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81-491: Since the 2017–18 season, the Cup has been sponsored by McLean Bookmakers. The competition's previous sponsors are JBE (2015–16), WASP Solutions (2013–14 and 2014–15), Irn Bru (2011–12 and 2012–13), Co-operative Insurance (2001–02 to 2010–11), Coca-Cola (1998–99 to 2000–01), Wilkinson Sword (1991–92 to 1997–98), and Roadferry Freight (1986–87 to 1990–91). Linfield are the current holders, after they defeated Portadown 3–1 in

162-458: A Food Standards Agency voluntary ban on these two colourings although no date was set for their replacement. After lobbying by First Minister of Scotland Alex Salmond , a proposed restriction of Sunset Yellow to 10 mg/litre was eased to 20 mg/litre in 2011 – the same amount present in Irn-Bru. As of August 2024, Irn-Bru still contains these colourings. The first Iron Brew drink

243-415: A 100% record in the final, lifting the cup in their sole final appearance to date: Bangor in 1992–93 , Lisburn Distillery in 2010–11 , and Dungannon Swifts in 2017–18 . In 2008–09 , Championship side Portadown became the first intermediate club and the first club from outside the top flight to reach the final, and subsequently to win the cup, after defeating Premiership side Newry City 1–0. That

324-506: A 4–3 win over defending champions Coleraine in extra time. This also became the highest scoring final in the cup's history. The final was initially broadcast as highlights on UTV throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. Live coverage of the final first began on the BBC in 2005, and continued until Sky acquired the rights to show the 2013 and 2014 finals on Sky Sports as part of a deal to cover Northern Ireland international matches. Following

405-409: A grandfather (played by actor Robert Wilson) who removed his false teeth to spoil his grandson's interest in his can of Irn-Bru. A further TV advertisement featured a senior citizen in a motorised wheelchair robbing a local shopping market of a supply of Irn-Bru. In 2004 the company created a new concept "Phenomenal". In 2006 the company launched its first Christmas adverts. This campaign consisted of

486-522: A large neon sign featuring Ba-Bru which stood in Union St above Glasgow Central railway station , was removed in 1983 and replaced with an illuminated display featuring the tagline "Your Other National Drink". Barr has a long-established gimmick associating Irn-Bru with Scottishness , stemming from the claim of its being Scotland's most popular soft drink. A tagline, "Made in Scotland from girders",

567-482: A man". This advertisement was broadcast in 2000, but when it was repeated in 2003, it led to seventeen complaints about it being offensive to members of the transgender community. Issue A14 of the Ofcom Advertising Complaints bulletin reports that the children's response to their mother's claim was not offensive. According to the advertising agency Leith, the advertisement was meant to "create

648-491: A musical number, with the refrain "It's fizzy, it's ginger, it's phenomenal!" It was a parody of High School Musical , and starred Jack Lowden . In 2012 the company changed its slogan to "gets you through", which see a number of people drinking Irn-Bru to get through tough situations. In response to the Coca-Cola 'Share a Coke' campaign, Barr decided to produce thousands of limited edition 750 ml bottles of Irn-Bru with

729-463: A new energy drink variant of Irn-Bru called Irn-Bru Energy, which was released on 1 July 2019. In October 2019, Barr announced the launch of the "Irn-Bru 1901". The drink would be available for a limited time and use the original recipe from 1901. In March 2021, Barr announced the relaunch of "IRN-BRU 1901" as a permanent addition to the IRN-BRU lineup. Irn-Bru was the only soft drink on sale at

810-534: A one-year hiatus in which the cup was not played during the 2020–21 season as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in Northern Ireland , the competition returned for the 2021–22 season , which saw the final being played on a Sunday for the first time in the competition's history. This attracted a League Cup final record crowd of 11,103 at Windsor Park, where Cliftonville won the cup for the sixth time after

891-468: A parody commercial of a popular Christmas Cartoon, The Snowman , and was effective in interesting American audiences in the Irn-Bru brand. A sequel to the commercial would later be released in December 2018. Further advertising campaigns for Irn-Bru appeared in conjunction with the release of Irn-Bru 32 in 2006. A 2009 advertisement for the product featured a group of high school pupils performing

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972-431: A pig that had been painted blue onto the pitch to insult fans of Linfield. In 2005, Linfield fans broke through a gate in perimeter fencing onto the pitch of The Oval and threw missiles at Glentoran fans in the main stand. The BBC and Ulster Television were ordered to give police footage they had filmed of the game after nine fans were charged with the violence. Nine police officers and two Glentoran fans were injured in

1053-452: A reference to the rusty colour of the drink; though the closest one can come to substantiating this claim is the 0.002% ammonium ferric citrate listed in the ingredients. Fiery Irn-Bru, a limited edition variant, was released in autumn 2011. It was packaged with a black and orange design, and with the signature man icon with an added image of a fire. It featured the traditional Irn-Bru flavour with an aftertaste similar to ginger. Irn-Bru

1134-730: A result of its additives in its ingredients due to a shipment being confiscated; however, a statement released by the Government of Canada in October 2020 reiterated that "Irn-Bru and Marmite are not banned for sale in Canada. These products have been available on Canadian store shelves for more than a decade and will continue to be sold in stores across Canada. ...Imported products, including Irn Bru and Marmite, that meet Canadian requirements under Canada's Food and Drug Regulations are and will continue to be available for sale in Canada." Irn-Bru

1215-528: A riot on 26 December 1948 at Windsor Park that saw three Celtic players injured by Linfield supporters, including striker Jimmy Jones , who sustained a broken leg. Belfast Celtic left the Irish League at the end of the season and Glentoran became Linfield's biggest rivals. Both teams are predominantly Protestant, although Glentoran fielded Catholic players and had Catholic fans for much of its history. Linfield fielded relatively few Catholic players before

1296-555: A sense of humour while confirming the maverick nature of the brand". However, the scene involving the mother shaving at the end of the advertisement was deemed by Ofcom to be "capable of causing offence by strongly reinforcing negative stereotypes", and so it was taken off the air. In 2003, an Irn-Bru commercial which showed a midwife trying to entice a baby from its mother's womb during a difficult delivery sparked fifty complaints. Some saw it as upsetting to women who had suffered miscarriages . One billboard that drew criticism featured

1377-475: A third-party company, and Mjøndalen IF never received any sponsorship from Irn-Bru, even though the team played the 2009 season with the Irn-Bru logo on their shirts. Irn-Bru began being sold in Russia in 1997, and by 2002, it had become their third best selling soft drink. After its original bottler went out of business, a new deal was signed for the drink to be manufactured and distributed in larger quantities by

1458-417: A young woman in a bikini along with the slogan "Diet Irn-Bru. I never knew four-and-a-half inches could give so much pleasure". Another featured a picture of a cow with the slogan "When I'm a burger, I want to be washed down with Irn-Bru". This billboard resulted in over 700 complaints but was cleared by advertisement watchdogs. According to a 2003 BBC report, a billboard which featured a depressed goth and

1539-480: Is also the third best selling soft drink in the UK, after Coca-Cola and Pepsi, outselling high-profile brands such as Fanta , Dr Pepper , Sprite and 7 Up . This success in defending its home market (a feat claimed only by Irn-Bru, Inca Kola and Thums Up ; Thums Up sold out to Coca-Cola in 1993, and Inka Kola owners Corporación Lindley S.A. entered into a joint venture with Coca-Cola in 1999, giving up all rights to

1620-712: Is available throughout the Middle East. It is found mostly in LuLu supermarkets. Irn-Bru entered the Norwegian market in May 2008. They had to withdraw from the market again in 2009 as a result of problems with production agreements and lack of funding for marketing. They were believed to be sponsoring the Norwegian First Division club Mjøndalen IF in 2009. This later turned out to be fraud carried out by

1701-750: Is sold in a number of international food and drink markets, including countries such as the Netherlands, Spain, Belgium, Malta, certain countries of the African continent, the Middle East, and North America. Irn-Bru is known for its bright orange colour and unique flavour. As of 1999, it contained 0.002% of ammonium ferric citrate , sugar, 32 flavouring agents including caffeine and quinine (but not in Australia), and two controversial colourings ( Sunset Yellow FCF E 110 and Ponceau 4R E124). On 27 January 2010, soft-drink manufacturer A.G. Barr agreed to

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1782-499: Is the name given to the association football derby between Belfast clubs, Linfield and Glentoran . The derby is also sometimes referred to as the Belfast derby . They are the two most successful and most supported clubs in Northern Ireland league football. They traditionally face each other on Boxing Day each year which usually attracts the largest NIFL Premiership attendance of the season. They regularly play each other in

1863-590: The 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland, due to a sponsorship arrangement. Member of the US House of Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tried Irn-Bru at COP26 and said she loved it, and that it tasted just like the Latino soda Kola Champagne . The response from others at the conference ranged from strong dislike to strong like. The volume of editorial and opinion publicity

1944-600: The 2024 final to win the competition for the second successive season and a record-extending 12th time overall. Portadown finished as runners-up after their first appearance in the final since 2011. Unlike the Irish Cup , the League Cup is restricted to the 38 Northern Ireland Football League clubs competing in the NIFL Premiership , NIFL Championship , and NIFL Premier Intermediate League . All rounds of

2025-569: The Food & Drug Administration (FDA). Ponceau 4R , used in the UK formulation, is prohibited by the FDA. Barr uses alternative food and drink colourants manufactured by a US company approved by the FDA. The product labelling also meets US labelling standards on nutritional information and bar code. Big Two derby The Big Two derby , also referred to simply as the Big Two or Bel Classico ,

2106-449: The Oval , and was contested by Linfield and Crusaders . Linfield became the inaugural winners of the cup, defeating Crusaders 2–1. Since then, Linfield have been the most successful club in the competition, winning the Cup a record 12 times overall in a record 15 final appearances - their three final defeats all coming against Big Two rivals Glentoran. The most common final has indeed been

2187-593: The Pepsi Bottling Group of Russia in 2002. Its popularity has been attributed to the drink's apparent similarity to discontinued Soviet-era soft drinks. As of 2011, Irn-Bru sales in Russia were still growing. On 4 March 2022, due to the ongoing 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine , A.G. Barr cut ties with the Russian market. Irn-Bru has been distributed in Spain since the early 1980s servicing primarily

2268-716: The River Lagan and are in two different counties. Linfield is based in County Antrim and Glentoran is based in County Down , although Glentoran and other County Down-based sides compete in the County Antrim Shield . The first game of which there is any record between Linfield and Glentoran took place on 1 October 1887. A friendly match played at King's Field, Westbourne in Ballymacarrett

2349-436: The 140 Irish Cup competitions to date have been won by one of the two clubs, with at least one of the clubs reaching the final on 91 occasions (65% of all finals), winning the cup a combined 66 times. Of those 91 finals, the two clubs have met in fifteen of them – making it the most common final. Linfield have won eight of the head-to-head final meetings compared to Glentoran's seven wins, with the most recent final meeting between

2430-465: The 1980s, which led to an accusation that the club had a policy of not signing Catholic players similar to Scottish team Rangers . The existence of such a policy has been disputed by some, including well-known local journalist Malcolm Brodie . Support is split geographically, with Linfield based in the south of the city and Glentoran in the east. Although both based in Belfast, they are separated by

2511-519: The 2014 final, it returned to the BBC in 2015 after Sky ceased their coverage of Irish League football. Dungannon Swifts' win in the 2018 final was broadcast live on Sky Sports enabling the entire town of Dungannon to enjoy the historical result, Dungannon winning a major trophy for the first time in their history . There have been 37 League Cup finals contested during the competition's history so far, played at six different grounds. Windsor Park has been

Northern Ireland Football League Cup - Misplaced Pages Continue

2592-460: The Big Two derby, which has occurred seven times - the last of which came in 2005–06 . The 1988–89 final, played between the two sides at the Oval on 11 November 1988 was won courtesy of a goal by Glentoran goalkeeper Alan Patterson, via a kick from his own penalty area. This was the first time that a goalkeeper had ever scored in a British football final. Cliftonville hold the record for

2673-488: The Championship 2 League Cup was abolished. From 2001–02 until 2007–08, a group stage followed by a knock-out system was used instead of the straight knock-out system, and for two seasons (2008–09 and 2009–10) two-legged home and away aggregate ties were used up until the quarter-finals, instead of single matches. When it was first introduced in the 1986–87 season, it was one of a number of senior cup competitions run by

2754-537: The IFA agreed a new contract for the use of Windsor Park. Linfield would receive an annual payment as rent for the land, but would no longer receive 15% of the ticket sales, TV rights, and commercial rights from international matches as they did under the old agreement. The 51-year agreement took effect from May 2014, with Linfield initially receiving £200,000 per year - subject to review (being adjusted for inflation etc.) every four years. This rose by 7% to £214,000 in 2018, and

2835-448: The Irish League, originally to compensate for the relatively few league fixtures (traditionally 22 or 26), but also as vehicles for sponsorship revenue. The League Cup would have been considered less prestigious than the long-standing Gold Cup and Ulster Cup . Over time however, these other cup competitions were phased out as the number of Irish League fixtures increased and the public appetite for additional competitions reduced, leaving

2916-588: The League Cup as the only cup competition run by the Northern Ireland Football League and now established as the third most prestigious competition in Northern Ireland after the national top-flight and national cup. The actual trophy presented to the winners is the old City Cup , which was another senior Irish League competition that was discontinued in 1975. The first final took place on 9 May 1987 at Glentoran 's ground,

2997-423: The League Cup final, emulating Portadown in 2008–09 . Ards' previous final appearance had also been against Cliftonville, when they won the Cup 2–0 on penalties after a 0–0 draw in 1994–95 . Ards also set a record for the longest gap between final appearances of 21 years between 1994–95 and 2015–16. This broke the previous record of 19 years between Newry City 's appearances in 1989–90 and 2008–09 . Following

3078-470: The United Kingdom, Irn-Bru is available throughout the world and can usually be bought where there is a significant community of people from Scotland. The brand also has its own tartan . It has been the top-selling soft drink in Scotland for over a century, competing directly with global brands such as Coca-Cola . Originally sold as Iron Brew, the drink's makers, A.G. Barr, were forced to change

3159-725: The ban on caffeine on non cola soft drinks in March 2010. Non cola soft drinks can now contain up to 150ppm of caffeine. Now bottles of Irn-Bru have the label 'Now Contains caffeine' on the packaging. Irn-Bru in Canada is distributed by TFB & Associates Ltd from Markham, Ontario but is packaged by A.G. Barr in Glasgow, Scotland. Irn-Bru can be found at Sobeys , Co-Op and Walmart supermarkets. The now-defunct McKinlay soft-drink company in Glace Bay , Cape Breton , Nova Scotia, Canada, for many years offered its own non-licensed beverage called Irn-Bru and later "Cape Breton's Irn-Bru". It

3240-477: The big two were considered to be Linfield and Belfast Celtic as they had traditionally been the most successful teams in Northern Irish football. Given the traditional political following of both clubs (Linfield, like Glentoran, with a mainly unionist following, and Belfast Celtic with a mainly nationalist following), sectarian violence between supporters of both clubs was common. This culminated with

3321-456: The competition use a knock-out system consisting of one-legged ties. In the event that the scores are level after 90 minutes, extra time is played, and if the teams are still level after 120 minutes there is a penalty shoot-out . The 14 NIFL Premier Intermediate League clubs enter the preliminary round draw, with 12 of them being drawn to face each other in six ties and the remaining two clubs receiving byes. The six preliminary round winners and

Northern Ireland Football League Cup - Misplaced Pages Continue

3402-474: The current major domestic trophies more than any other club. They have won more than twice as many league titles as their rivals, with Linfield having won 56 league titles to Glentoran's 23. Linfield has also lifted the Irish Cup a record 43 times to Glentoran's 23, and has won the League Cup a record ten times to Glentoran's 7. The term " Big Two " did not always refer to Linfield and Glentoran. Up until 1949,

3483-650: The drink gained on social and print media was described as "the summit's surprise", coverage worth millions. However, AG Barr's share price remained relatively flat at the time. It is produced in Westfield, Cumbernauld , North Lanarkshire , since Barr's moved out of their Parkhead , Glasgow factory in the mid-2000s. In 2011, Irn-Bru closed their factory in Mansfield, making the Westfield plant in Cumbernauld

3564-780: The drink mainly sells in County Donegal . It is also available in Malta, Belgium and in Poland. It is now sold in Iceland, as of 2011. In Australia, Irn-Bru was manufactured and distributed under licence by Occasio Australia until 2009. It was available in 500 ml and 1.25-litre in both standard and diet. The drink enjoyed growing success in the country, with its first advertising campaign launched in Queensland in September 2007. It

3645-426: The drink sold by rival manufacturers.) 1980 saw the introduction of Low Calorie Irn-Bru: this was re-launched in 1991 as Diet Irn-Bru and again in 2011 as Irn-Bru Sugar Free. The Irn-Bru 32 energy drink variant was launched in 2006. Irn-Bru has long been the most popular soft drink in Scotland, with Coca-Cola second, but competition between the two brands brought their sales to roughly equal levels by 2003. It

3726-475: The drink was still off sale because of wartime regulations. The firm first commercialised their drink using this new name in 1948 once government SDI consolidation of the soft drinks industry had ended. The name change followed the introduction of new labelling restrictions which cracked down on spurious health claims and introduced minimum standards for drinks claiming to contain minerals such as iron. However, according to Robert Barr OBE (chairman 1947–1978), there

3807-412: The final venue for the first time in the competition's history. In the 2015–16 competition , Cliftonville became the first club ever to reach four consecutive League Cup finals, and subsequently to win four consecutive Cups, after they defeated Ards 3–0 in the final. Ards were appearing in the final for the third time overall, and became only the second club from outside the top flight ever to reach

3888-482: The firm Stevenson & Howell in 1898. Barr's ordered their labels directly from Stevenson & Howell, which also sold Barr's many of the individual flavours with which they mixed their own drinks. An advertisement for Barr's Iron Brew dated 1900 featuring the original strongman label can be found in Falkirk's Local History Archives. Barr's trademark application for the brand name Irn-Bru dates from July 1946 when

3969-485: The first game at Windsor Park on 2 September 1905. Linfield previously played at a ground in Ulsterville Avenue, Belfast, before moving to Windsor Park , which is within walking distance of their old ground. Also the home of the Northern Ireland national football team , they have played at Windsor Park ever since. In 1941, during World War II , The Oval – including terraces, offices, kits and club records –

4050-451: The intensity of the Big Two rivalry has increased due to the fact that Glentoran has been the only club that has generated a support base similar in size to Linfield's, and because a number of Belfast Celtic fans started to support Glentoran due to the dissolution of their club. In the 1985 Irish Cup final at the Oval , Glentoran supporters released a cockerel (Glentoran's club emblem), and

4131-532: The large British communities residing in Spain. It can be found in key tourist areas such as the Balearic Islands, the Spanish coastal region and Canary Islands with both the regular and sugar-free variant available. Outside of the United Kingdom, Spain is among the top 10 Irn-Bru markets. Irn-Bru and Diet Irn-Bru have been formulated since 2002 by A.G. Barr to meet the regulations for food colouring of

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4212-421: The league, and have contested more cup finals together than any other two clubs. They also make up two of the three clubs (along with Cliftonville) that have competed in every season of Northern Ireland's top flight since its inception in 1890 – neither club ever suffering relegation. Although Linfield and Glentoran have been the two most successful clubs in the domestic game to date, Linfield has won all three of

4293-615: The main location for production. Other manufacturing locations include the English city of Sheffield . Barr's actively promoted their Irn-Bru from the outset, with some of their earliest ads featuring world champion wrestlers and Highland Games athletes Donald Dinnie and Alex Munro who endorsed the drink by means of personal testimonials. In the 1930s, the firm began a long-running series of comic strip ads entitled "The Adventures of Ba-Bru" which ran in various local papers from April 1939 until October 1970. The last traces of this campaign,

4374-442: The most common venue, having hosted 26 finals. Irn Bru Irn-Bru ( / ˌ aɪər n ˈ b r uː / "iron brew", Scots: [ˌəirənˈbruː] ) is a Scottish carbonated soft drink , often described as "Scotland's other national drink" (after Scotch whisky ). Introduced in 1901, the drink is produced in Westfield, Cumbernauld , North Lanarkshire , by A.G. Barr of Glasgow . As well as being sold throughout

4455-418: The most consecutive wins, having won four successive finals between 2013 and 2016. Fifteen different clubs have reached the final, but only twelve clubs have gone on to win the cup - and only six of those have won the cup more than once. Carrick Rangers (once), along with Larne and Newry City (twice each) are the only three clubs to have played in the final but never won the Cup. Conversely, three clubs have

4536-513: The name of the drink in 1946 following a change in the law that stipulated that the marketing of products be "literally true". As the drink did not contain much iron , nor was it brewed, the passage of this legislation led the company to change the product's name to the presently used Irn-Bru. Irn-Bru has long been the most popularly consumed soft drink in Scotland, consistently beating rivals such as Coca-Cola , Pepsi and Fanta , and reportedly sells 20 cans every second throughout Scotland. Irn-Bru

4617-479: The name outside Peru) led to ongoing speculation that Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Inc. or its UK brand franchisee Britvic would attempt to buy A.G. Barr. In November 2012 AG Barr and Britvic announced a merger proposal, but in July 2013 the merger collapsed when terms could not be agreed. Irn-Bru's advertising slogans used to be 'Scotland's other National Drink', referring to whisky , and 'Made in Scotland from girders ',

4698-415: The names 'Fanny', 'Senga', 'Rab' and 'Tam' on the label, mimicking that by Coca-Cola. The use of the name 'Fanny' ties in with one of Irn-Bru' s controversial marketing advertisements. One of the most controversial Irn-Bru television adverts evoked 1950s entertainment. A mother plays the piano, while the father and two children deliver a song which ends with the mother singing: "...even though I used to be

4779-431: The official launch date for Barr's Iron Brew being given as 1901, the firms AG Barr & Co (Glasgow) and Robert Barr (Falkirk) jointly launched their own Iron Brew drink at least two years earlier, according to a document in the firm's archives which indicates that the drink was already enjoying strong sales by May 1899. The strongman image which Barr's adopted for their bottle labels and advertising had been trademarked by

4860-516: The other club being Cliftonville. Linfield's financial advantage over the other clubs must be acknowledged when comparing their relative success. In 1912, seven of the eight league clubs resigned from the IFA due to Linfield receiving higher fees than other clubs for hosting international games. This schism, while quickly mended, led to the formation of the Gold Cup as an alternative Irish Cup from which

4941-489: The rivalry has ebbed. Linfield and Glentoran have been the two most successful clubs in Northern Irish football to date, regularly being the two main contenders for the major domestic honours. They have won more league titles, Irish Cups, and League Cups than any other clubs. Linfield hold the record for the most League titles (56), Irish Cups (43), and League Cups (10). In comparison, Glentoran have won 23 league titles, 23 Irish Cups, and seven League Cups. Almost half (47.1%) of

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5022-410: The same two clubs have met in consecutive finals. Linfield and Glentoran have done so three times: 1997–98 & 1998–99 , 2001–02 & 2002–03 and 2004–05 & 2005–06 , while Cliftonville and Crusaders repeated the feat in 2012–13 and 2013–14 . Both clubs agreed to toss a coin for home advantage in the 2013–14 final, with Cliftonville winning the toss. As a result, Solitude was chosen as

5103-538: The scheme. 2016 saw the introduction of the current logo, conveying "strength" and an "industrial feel", and a new diet variant called Irn-Bru Xtra in different branding to the existing sugar free variety in a similar fashion to Coca-Cola Zero and Pepsi Max . Barr changed the formula of Irn-Bru in January 2018 in response to a sugar tax implemented in the UK in April 2018, intended to combat obesity. By reducing

5184-572: The second round, quarter-finals, semi-finals and the final. The competition began with 32 clubs in a straight knock-out format in February 1987, and included teams from the Irish League B Division until 1997–98. From 1998–99 until 2007–08, only senior ( Irish League and Irish Premier League ) teams competed, but the competition was opened up to the 17 Championship clubs in 2008–09, and again in 2010–11 to include clubs from Championship 2, after

5265-462: The seven clubs were excluded. In 1984, the IFA signed a 104-year agreement with Linfield to host internationals at Windsor Park, with only Glentoran objecting to the deal at the time. The contract meant that Linfield were entitled to a payment of 15% of all revenues generated from home internationals. This became financially lucrative for Linfield after the IFA signed a £10 million deal with Sky to televise internationals. Linfield maintained ownership of

5346-530: The slogan "Cheer up Goth. Have an Irn-Bru." was also criticised for inciting bullying. McCowan's also produced Irn-Bru Bars, chewy, fizzy, bright orange confectionery bars which taste strongly of Irn-Bru, though production ended in late 2005. Irn-Bru sorbet is available in some speciality ice cream shops in Scotland. The drink can be used as a mixer with alcoholic beverages, mainly vodka and whisky . Barr launched an alcopop drink combining Irn-Bru and Bell's whisky , although this proved to be unpopular and

5427-405: The stadium, and were required to maintain the stadium to international standard, however, over the years, the stadium had fallen into disrepair. This necessitated redevelopment, with the Northern Ireland government funding the majority of the £36 million project to rebuild the stadium. The IFA then took over ownership of the stadium, while Linfield retained ownership of the land. In 2012, Linfield and

5508-407: The sugar content to less than 5g per 100ml, Barr has made Irn-Bru exempt from the tax. The manufacturer asserted that "most people will not be able to tell the difference in flavour between the old and new formulas", but fans of the drink launched an unsuccessful 'Save Real Irn-Bru' campaign to stop or reverse the change, and began stocking up on the more sugary formula. In May 2019, Barr announced

5589-412: The two clubs occurring in the 2006 final , when Linfield won 2–1 to lift the Cup for the 37th time. Almost two-thirds (64.7%) of all Irish League titles have been won by one of the Big Two. Of the 119 completed league seasons, the title has been won by either club on 77 occasions. The duo also comprise two of the three clubs that have appeared in every season of the Irish League since its inception in 1890;

5670-417: The two clubs that received byes then join the 24 NIFL Premiership and Championship clubs in the first round. The 16 highest-ranked clubs from the previous season's league system are then seeded in the first round to avoid drawing each other. The first round is the only round of the competition in which seeding is used. From there on the competition uses an open draw with a standard knock-out format, consisting of

5751-478: The violence. Both sides share rivalries with North Belfast clubs Cliftonville and Crusaders . The two however are less successful than the Big Two and see each other as their main rivals, contesting the North Belfast derby . They also both traditionally shared a rivalry with Lisburn Distillery , but since Distillery's relocation from Grosvenor Park to Lisburn , and their downturn in on-pitch fortunes,

5832-510: Was a brown carbonated soft-drink with a fruity cola taste. The standard Irn-Bru distributed in Canada also contains the "Not a source of iron" disclaimer on the label. The UK version of the drink (with caffeine) is commonly imported by speciality retailers, particularly in areas with large Scottish populations. In 2014, Irn-Bru was incorrectly reported to have been one of a number of imported products, including Marmite , banned in Canada as

5913-427: Was also a commercial rationale behind the unusual spelling. "Iron Brew" had come to be understood as a generic product category in the UK, whereas adopting the name "Irn-Bru" allowed the firm to have a legally protected brand identity that would enable the firm to benefit from the popularity of their wartime "Adventures of Ba-Bru" comic strip advertising. (The "Iron Brew" name has continued to be used for many versions of

5994-471: Was also sold in reusable 750 ml glass bottles which, like other Barr's drinks, were able to be returned to the manufacturer in exchange for a 30 pence (previously 20p) deposit paid on purchase. This scheme was widely available in shops across Scotland and led to the colloquial term for an empty: a "glass cheque". As a result of a 40% drop in returned bottles since the 1990s Barr deemed the washing and re-filling process uneconomical, and on 1 January 2016 ceased

6075-601: Was also the first final to be played outside Belfast, with Mourneview Park , Lurgan hosting the match. It was attended by UEFA President Michel Platini and Northern Ireland manager Nigel Worthington who was in Northern Ireland for the FIFA meeting held in Newcastle . The biggest winning margin ever recorded in a final is 4–0, which has occurred twice: in 1999–2000 when Linfield defeated Coleraine , and in 2012–13 when Cliftonville defeated Crusaders. On four occasions,

6156-598: Was destroyed in a bombing raid on the nearby Harland & Wolff Shipyard. Glentoran approached Distillery to play at Grosvenor Park , which they did until The Oval was rebuilt in 1949, with help from other Irish League clubs, most notably Distillery and Cliftonville . Glentoran considered leaving senior football to become a junior club, but after being lent kits from Distillery and Crusaders they continued to compete at Grosvenor. Out of fourteen league games at Grosvenor Park, however, they were only victorious over Linfield on one occasion. Since Belfast Celtic folded in 1949,

6237-634: Was discontinued. Irn-Bru is manufactured under licence in Russia by the Moscow Brewing Company. Bru and other Barr products are exported to Spain, the Netherlands, Germany, Gibraltar , Greece, and Cyprus, as well as parts of Africa and Asia. It is available in the Republic of Ireland, increasingly being stocked in BWG and ADM Londis supplied stores, as well as in supermarkets owned by Dunnes Stores and Tesco Ireland . In Ireland generally,

6318-567: Was initially available in major chains such as Coles and Woolworths , Caltex service stations and in many independent grocers and convenience stores. It was then delisted at Coles Supermarkets . Because of manufacturing and bottling issues, Occasio ceased local production in late 2009. It is now imported direct from the UK and distributed by British Provender, and can again be found in the international sections of major supermarket chains and some convenience stores. Irn-Bru sold in Canada contained no caffeine until recently . Health Canada repealed

6399-465: Was produced by the Maas & Waldstein chemicals company of New York in 1889 under the name IRONBREW. The drink was popular across North America and was widely copied. A similar beverage was launched in 1898 by London essence firm Stevenson & Howell that supplied soft drinks manufacturers in the UK and colonies. Many local bottlers around the UK began selling their own version of the beverage. Despite

6480-482: Was used for several years from the 1980s, usually featuring Irn-Bru drinkers becoming unusually strong, durable or magnetic. An advertising campaign launched in Spring 2000 aimed to "dramatise the extraordinary appeal of Irn-Bru in a likeably maverick style". David Amers, Planning Director, said: "Irn-Bru is the likeable maverick of the soft drinks market and these ads perfectly capture the brand's spirit." One involved

6561-413: Was won 3–1 by Linfield (then known as Linfield Athletic), with goalscorers Torrans (2) and Vance, and Glentoran's goalscorer unknown. The two teams played each other competitively for the first time in the inaugural Irish League season , with Linfield winning 7–0 at Musgrave Park on 18 October 1890, and 6–0 at Ulsterville Avenue on 21 March 1891. The first game at The Oval took place on 8 October 1892, and

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