FT: Cliftonville 3-1 Linfield (AET)
Ethan McGee heads in opener on 14 minutes
Sam Ashford equalises for the Reds after 52 minutes
Ronan Hale puts Cliftonville in front early in extra-time
Hale completes double in final seconds
Cliftonville win trophy for first time since 1979
Cliftonville v Linfield (14:30 BST)
Cliftonville booked their spot in today's decider thanks to a 2-0 victory over Larne in the semi-final at Windsor Park.
Jonny Addis headed the Reds ahead in the first half before a deflected strike from Ronan Hale late in the game secured the victory for Jim Magilton's men against a below-par Larne.
Read more here
Watch: Reds beat Larne to set up Linfield final
Cliftonville v Linfield (14:30 BST)
Reds trio Ben Wilson, Ronan Hale and Rory Hale looking smart at Windsor Park
Cliftonville v Linfield (14:30 BST)
Linfield progressed to the final after defeating Belfast rivals Glentoran 3-1 at the Oval.
Joel Cooper opened the scoring before two fine finishes from Kyle McClean helped the clinical Blues reach the decider for the first time since 2021.
Substitute Junior had pulled a goal back for Glentoran.
Read more here
Watch: McClean double fires Linfield to Irish Cup final
Cliftonville v Linfield (14:30 BST)
Stephen Craigan
Former Northern Ireland defender on BBC Two NI
I think the game will go one of two ways, it's going to be either super cagey where the teams will be cautious, a little bit weary or it's going to be open and they're both going to go after the game.
I'm hoping it's going to be the second one because I think both teams aesthetically are good to watch, they've got good attacking players, they've got pace in the team, experience, creativity, goals, everything you want in a football team, both sides have it. That's why it's hard to call a winner because both sides will fancy their chances.
Cliftonville v Linfield (14:30 BST)
Image source, BBC SportLinfield's Ethan Devine with his daughter kitted out in her Blues top at Windsor Park
Cliftonville v Linfield (14:30 GMT)
Lauren McCann
BBC Sport NI at Windsor Park
It is a big call from Jim Magilton to leave both Cliftonville's record goal scorer Joe Gormley and their top scorer this season Ben Wilson on the bench.
It is a big day for Sam Ashford, who has only recently returned from injury.
For Linfield, they will be delighted that captain Jamie Mulgrew is fit to start this one as he searches for his eighth Irish Cup as a Blues player.
Cliftonville v Linfield (14:30 BST)
Unsurprisingly, the team lists look somewhat different today to when the sides met in last week's dress rehearsal, in the final round of league fixtures.
Linfield welcome back talismanic captain Jamie Mulgrew while Ethan McGee also starts. Matthew Clarke and Braiden Graham are the players to miss out - both are named among the substitutes.
Cliftonville boss makes a raft of changes from last weekend, perhaps the most noteworthy being the selection of Sam Ashford in attack, ahead of Joe Gormley and Ben Wilson.
Cliftonville: Odumosu, Stewart, Addis, Casey, Burns, Kearney, Pepper, Doherty, Rory Hale, Ronan Hale, Ashford.
Subs: Gartside, Kenny, Curran, Mallon, Gormley, Wilson.
Linfield: Johns, Finlayson, Hall, Shields, McGee, Millar, McClean, Mulgrew, Cooper, McKee, Fitzpatrick.
Subs: Walsh, Stewart, Clarke, Annett, Archer, Doherty, Graham.
Image source, BBC SportCliftonville v Linfield
Cliftonville v Linfield (14:30 BST)
Joe Gormley and Chris Curran are Cliftonville stalwarts who have both been at the club for over 10 years.
They have won almost everything there is to win during their time with the north Belfast side, apart from one trophy which has alluded them, and Cliftonville as a club, for a very long time.
Approaching the latter stages of their careers, the two are desperate to end their own wait for Irish Cup winners' medals and the club's wait for a first success in the competition since 1979.
"I'd love to win it," admits club captain Curran ahead of this afternoon's final.
"Joe is probably saying the same thing, it is what everyone wants, and the supporters have waited an unbelievable amount of time to have us bring it back again.
Read more of Lauren McCann's preview here
Image source, Press EyeGormley and Curran have won every domestic trophy on offer with Cliftonville, except for the Irish Cup
Cliftonville v Linfield (14:30 BST)
Linfield captain Jamie Mulgrew believes that winning the Irish Cup would help to "soften the blow" of missing out on the Irish Premiership title.
The Blues were pipped to the league title by Larne for the second consecutive season, but they did win the League Cup this campaign.
Mulgrew, a seven-time winner of this competition, hopes that his side can channel the disappointment and use it to get them over the line today.
"At this stage of the season the Irish Cup is everything after the disappointment of the league, it is another trophy for us to win and finish the season on the high," he said.
Read more here
Image source, InphoJamie Mulgrew has won the Irish Cup seven times in his career
Cliftonville v Linfield (14:30 BST)
If every person who has ever told Marty Quinn they were there when he lifted the Irish Cup with Cliftonville in 1979 had actually been in attendance, the game would have had to be staged at Wembley Stadium rather than Windsor Park.
Generations of Reds fans have waited for a repeat of that day and Jim Magilton's side will once again try to bridge what is now a 45-year gap and bring the trophy back to Solitude.
Quinn, who will be at the final with a number of his fellow heroes of '79, wants to see the current vintage go down in Cliftonville folklore just as his side have done, believing their 3-2 victory over Portadown in the decider can then be viewed not as the last, but a first.
"That day was the start of the 'Red Army' as such," Quinn said.
"The memories are still very clear. We loaded onto the bus and, when we got to the bottom of the Cliftonville Road, we were amazed at the amount of people that were on the streets, waving their flags and wishing us well.
Read more of Jonathan Bradley's feature here
Image source, PACEMAKERMarty Quinn was a central figure in two golden eras of Cliftonville's history
Cliftonville v Linfield (14:30 BST)
In the red corner, Cliftonville boss Jim Magilton out to end the club's 45-year wait for Irish Cup success in his first season in charge of the north Belfast side.
Standing in his way in the blue corner, is former Northern Ireland team-mate David Healy, who is looking to win a third Irish Cup as Linfield boss.
Friends turn to foes in the today's battle for glory, one of a number of intriguing storylines of a final that has been 90 years in the making.
Healy and Magilton go way back.
As well as playing together on the international stage they worked together as part of the Irish FA's Club NI programme.
Read more here
Image source, BBC SportDavid Healy and Jim Magilton played together for Northern Ireland
Cliftonville v Linfield, 19:45 GMT
Cliftonville against Linfield is a fixture as familiar as they come, but the Irish Cup final between the sides has been 90 years in the making.
That is when the Belfast sides last met in the famous decider, way back in 1934 when Linfield ran out 5-0 winners at the Oval.
Windsor Park is the sold-out venue for the decider on Saturday - and it's going to be some spectacle as red meets blue.
Cliftonville are looking to end their long wait to lift the Irish Cup, which stretches back to 1979.
Read more here
Image source, BBC SportIrish Cup Final 2024 - Cliftonville v Linfield
Cliftonville v Linfield (14:30 BST)
BBC Sport NI will provide extensive coverage of the Windsor Park decider across television, radio and its digital platforms.
The first meeting of the Blues and the Reds for 90 years in the showpiece occasion will be broadcast live on BBC Two NI from 14:00 BST, with presenter Stephen Watson being joined by regular analysts Stephen Craigan and David Jeffrey.
The match will also be available to watch on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website.
Audio coverage on Sportsound on BBC Sounds and BBC Radio Ulster from 14:00 will be presented by Michael McNamee, with Joel Taggart and Liam Beckett providing commentary.
Image source, Press EyeCliftonville v Linfield (14:30 BST)
Welcome to our coverage of what promises to be an absolute cracker of an Irish Cup final.
Two top teams and both with so much to play before a sell-out crowd in the Windsor Park showpiece.
Linfield are the kings of the competition with 44 triumphs and they are aiming to end the campign on a high after once again losing out to Larne in the Premiership title race.
Cliftonville get another shot at winning the Irish Cup for the first time since 1979.
It's become the holy grail for the Reds with the Solitude side beaten in four finals since that day 45 years ago.
Jim Magilton's men will be desperate to end their Irish Cup hoodoo and finally bring the trophy back to north Belfast.
It's all of 90 years since the Blues and Reds last met in the final with Linfield cruising to a 5-0 win.
Who will come out on top this time? Just stay here to find out.
Thanks for joining us.
Image source, InphoReds boss Jim Magilton and Linfield manager David Healy with today's prize
Ronan Hale struck twice in extra-time to help Cliftonville to beat Linfield
A double from Ronan Hale in extra-time helped Cliftonville come from behind to beat Linfield 3-1 and win their first Irish Cup in 45 years.
Ethan McGee gave Linfield an early lead with a header from a corner before Sam Ashford equalised for the Reds in the second half of a pulsating game.
Hale struck in the first minute of extra-time and the last minute of extra-time to seal the comeback victory for the Reds in front of a sell-out crowd at Windsor Park.
The official attendance of 14,898 was the largest attendance at an Irish Cup final since Cliftonville's last victory in 1979.
Ronan Hale double seals Irish Cup victory for Cliftonville
Linfield captain Jamie Mulgrew said in the build-up to the game that he hoped that winning the Irish Cup would soften the blow of losing out on the Irish Premiership title to Larne, and the Blues certainly started like a side out to prove a point.
Chris McKee and Joe Cooper forced David Odumosu into two early stops at a sold-out Windsor Park, which was a cacophony of noise.
They then deservedly made the breakthrough on 14 minutes as McGee darted in front of Shea Kearney and rose highest to head home from Kirk Millar's inviting free-kick from the right-hand side.
That was the first goal Cliftonville had conceded in this year's competition, and they seemed shell-shocked by it as they struggled to impose themselves on the game.
It continued to be one way traffic for Jim Magilton's side with Kyle McClean then testing Odumosu.
The Reds fashioned their first chance of the game on 25 minutes with their first real passage of play.
Sean Stewart fed Rory Hale, whose deep cross was inches away from finding Ashford at the back post.
Ronan Doherty then curled an effort well wide after another promising move.
Cliftonville's afternoon went from bad to worse however, when first-choice goalkeeper David Odumosu and centre back Odhran Casey both forced off with injuries before half-time.
Watch: Ronan Hale & Jim Magilton react as Cliftonville lift the Irish Cup
The Reds came out with renewed intent in the second half, helped by the increased influence on the game from captain Rory Hale and they drew level seven minutes after the restart.
Ashford, who was preferred to Cliftonville's top scorer this season Ben Wilson and all-time record goal scorer Joe Gormley, glanced a header past Chris Johns from close range from Rory Hale's cross.
It was an end-to-end encounter after the equaliser, with both sides squandering good chances.
Rory Hale almost set up a second Cliftonville goal just after the hour mark as he found Jonny Addis with a deep free-kick, but the defender's header landed the wrong side of the far post.
He also had a volley from the edge of the box saved by Johns.
At the other end, Joel Cooper cut inside and saw his low drive whistle past the post with Gartside beaten.
Both teams tired as the game edged towards full-time, with neither wanting to make a costly error as they settled for extra-time.
Watch: Chris Curran reflects on his time at Cliftonville
The Reds then struck early in extra-time as substitute Wilson found Ronan Hale, who drove into the box and fired an unstoppable strike into the far corner.
With momentum in their favour, Ronan Hale went close to adding another for Cliftonville, but his low strike was deflected into the side netting by Ben Hall.
Linfield continued to search for an equaliser with Nathan Gartside thwarting Irish Premiership Player of the Year Kyle McClean and Jordan Stewart blazing over the crossbar.
As Linfield pilled forward in search of an equaliser from a corner, Cliftonville broke and Wilson found Hale, who walked home a third to seal the win, which provoked an outpouring of emotion from both players and supporters alike.
The celebrations 45 years in the making can now begin in north Belfast as the side of 2024 have written their name into Cliftonville folklore by ending the long Irish Cup drought.