[3] It was previously sponsored by Nationwide Building Society, Bass Ireland Ltd, JJB Sports,[4] Tennent's Lager[5] and Sadler's Peaky Blinder[6] and Samuel Gelston's Irish Whiskey.

[7] During the cup's history, different formats and rules have been used in respect of eligibility to enter the competition, the number of teams and rounds, replays, extra time, penalties, etc.

Clubs obtain such status by meeting minimum criteria laid down by the IFA in respect of facilities, etc.

The competition usually begins in August or September with the first qualifying round, and ends with the final in May of the following year.

Depending on the number of entrants, the draw sometimes necessitates byes in the earlier rounds.

In all ties that finish level after 90 minutes, extra time is played and (if necessary) penalties are used to decide the winner.

The draw for the first round took place on 10 January 1881, with the first ever Irish Cup matches being played on 5 February 1881.

The cup final is the climax of the domestic season in Northern Ireland and usually attracts the biggest attendance of any club match.

In the early years, Army regiments stationed in Ireland entered teams such as King's Own Rifles (Cork), three of which reached the final: the Gordon Highlanders in 1890, the Black Watch (Limerick) in 1892 and the Sherwood Foresters (Curragh, County Kildare) in 1897.

This was the first final to be played outside Belfast since 1975, when Coleraine won the Cup with a 1–0 victory over Linfield in the second replay, after 1–1 and 0–0 draws in the first two games.

The first final ever played outside Belfast took place in 1903, when Distillery won their 7th Irish Cup with a 3–1 victory over Bohemians at Dalymount Park, Dublin.

The last time this occurred, and the last final replay ever played before they were abolished was in 1993, when Bangor defeated Ards 1–0 after two 1–1 draws.

In addition, 29 final replays have been contested, for a total of 170 matches played at thirteen different grounds.

Windsor Park has been the most common venue, having hosted 78 finals including replays.