 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 (4–3 p) | Harland & Wolff Sports |
| Roe Valley | 3–1 | RUC |

### Fourth round

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 |
| Ards | 0–1 | Cromac Albion |
| Banbridge Town | 3–0 | Roe Valley |
| Carrick Rangers | 1–0 | Bangor |
| Cookstown United | 1–4 | Ballyclare Comrades |
| Coleraine | 1-3 | Linfield |
| Crusaders | 2–0 | Dungannon Swifts |
| Distillery | 1–4 | Ballymena United |
| Dunmurry Rec. | 0–1 | Donegal Celtic |
| Larne | 3–0 | Chimney Corner |
| Portadown | 1–0 | Coagh United |
| Glenavon | 4–2 | Dundela |
| Glentoran | 5–1 | Armoy United |
| Newry Town | 1–2 | Cliftonville |
| Omagh Town | 2–0 | Brantwood |
| Park | 2–0 | Harland & Wolff Welders |
| Tobermore United | 3–0 | Limavady United |

### Fifth 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 |

#### Replays

| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
| Ballymena United | 5–1 | Ballyclare Comrades |
| Cromac Albion | 0–1 | Tobermore United |

### Quarter-finals

| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
| Cliftonville | 0–0 | Tobermore United |
| Crusaders | 2–3 | Ballymena United |
| Larne | 0–0 | Carrick Rangers |
| Glentoran | 0–3 | Linfield |

#### Replays

| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
| Carrick Rangers | 2–3 | Larne |
| Tobermore United | 0–1 | Cliftonville |

### Semi-finals

| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
| Cliftonville | 1–1 | Larne |
| Linfield | 1–1 | Ballymena United |

#### Replays

| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
| Ballymena United | 2–1 | Linfield |
| Larne | 2–1 | Cliftonville |