The 1896–97 Irish League was the 7th edition of the Irish League, the highest level of league competition in Irish football.
| Season | 1896–97 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Glentoran 2nd Irish title |
| Matches played | 30 |
| Goals scored | 125 (4.17 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Johnny Darling Richard Peden (6 goals each) |
← 1895–96 1897–98 → | |
The league comprised 6 teams, and Glentoran won the championship.
Location of teams in the 1896-97 Irish League
Location of the Belfast-based teams in the 1896-97 Irish League
League standings
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GR | Pts | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Glentoran (C) | 10 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 24 | 10 | 2.400 | 17 | Champions |
| 2 | Cliftonville | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 22 | 20 | 1.100 | 11 | |
| 3 | Linfield | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 34 | 24 | 1.417 | 11 | |
| 4 | Distillery | 10 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 17 | 23 | 0.739 | 9 | |
| 5 | North Staffordshire Regiment | 10 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 17 | 23 | 0.739 | 8 | |
| 6 | Celtic | 10 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 11 | 25 | 0.440 | 4 |
Play-off
editNOTE: Cliftonville beat Linfield 3-2 in a play-off for second place
