2013–14 Irish Cup
| Country |
 Northern Ireland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Teams | 119 | ||
| Champions | Glenavon (6th win) | ||
| Runners-up | Ballymena United | ||
| Matches played | 124 | ||
| Goals scored | 488 (3.94 per match) | ||
|
|||
The 2013–14 Irish Cup was the 134th edition of the premier knock-out cup competition in Northern Irish football since its introduction in 1881. The competition began on 7 September 2013 with the first round and ended on 3 May 2014 with the final. The competition ran without a principal sponsor, but for the second successive season the final was known as the Marie Curie Irish Cup final, after the IFA once again awarded the naming rights for the final to the charity Marie Curie Cancer Care.
Glentoran were the defending champions, following their 3–1 win over Cliftonville after extra time in the 2012–13 final. However, they were eliminated in the quarter-finals by eventual winners Glenavon who defeated Ballymena United 2–1 in the final to lift the cup for the sixth time. As a result, Glenavon qualified for the 2014–15 UEFA Europa League first qualifying round.
119 clubs entered this season's competition, the same number that had taken part the previous season. Originally there had been 122 entrants, but three clubs later withdrew from the competition before the first round matches had been played.
Regional league clubs from level 4 and below on the Northern Ireland football league system entered in the first round and played against other regional league clubs in the first three rounds. Nine clubs were given a bye into the second round this season, necessitated by the number of participants. One of the clubs to receive a bye later withdrew. 29 of the 30 NIFL Championship clubs entered the competition, with Donegal Celtic being the only absentee. The 29 Championship clubs entered in the fourth round, along with the 11 lower league clubs that made it through the first three rounds.
The 12 NIFL Premiership clubs entered in the fifth round, along with the 20 winners from the fourth round matches. Replays were only used if a tie was level after 90 minutes in the fifth round, sixth round and quarter-finals. If a tie in any of these three rounds was still level after 90 minutes of the replay, extra time was used to determine the winner, with a penalty shoot-out to follow if necessary.
...
Wikipedia