All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship

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The Guinness All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship is the premier "knockout" competition in the game of hurling played in Ireland. The series of games are organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association and are played during the summer months with the All-Ireland Hurling Final being played on the first or second Sunday in September in Croke Park, Dublin. The prize for the winning team is the Liam McCarthy Cup.

Image:Croke park.jpg

Hurling is considered to be one of the most skillful games and one of the fastest field games in the world. Because of this only a handful of teams participate in the Championship, the most dominant teams coming from the provinces of Leinster and Munster. Cork, Kilkenny and Tipperary are considered to be the "superpowers" of hurling. Between them, these teams have won the Championship on no less than 83 occassions. After winning the Championship for the 30th time in 2005, Cork is the most successful hurling county. Not only has the team won back-to back titles but Cork is the only team to have completed a famous four-in-a-row in the 1940s.

Contents

History

Following the foundation of the Gaelic Athletic Association on November 1, 1884, one of the associations early aims was the promotion of a national competition that involved the Gaelic games of Gaelic football and hurling. At the third meeting of the new organisation in January 1885, new rules for the ancient game of hurling were drawn up and were soon published in local newspapers throughout the country. In 1886 "County Boards" were created to run the affairs of the various counties that participated in the competition. By 1887 the first All-Ireland Hurling Championship took place. Although only five teams participated, it was a step in the right direction for the organisation.

For the first few years of the Championship the various counties were represented by the team who won the county club championship. For instance, the 1887 was saw Thurles representing Tipperary and Meelick representing Galway. Dedicated inter-county teams were only introduced in 1895 when Cork put forward a mixture of all the best players from that county's best local GAA clubs. Over the early years various changes were made in the rules of hurling, and its sister sport, Gaelic football. Teams were reduced from 21-players to the current number of 15, and the rules regarding the value of a goal were also tweaked in the first few years of the competition.

The provincial championships were eventually introduced in Munster, Leinster, Connacht and Ulster on a "knock-out" basis. The winners of the various provincial finals would go on to participate in the All-Ireland semi-final stage. Over time the Leinster and Munster teams grew to become the superpowers of the game, as Gaelic football was the more dominant sport in Ulster and Connacht. After some time Galway became the only credible team in Connacht and was essentially given an automatic pass to the All-Ireland semi-final every year. This "knock-out" system remained for many decades and was considered to be the fairest system as the All-Ireland Champions would always be the undefeated team of the series of games.

In the mid-1990s the GAA looked at developing a new system whereby a defeat in the championship for certain teams may not necessarily mean an early exit from the Championship. In 1997 the first major change in format arrived when the so-called "back door" system was introduced. This new structure allowed the defeated Munster and Leinster finalists another chance to regain a place in the All-Ireland semi-finals. Tipperary and Kilkenny were the first two teams to benefit from the new system when they defeated Down and Galway respectively in two "quarter-finals". The All-Ireland Final in the first year of this new experiment was a replay of the Munster Final with Clare defeating Tipperary.

The new "back door" system proved successful and was expanded over the following years. The 2005 Championship saw even bigger changes in the "back door" or Qualifier system. Now the Munster and Leinster champions and defeated finalists automatically qualify for the new Quarter-Final stages. While two groups of four other teams play in a league format to fill the vacant four places in the quarter-finals. Many have criticised the new structure for not being a real championship at all, for degrading the Munster and Leinster Championships and for penalising the strongest teams. However, the new "Qualifier" structure has provided more games and has given hope to the "weaker" teams, as a defeat in the first round no longer means the end of a county's All-Ireland ambitions.

Format

The county is a geographical region in Ireland, and each of the thirty-two counties in Ireland organises its own GAA affairs through a County Board. The county teams play in their respective Provincial Championships in Munster, Leinster, Connacht and Ulster. The hurling championship qualifying structure works as follows:

Counties Participating: Twelve Counties shall participate in the Championship (initially the Counties participating in Division 1 of the National Hurling League 2004). Additional provision shall be made for the Ulster Champions, if not already included.

Provincial Championships: Provincial Championships will run as normal in Munster, Leinster and Ulster on a 'Knock Out' format.

All Ireland Qualifier: The 8 Counties participating shall be the First Round Losers in the Leinster and Munster Championships (two Teams), the Losing Semi-Finalists in the Leinster and Munster Championships (four Teams), Galway, and Antrim.

Groups (2): Two Groups of four Teams shall be drawn, with a maximum of two Teams from Munster and Leinster in each Group. Each County in a Group shall meet each other i.e. each Team shall play three games.

All Ireland Quarter Finals (4): The Pairings for the All Ireland Quarter-Finals shall be as follows:

  • Leinster Champions v Second Placed Team in one Qualifier Group.
  • Munster Champions v Second Placed Team in the other Qualifier Group.
  • Leinster Championship Runners Up v First Placed Team in One Qualifier Group.
  • Munster Championship Runners Up v First Placed Team in the other Qualifier Group.

A Draw shall be made to determine who each of the 'First Placed' Teams and each of the 'Second Placed' Teams shall meet.

All Ireland Semi-Finals: The Leinster and Munster Provincial Champions, if still involved, shall be drawn against the other two Quarter Final Winners. If the Leinster and/or Munster Provincial Champions are defeated in the Quarter Finals, the Team(s) that defeated them shall take their position(s) in the Draw.

Trophies

Image:Liam MacCarthy Cup.jpg

At the end of the final, the winning team is presented with a trophy, known as the "Liam McCarthy Cup", which they hold until the following year's final. Traditionally at Croke Park, the presentation is made in the Hogan Stand, with players, led by the captain, mounting a staircase to a special section where the presentation takes place. In the prescence of the President of Ireland, An Taoiseach and other patrons and VIPs, the winning captain accepts the cup from the President of the GAA. The captain then makes the traditional speech, thanking everyone involved and paying tribute to the runners-up. While the new Croke Park was being developed in the early 2000s the presentation was made on a podium on the pitch. The cup is decorated with ribbons in the colours of the winning team. Individual members of the teams playing in the final are also presented with winners' and runners-up medals.

All-Ireland Hurling Finals

Year Date Venue Winner Score Runner-up Score
1887 April 1 Birr Tipperary 1-1 Galway 0-0
1888 (unfinished)1
1889 November 3 Inchicore Dublin 5-1 Clare 1-6
1890 November 16 Clonturk Park Cork 1-6 Wexford 2-2
1891 February 28, 1892 Clonturk Park Kerry 2-3 Wexford 1-5
1892 March 26, 1893 Clonturk Park Cork 2-4 Dublin 1-1
1893 June 24, 1894 Phoenix Park Cork 6-8 Kilkenny 0-2
1894 March 24, 1895 Clonturk Park Cork 5-20 Dublin 2-0
1895 March 15, 1896 Jones' Road Tipperary 6-8 Kilkenny 1-0
1896 March 27, 1898 Jones' Road Tipperary 8-14 Dublin 0-4
1897 November 20, 1898 Jones' Road Limerick 3-4 Kilkenny 2-4
1898 March 25, 1900 Jones' Road Kilkenny 3-3 Clare 2-3
1899 March 24, 1902 Jones' Road Tipperary 3-12 Wexford 1-4
1900 October 26, 1902 Jones' Road Tipperary 2-5 London 0-6
1901 August 2, 1903 Jones' Road London 1-5 Cork 0-4
1902 September 11, 1904 Cork Cork 3-13 London 0-0
1903 November 12, 1905 Jones' Road Cork 3-16 London 1-1
1904 June 24, 1906 Carrick-on-Suir Kilkenny 1-9 Cork 1-8
1905 June 30, 1907 Dungarvan Kilkenny 7-7 Cork 2-9
1906 October 27, 1907 Kilkenny Tipperary 3-16 Dublin 3-8
1907 June 21, 1908 Dungarvan Kilkenny 3-12 Cork 4-8
1908 June 27, 1909 Athy Tipperary 3-15 Dublin 1-5
1909 December 12 Cork Kilkenny 4-6 Tipperary 0-12
1910 November 20 Jones' Road Wexford 7-0 Limerick 6-2
1911 July 28, 1912 Dungarvan Kilkenny2 3-3 Tipperary 1-1
1912 November 17 Jones' Road Kilkenny 2-1 Cork 1-3
1913 November 2 Jones' Road Kilkenny 2-4 Tipperary 1-2
1914 October 18 Croke Park Clare 5-1 Laois 1-0
1915 October 24 Croke Park Laois 6-2 Cork 4-1
1916 January 21, 1917 Croke Park Tipperary 5-4 Kilkenny 3-2
1917 October 28 Croke Park Dublin 5-4 Tipperary 4-2
1918 January 26, 1919 Croke Park Limerick 9-5 Wexford 1-3
1919 September 21 Croke Park Cork 6-4 Dublin 2-4
1920 May 14, 1922 Croke Park Dublin 4-9 Cork 4-3
1921 March 4, 1923 Croke Park Limerick 8-5 Dublin 3-2
1922 September 9, 1923 Croke Park Kilkenny 4-2 Tipperary 2-6
1923 September 14, 1923 Croke Park Galway 7-3 Limerick 4-5
1924 Croke Park Dublin 5-3 Galway 2-6
1925 September 6, 1925 Croke Park Tipperary 5-6 Galway 1-5
1926 October 24, 1926 Croke Park Cork 4-6 Kilkenny 2-0
1927 September 4, 1927 Croke Park Dublin 4-8 Cork 1-3
1928 September 9,1928 Croke Park Cork 6-12 Galway 1-0
1929 Croke Park Cork 4-9 Galway 1-3
1930 September 4 Croke Park Kilkenny 3-3 Clare 2-3
1931 November 1 Croke Park Cork 5-8 Kilkenny 3-4
1932 September 4 Croke Park Kilkenny 3-3 Clare 2-3
1933 September 3 Croke Park Kilkenny 1-7 Limerick 0-6
1934 September 30 Croke Park Limerick 5-2 Dublin 2-6
1935 September 1 Croke Park Kilkenny 2-5 Limerick 2-4
1936 September 6 Croke Park Limerick 5-6 Kilkenny 1-5
1937 September 5 FitzGerald Stadium Tipperary 3-11 Kilkenny 0-3
1938 September 4 Croke Park Dublin 2-5 Waterford 1-6
1939 September 2 Croke Park Kilkenny 2-7 Cork 3-3
1940 September 1 Croke Park Limerick 3-7 Kilkenny 1-7
1941 September 28 Croke Park Cork 5-11 Dublin 0-6
1942 September 6 Croke Park Cork 2-14 Dublin 3-4
1943 September 5 Croke Park Cork 5-16 Antrim 0-4
1944 September 3 Croke Park Cork 2-13 Dublin 1-2
1945 September 2 Croke Park Tipperary 5-6 Kilkenny 3-6
1946 September 1 Croke Park Cork 7-05 Kilkenny 3-08
1947 September 7 Croke Park Kilkenny 0-14 Cork 2-07
1948 September 5 Croke Park Waterford 6-07 Dublin 4-02
1949 September 4 Croke Park Tipperary 3-11 Laois 0-03
1950 September 3 Croke Park Tipperary 1-09 Kilkenny 1-08
1951 September 2 Croke Park Tipperary 2-14 Wexford 7-07
1952 September 7 Croke Park Cork 2-14 Dublin 0-07
1953 September 6 Croke Park Cork 3-03 Galway 0-08
1954 September 5 Croke Park Cork 1-09 Wexford 1-06
1955 September 4 Croke Park Wexford 3-13 Galway 2-08
1956 September 23 Croke Park Wexford 2-14 Cork 2-08
1957 September 1 Croke Park Kilkenny 4-10 Waterford 3-12
1958 September 7 Croke Park Tipperary 4-09 Galway 2-05
1959 October 4 Croke Park Waterford 3-12 Kilkenny 1-10
1960 September 4 Croke Park Wexford 2-15 Tipperary 0-11
1961 September 3 Croke Park Tipperary 0-16 Dublin 1-12
1962 September 2 Croke Park Tipperary 3-10 Wexford 2-11
1963 September 1 Croke Park Kilkenny 4-17 Waterford 6-08
1964 September 6 Croke Park Tipperary 5-13 Kilkenny 2-08
1965 September 5 Croke Park Tipperary 2-16 Wexford 0-10
1966 September 7 Croke Park Cork 3-09 Kilkenny 1-10
1967 September 3 Croke Park Kilkenny 3-08 Tipperary 2-07
1968 September 1 Croke Park Wexford 5-08 Tipperary 3-12
1969 September 7 Croke Park Kilkenny 2-15 Cork 2-09
1970 September 6 Croke Park Cork 6-21 Wexford 5-10
1971 September 5 Croke Park Tipperary 5-17 Kilkenny 5-14
1972 September 3 Croke Park Kilkenny 3-24 Cork 5-11
1973 September 2 Croke Park Limerick 1-21 Kilkenny 1-14
1974 September 1 Croke Park Kilkenny 3-19 Limerick 1-13
1975 September 5 Croke Park Kilkenny 2-22 Galway 2-10
1976 September 5 Croke Park Cork 2-21 Wexford 4-11
1977 September 4 Croke Park Cork 1-17 Wexford 3-8
1978 September 3 Croke Park Cork 1-15 Kilkenny 2-8
1979 September 2 Croke Park Kilkenny 2-12 Galway 1-8
1980 September 7 Croke Park Galway 2-15 Limerick 3-9
1981 September 6 Croke Park Offaly 2-12 Galway 0-15
1982 September 1 Croke Park Kilkenny 3-18 Cork 1-13
1983 September 4 Croke Park Kilkenny 2-14 Cork 2-12
1984 September 2 Semple Stadium Cork 3-16 Offaly 1-12
1985 September 1 Croke Park Offaly 2-11 Galway 1-12
1986 September 7 Croke Park Cork 4-13 Galway 2-15
1987 September 6 Croke Park Galway 1-12 Kilkenny 0-9
1988 September 4 Croke Park Galway 1-15 Tipperary 0-14
1989 September 1 Croke Park Tipperary 4-24 Antrim 3-9
1990 September 2 Croke Park Cork 5-15 Galway 2-21
1991 September 1 Croke Park Tipperary 1-16 Kilkenny 0-15
1992 September 6 Croke Park Kilkenny 3-10 Cork 1-12
1993 September 5 Croke Park Kilkenny 2-17 Galway 1-15
1994 September 4 Croke Park Offaly 3-16 Limerick 2-13
1995 September 3 Croke Park Clare 1-13 Offaly 2-08
1996 September 1 Croke Park Wexford 1-13 Limerick 0-14
1997 September 14 Croke Park Clare 0-20 Tipperary 2-13
1998 September 13 Croke Park Offaly 2-16 Kilkenny 1-13
1999 September 12 Croke Park Cork 0-13 Kilkenny 0-12
2000 September 10 Croke Park Kilkenny 5-15 Offaly 1-14
2001 September 9 Croke Park Tipperary 2-18 Galway 2-15
2002 September 8 Croke Park Kilkenny 2-20 Clare 0-19
2003 September 14 Croke Park Kilkenny 1-14 Cork 1-11
2004 September 12 Croke Park Cork 0-17 Kilkenny 0-9
2005
Details 		September 11 Croke Park Cork 1-21 Galway 1-16
2006 September 3 Croke Park        
2007 September 2 Croke Park        
  1. The Championship of 1888 remains unfinished owing to a tour of the United States by GAA Hurlers, Footballers and Athletes. Kilkenny, Cork and Clare were the remaining participants.
  2. The original finalists, Limerick, refused to play the final in Thurles after the original fixture on February 18, 1912 in Cork was postponed owing to the state of pitch. Kilkenny were awarded the title so their three All-Ireland victories in a row are not considered a "treble" in the true sense of the word. The game between Kilkenny and Tipperary was an exhibition game.

Top Winners

Cork have won the All-Ireland Hurling Championship the most times - thirty in all as of 2005. They are also the only team to have won the Championship on four consecutive occassions (1941-44). Only two teams have won the McCarthy Cup on three consecutive occassions - Cork (1892-94, 1941-43, 1952-54 & 1976-78) and Tipperary (1949-51). Kilkenny, Galway and Wexford have all achieved the "double" by winning back-to-back titles over the years. Antrim hold the unfortunate record of appearing in two All-Ireland Finals (1943 and 1989) without ever winning the cup. As well as achieving numerous "doubles" in hurling, Cork also hold the unique distinction of winning the All-Ireland Hurling Championship and the All-Ireland Football Championship in the same year (1890 and 1990).

The following is a list of the top county teams by number of wins (and when they last won and lost a final):

Team Winner Last win Runner-up Last losing final
1 Image:Corkcrest.gif Cork 30 2005 17 2003
2 Image:Kilkenny crest.jpg Kilkenny 28 2003 24 2004
3 Image:Tipperary-crest.gif Tipperary 25 2001 10 1997
4 Image:Limerick crest.gif Limerick 7 1973 8 1996
5 Image:Wexford crest.gif Wexford 6 1996 11 1977
Image:Dublinnewcrest.jpg Dublin 6 1938 14 1961
7 Image:Offalynewcrest.jpg Offaly 4 1998 3 2000
Image:Galwaynewcrest.jpg Galway 4 1988 17 2005
9 Image:Countyclare-crest.gif Clare 3 1997 4 2002
10 Image:Waterfordnewcrest.jpg Waterford 2 1959 3 1963
11 Image:Laois.gif Laois 1 1915 2 1949
Image:Londongaa.gif London 1 1901 3 1903
Image:KerryCrest.gif Kerry 1 1891

Hurling Team of the Millennium

Left Full Forward Full Forward Right Full Forward
Jimmy Doyle
(Tipperary) 		Ray Cummins
(Cork) 		Eddie Keher
(Kilkenny)
</br>
Left Half Forward Centre Forward Right Half Forward
Jim Langton
(Kilkenny) 		Mick Mackey
(Limerick) 		Christy Ring
(Cork)
</br>
Midfield
Jack Lynch
(Cork) 		Lory Meagher
(Kilkenny)
</br>
Left Half Back Centre Back Right Half Back
Brian Whelehan
(Offaly) 		John Keane
(Waterford) 		Paddy Phelan
(Kilkenny)
</br>
Left Full Back Full Back Right Full Back
Bobby Rackard
(Wexford) 		Nick O'Donnell
(Wexford) 		John Doyle
(Tipperary)
</br>
Goalkeeper
Tony Reddin
(Tipperary)


Famous Hurling Championship Moments

  • At the third meeting of the newly-founded Gaelic Athletic Association in 1885 new rules for the game of hurling are drawn up and published in national newspapers.
  • The first All-Ireland Hurling Championship takes place in 1887 with only five teams participating. The Final isn't played until the start of the new season in 1888 when Tipperary defeat Galway with a score of 1-1 to 0-0.
  • In the 1900 All-Ireland Final Tipperary score two goals in the last six minutes to snatch victory from London in the dying seconds of the game.
  • In the 1922 All-Ireland Final Kilkenny were three points down with three minutes to go when Paddy Donoghue and Dick Tobin scored two goals. Tipperary later missed the chance of an equalising goal resulting in victory for the men in black and amber.
  • In 1924 Mick Gill creates history by winning two All-Ire;d Senior Hurling medals in the same year and for different counties. In September he played on the Galway side which beat Limerick in the delayed 1923 final. In the actual 1924 final he played on the victoriuos Dublin team.
  • In 1937 a builders' strike holds up progress on the new stand at Croke Park, forcing a switch in venue for the All-Ireland Final to FitzGerald Stadium in Killarney where Tipperary defeat Kilkenny.
  • The All-Ireland Final of 1931 between Cork and Kilkenny had to be played no less than three times before a team emerged as the winner. On the second replay Cork emerged victorious.
  • The 1939 All-Ireland Final is remembered as the "thunder and lightening" final. On the eve of the outbreak of World War II Cork and Kilkenny played the first half of the game at a frantic pace. The climax of the final was played in a ferocious storm with victory eventually going to Kilkenny.
  • In 1944 Cork pull off an historic achievement by winning their fourth All-Ireland title in a row, a feat which has never been equalled. During the 1940s, the Cork team, which featured Christy Ring and Jack Lynch, played in six of the ten All-Ireland finals of the decade, with victory going to the Leesiders on five occassions.
  • The All-Ireland Final of 1956 draws a record crowd of 83,096. In the game itself Wexford defeat Cork by 2-14 to 2-8.
  • In 1959 Kilkenny forward Eddie Keher plays for "the Cats" in the All-Ireland Minor Hurling Final. A few weeks later he comes on as a substitute in the Senior final replay against Waterford.
  • The All-Ireland Final of 1970 sees the extension of the game to 80 minutes. Cork defeat Wexford with a massive score of 6-21 to 5-10, with Cork's Eddie O'Brien scoring a hat-trick. It is the only time that a player has scored three goals in the modern era.
  • In the final stages of an intense All-Ireland Final in 1971, Tipperary-player Babs Keating removes his playing boots and finishes the match in his bare feet. He passes the sliothar into one of his team mates who creates a winning score. "Barefoot Babs" and Tipperary went on to clinch victory from Kilkenny.
  • In the 1984 Munster hurling final, Tipperary are leading by four points with four minutes remaining when Tony O'Sullivan and Seanie O'Leary score two goals and snatch victory for Cork.
  • In the GAA's Centenary year of 1984, the All-Ireland Hurling Final is played in the town where the organisation was founded. At Semple Stadium in Thurles, Cork overcome Offaly by 3-16 to 1-12.
  • The All-Ireland Final of 1993 is the last game to be played in the old Croke Park before the demolition of the Cusack Stand and the beginning of a multi-million pound redevelopemt of the entire stadium.
  • The All-Ireland Final of 1994 has come to be remembered as the "five minute final." Limerick looked set to win their first All-Ireland title since 1973 until Offaly stage one of the greatest comebacks of all time, scoring two goals and most of their points in the last few minutes. They defeat Limerick by 3-16 to 2-13.
  • The Championship of 1997 sees the introduction of the so-called "back-door" system where the beaten Munster and Leinster finalists are allowed back to contest the All-Ireland series. Kilkenny and Tipperary are the first counties to benefit from the new format.
  • In the All-Ireland Semi-Final of 1998 between Clare and Offaly referee Jimmy Cooney blows the whistle two minutes early. Offaly's players and supporters launch a sit-down protest on the pitch. A replay was forced to be played which Offaly won.
  • In 2003 a bookmaking firm exploits a loop-hole in the GAA's Official Code and sponsors the hurley's of three players in an All-Ireland Semi-Final clash between Cork and Wexford. The rule is later amended to prevent any repeat of the incident.
  • In the 2004 Leinster Final, Wexford trail Kilkenny by 2 points withs seconds to go. A block down on a Kilkenny clearence leads the ball to the hand of one of the Wexford forwards who scores a winning goal with the last puck of the ball.
  • The All-Ireland Final on September 11, 2005 was the first to be played at the fully refurbished Croke Park. The Cusack Stand, the Canal Stand, the Hogan Stand and the new Hill 16 and Nally End all have a combined capacity of 82,300.

County teams by championship (2006)

Tier 1: Liam McCarthy Cup

Tier 2: Christy Ring Cup

Tier 3: Nicky Rackard Cup

See also

Gaelic Games in Ireland
Football competitions The GAA Hurling competitions
Football Championship Hurling Championship
National Football League Handball National Hurling League
Ladies' Gaelic Football Camogie
Tommy Murphy Cup Railway Cup Christy Ring Cup
International Rules Nicky Rackard Cup
Trophies
Sam Maguire Cup Liam McCarthy Cup
Brendan Martin Cup O'Duffy Cup
Retrieved from "http://en.freepedia.org/All-Ireland_Senior_Hurling_Championship.html"


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