West Cork League

The West Cork League is an association football league featuring amateur and junior clubs from West Cork. Its top division, the PremierHiSpecCars.com Premier Division, is a seventh level division in the Republic of Ireland football league system. It is affiliated to both the Munster Football Association and the Football Association of Ireland.

West Cork League

Founded	1978[1]
Country	Ireland
Confederation	Munster Football Association[2]
Divisions	PremierHiSpecCars.com Premier Division O'Brien Water Services.com Division 1 WCL Womens 7s Tournament[3]
Number of teams	22 (2024-25)[4]
Level on pyramid	7–10
League cup(s)	Beamish Cup [note 1]
Current champions	Clonakilty Soccer Club
Website	www.westcorkleague.com

History

The West Cork League was formed in 1978. Before 1978 clubs from West Cork, including Bandon A.F.C. and Clonakilty AFC, played in the Cork Athletic Union League. The founding members of the league included Crookstown, Castletown Celtic, Kileady, Ballinhassig, Our Ladies Hospital and Brinny. In 1990 discussions were held with the Cork Athletic Union League about a possible merger. However the two leagues could not agree. Between 1991 and 1993 the WCL was affiliated with the Munster Senior League. In 1992 Beamish began sponsoring the league. During the 1980s and 1990s membership of the league expanded and by 1997 the WCL featured approximately twenty three clubs. In addition schoolboy, under–18 and ladies leagues were added in the 1990s. The current Ladies League was revived in 2004–05 after a period of inactivity.^[1] Drinagh Rangers have been the most successful club since the turn of the century, winning 11 Premier Division titles (and finishing in the top 2 on 15 occasions) and 4 Beamish Cups, with the clubs B team also winning the Division 2 title in the 2018–19 season and 2019-20 season.

Representative team

In 2005–06 the West Cork League representative team reached the final of the Oscar Traynor Cup but lost 5-0 to the Athletic Union League (Dublin).^[1] In 2015 the West Cork League representative team featured Cork GAA player Colm O'Driscoll.^[5]

2024-25 teams

Premier HiSpecCars.com Premier Division

• Beara United
• Bunratty United
• Castletown Celtic
• Clonakilty Soccer Club
• Drinagh Rangers
• Drinagh Rangers B
• Dunmanway Town
• Mizen AFC
• Sullane
• Togher Celtic

^[6]

List of winners

Premier Division

Season	Winner	Runners-up
2023-24	Clonakilty Soccer Club	Drinagh Rangers
2022-23	Drinagh Rangers	Dunmanway Town
2021-22	Drinagh Rangers	Dunmanway Town
2020–21	Cancelled Due To Covid
2019–20	Drinagh Rangers	Dunmanway Town
2018–19	Dunmanway Town	Ballydehob
2017–18	Drinagh Rangers	Lyre Rovers
2016–17	Dunmanway Town	Drinagh Rangers
2015–16	Riverside Athletic	Drinagh Rangers
2014–15	Drinagh Rangers	Clonakilty AFC
2013–14	Skibbereen	Drinagh Rangers
2012–13	Drinagh Rangers	Dunmanway Town
2011–12	Dunmanway Town	Skibbereen
2010–11	Bunratty United	Skibbereen
2009–10	Skibbereen	Drinagh Rangers
2008–09	Drinagh Rangers	Dunmanway Town
2007–08	Skibbereen	Clonakilty AFC
2006–07	Drinagh Rangers	Skibbereen
2005–06	Crossmahon	Bantry Gunners
2004–05	Drinagh Rangers	Crossmahon [note 2]
2003–04	Drinagh Rangers	Crossmahon
2002–03	Drinagh Rangers	Bunratty United
2001–02	Bunratty United	Drinagh Rangers
2000–01	Timoleague	Bunratty United
1999–2000	Bunratty United
1998–99	Timoleague
1997–98	Bunratty United
1996–97	Bunratty United
1995–96	Crossmahon
1994–95	Togher Celtic

^[6]

Division 1

Season	Winner	Runners-up
2023-24	Castletown Celtic	Drinagh Rangers B
2022-23	Sullane	Beara United
2021-22	Bunratty United	Castletown Celtic
2020-21	Cancelled Due To Covid
2019–20	Spartak Mossgrove	Mizen AFC
2018–19	Durrus	Mizen AFC
2017–18	Bunratty United	Clonakilty Town
2016–17	Spartak Mossgrove	Lyre Rovers
2015–16	Ballydehob	Bay Rovers
2014–15	Bunratty United	Leeside
2013–14	Mizen AFC	Clonakilty Town
2012–13	Crookstown	Cloughduv
2011–12	Togher Celtic	Sullane
2010–11	Bay Rovers	Crookstown
2009–10	Molaga Celtic	Droumree Dynamos
2008–09	Togher Celtic	Bunratty United
2007–08	Aultagh Celtic	Ardfield
2006–07	Crookstown	Clonakilty AFC
2005–06	Dunmanway Town	Skibbereen B
2004–05	Old Chapel Celtic	Lyre Rovers
2003–04	Bantry Gunners	Durrus
2002–03	Dunmanway Town	Sullane
2001–02	Ballydehob	Ilen Celtic

^[6]

Division 2

Season	Winner	Runners-up
2021-Present	Merged With Division 1
2020-21	Cancelled Due To Covid
2019–20	Drinagh Rangers B	Castletown Celtic
2018–19	Drinagh Rangers B	Baltimore
2017–18	Lyre Rovers B	Sullane
2016–17	Clonakilty Town	Durrus
2015–16	Lyre Rovers	Spartak Mossgrove
2014–15	Ballydehob	Bay Rovers
2013–14	Kilmichael Rovers	Bunratty United
2012–13	Mizen AFC	Castletown Celtic
2011–12	Lyre Rovers	Rosscarbery
2010–11	Sullane	Cloughduv
2009–10	Baltimore	Crookstown
2008–09	Molaga Celtic	Rosscarbery
2007–08	Castletown Celtic	Droumree Dynamos
2006–07	Ardfield	Rosscarbery
2005–06	Clonakilty AFC	Aultagh Celtic
2004–05	Courtmacsherry	Castlelack
2003–04	Lyre Rovers	Bay Rovers
2002–03	Caheragh Celtic	Lissarda
2001–02	Gurrane Celtic	Bantry Gunners

^[6]

Beamish Cup

Season	Winner	Runners-up
2023-24	Clonakilty Soccer Club	Drinagh Rangers
2022-23	Dunmanway Town	Bunratty United
2021-22	Lyre Rovers	Clonakilty Soccer Club
2020-21	Dunmanway Town	Clonakilty Soccer Club
2019–20	Dunmanway Town	Clonakilty Town
2018–19	Togher Celtic	Drinagh Rangers
2017–18	Drinagh Rangers	Lyre Rovers
2016–17	Drinagh Rangers	Bay Rovers
2015–16	Crookstown	Dunmanway Town
2014–15	Dunmanway Town	Crookstown
2013–14	Drinagh Rangers	Crookstown
2012–13	Riverside Athletic	Clonakilty AFC
2011–12	Rosscarbery	Skibbereen
2010–11	Bunratty United	Mizen AFC
2009–10	Bunratty United	Drinagh Rangers
2008–09	Ballydehob	Ardfield
2007–08	Clonakilty AFC	Bunratty United
2006–07	Drinagh Rangers	Aultagh Celtic
2005–06	Bantry Gunners	Bunratty United
2004–05	Leeside	Ardfield
2003–04	Dunmanway Town	Gurrane Celtic
2002–03	Dunmanway Town	Timoleague
2001–02	Crossmahon	Drinagh Rangers

^[6]

Number of Trophies Won By Club

The following list displays the number of trophies won by each West Cork club since the turn of the century:

Club	No. of Trophies
Drinagh Rangers	27
Bunratty United	15
Dunmanway Town	14
Crookstown	8
Skibbereen	8
Ballydehob	7
Bantry Gunners	6
Castletown Celtic	6
Togher Celtic	5
Mizen AFC	5
Drinagh Rangers B	5
Lyre Rovers	5
Ardfield	4
Bay Rovers	4
Durrus	4
Molaga Celtic	3
Clonakilty AFC	3
Leeside	3
Clonakilty Town	3
Clonakilty Soccer Club	3
Crossmahon	2
Kilmichael Rovers	2
Riverside Athletic	2
Courtmacsherry	2
Spartak Mossgrove	2
Sullane	2
Gurrane Celtic	1
Aultagh Celtic	1
Lyre Rovers B	1
Old Chapel Celtic	1
Castlelack	1
Rosscarbery	1
Baltimore	1
Dunmanway Town B	1
Caheragh Celtic	1

^[6]

List of Defunct Clubs

The following displays a list of clubs who have become defunct or have left the West Cork League:

Club
Ballydehob
Bantry Gunners
Belgooly
Bridge Side Celtic
Caheragh Celtic
Clonakilty AFC
Clonakilty Town
Cloughduv
Crookstown
Crossmahon
Droumree Dynamos
Durrus
Gurrane Celtic
Harbour United
Ilen Celtic
Knockavilla
Leeside
Molaga Celtic
Old Chapel Celtic
Pike Rovers
Rosscarbery
Timoleague

^[6]

Notes

1. Previously known as the Flor Crowley Cup and the MyGaff.ie Cup
2. After play-off

References

1. "A history of the West Cork League". westcorkpeople.ie. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
2. "Details of Affiliated Leagues & Clubs 2015/2016". munsterfa.com. Retrieved 20 October 2016.
3. "West Cork League" (PDF). westcorkleague.com. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
4. "List of Teams Affiliated to the West Cork League". munsterfa.com. Retrieved 20 October 2016.
5. "GAA star named in West Cork Leagues Oscar Traynor Squad". thejuniorsoccerportal.info. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
6. "see Honours History section". westcorkleague.com. Retrieved 20 March 2016.