The 2015–16 Irish Cup (known as the Tennent's Irish Cup for sponsorship purposes) was the 136th edition of the Irish Cup, the premier knock-out cup competition in Northern Irish football since its introduction in 1881. The competition began on 18 August 2015 with the first round and concluded with the final at Windsor Park on 7 May 2016. The cup was sponsored by Tennent's Lager, the competition's first title sponsor since 2012.
Glentoran were the defending champions, after they lifted the cup for the second time in three seasons and for the 22nd time overall by defeating Portadown 1–0 in the 2015 final. Their defence of the Cup ended in the sixth round after falling to a 4–1 home defeat against 2013–14 winners, Glenavon.
Glenavon who were the eventual winners after beating Linfield 2-0 in the final, qualified for the 2016–17 UEFA Europa League first qualifying round
Format and schedule
129 clubs entered this season's competition, an increase of four clubs compared with the 2014–15 total of 125 clubs. 82 regional league clubs from tiers 4–7 in the Northern Ireland football league system entered the competition in the first round, with a further seven clubs receiving byes to proceed directly into the second round as necessitated by the number of participants. These clubs contested the first three rounds, with the 12 surviving clubs joining the 28 NIFL Championship clubs in the fourth round. The 12 NIFL Premiership clubs enter the competition in the fifth round, along with the 20 winners from the fourth round matches. All ties level after 90 minutes used extra time to determine the winner, with a penalty shoot-out to follow if necessary.
Results
Note: The league tier of each club at the time of entering the competition is listed in parentheses.
First round
The draw for the first round was made on 22 July 2015 with the matches played between 18 and 22 August 2015.
Seven clubs received byes into the second round, namely: Downpatrick (4), Dunmurry Recreation (5), Groomsport (7), Larne Tech Old Boys (5), Oxford United Stars (4), Rathfriland Rangers (5) and Seagoe (5).
Note: All entrants at this stage were at regional level (tiers 4–7).
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|colspan="3" style="background:#E8FFD8;"|18 August 2015
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|colspan="3" style="background:#E8FFD8;"|20 August 2015
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|colspan="3" style="background:#E8FFD8;"|21 August 2015
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|colspan="3" style="background:#E8FFD8;"|22 August 2015
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Source: irishfa.com
Second round
48 clubs competed in the second round; the 41 winners from the first round matches, along with the seven clubs that received byes. The draw took place on 25 August 2015, with the matches played on 3 October 2015.
Note: All entrants at this stage were at regional level (tiers 4–7).
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Source: irishfa.com
Third round
The 24 winners from the second round entered this round. The draw took place on 13 October 2015, with the fixtures played on 7 November 2015. As the only tier 7 club remaining, Downshire Young Men were the lowest-ranked side to reach this stage of the competition, but were ultimately knocked out after a narrow 3–2 defeat to Crumlin United.
Note: All entrants at this stage were at regional level (tiers 4–7).
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Source: irishfa.com
Fourth round
The fourth round draw was completed on 10 November 2015, with the matches completed between 5 December 2015 and 2 January 2016. The 28 NIFL Championship clubs entered the competition at this stage, and were joined by the 12 third round winners. As the only tier 6 club remaining, Wellington Recreation were the lowest-ranked side to reach this stage of the competition, but they were eliminated by Harland & Wolff Welders.
Note: Intermediate clubs entered the competition at this stage (tiers 2–3).
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|colspan="3" style="background:#E8FFD8;"|5 December 2015
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|colspan="3" style="background:#E8FFD8;"|8 December 2015
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|colspan="3" style="background:#E8FFD8;"|9 December 2015
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|colspan="3" style="background:#E8FFD8;"|19 December 2015
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|colspan="3" style="background:#E8FFD8;"|2 January 2016
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Fifth round
The fifth round draw took place on 8 December 2015, with the matches completed on 9 and 19 January 2016. The 20 winners from the fourth round matches joined the 12 NIFL Premiership clubs to make up the final 32 clubs. As the sole remaining club from tier 5, Rathfriland Rangers were the lowest ranked side to reach the fifth round, but were eliminated by Crusaders.