8 Of The Greatest Soccer Games Ever Hosted In Cork City
The Ireland women's team return to Cork on Tuesday evening, as they play their fourth game in SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh in just three years, with the World Cup in sight. Last week's 8-0 first-leg win in Kazakhstan has removed much of the jeopardy around tonight's tie, but this is still one of just three games standing between Ireland and next summer's tournament in Brazil.
It's a testament to how well the Ireland women's team have taken to Cork that they, like the men's U21s, have made it a regular haunt since the France game in 2024. When one looks back on the city's footballing history, is it really any surprise?
Here are eight of the greatest football games ever to take place in Cork. Cork's greatest ever football matches 1973 FAI Cup final replay - Cork Hibernian 1-0 Shelbourne 29th April 1973, Flower Lodge To this day, the replay of the 1973 FAI Cup final remains the only time that the decider was played outside of Dublin.
Fitting, then, that it should be won by a Cork club. After a stalemate in Dublin the week before, Cork Hibernian and Shelbourne reconvened at Flower Lodge (now known as Páirc Uí Rinn), with the "home" side running out narrow 1-0 winners.
It was Hibs' second straight FAI Cup win, and one of only 12 ever for clubs from Cork. This was the club's golden era, as they would compete in Europe the following year, having also won the League of Ireland title in 1971.
However, their success was shortlived, and the club sadly went bust just four years after their FAI Cup triumph on home soil. 1990: Ireland 'B' 4-1 England 'B' 27th March 1990, Turners Cross Ireland fans got a window into the past earlier this year when an experimental squad took on Real Murcia and Grenada in friendlies during a training camp in Spain.
Many of those who featured in those games have gone on to establish themselves in the international camp, harking back to the days of regular 'B' internationals in the late 20th century. A firm passion of Jack Charlton's, Ireland would host regular 'B' team matches in the late 1980s and 1990s, as both a testing ground for up-and-coming players and an avenue for established players to work their way back into contention.
The finest hour of the experiment came in 1990, when Ireland 'B' tore England apart at Turners Cross. Niall Quinn was on the scoresheet twice, with the other goals coming from Alan McLoughlin and David Kelly.
This was not a case of beating a team of English nobodies, either. On the pitch in white were the likes of Matt Le Tissier, Tony Adams, David Seaman, David Batty and Lee Dixon.