The draw for the 2012 competition was made at Aviva Stadium, Dublin, on 25 January 2012.[1]
Crusaders won the competition for the first time, defeating Derry City 5–4 on penalties after the scores were level at 2–2 after extra time. It was the first time a club from the Northern Irish IFA Premiership had won the cup since Linfield won the inaugural competition in 2005.[2]
First round
Four League of Ireland and four IFA Premiership teams played each other in the first round over two games with the winners qualifying for the quarter-finals. The first legs were played on 11 and 13 February and the second legs were played on 20 February.[3][4]
The winners of the four first-round games joined the four seeded teams (Shamrock Rovers, Sligo Rovers, Crusaders, and Linfield) who received byes into the quarter-finals. The first legs were played on 5 March 2012 and the second legs were played on 20 March 2012. The draw for the quarter-finals was made on 20 February 2012.[5]