All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship: Difference between revisions

The All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Guinness 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.

Hurling is considered to be one of the most skillful games and is the fastest field game 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 occasions. 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.

Overview

Following the foundation of the Gaelic Athletic Association on November 1, 1884, one of the association's 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 Championship 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 the Championship of 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). 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.

Criticism

This new format has been criticised for making the provincial championships largely meaningless. Eight teams will qualify for the All-Ireland quarter-finals, and there are eight county teams who are considered to be far above the rest, and so are guaranteed the quarter-final spots: Kilkenny, Wexford, Clare, Cork, Limerick, Tipperary, Waterford and Galway.

All-Ireland Final

The All-Ireland Hurling Final is one of the biggest sporting occasions to be held in Ireland every year. 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 held 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 presence 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.

Recent history

• See: All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship History

All-Ireland Hurling Finals

• See: List of All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship finals

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 occasions (1941-44). Only two teams have won the McCarthy Cup on three consecutive occasions - 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	File:Corkcrest.gif Cork	30	2005	17	2003
2	File:Kilkenny crest.jpg Kilkenny	28	2003	24	2004
3	File:Tipperary-crest.gif Tipperary	25	2001	10	1997
4	File:Limerick crest.gif Limerick	7	1973	8	1996
5	File:Wexford crest.gif Wexford	6	1996	11	1977
	Dublin	6	1938	14	1961
7	Offaly	4	1998	3	2000
	File:Galwaynewcrest.jpg Galway	4	1988	17	2005
9	File:Countyclare-crest.gif Clare	3	1997	4	2002
10	File:Waterfordnewcrest.jpg Waterford	2	1959	3	1963
11	File:Laois.gif Laois	1	1915	2	1949
	File:Londongaa.gif London	1	1901	3	1903
	File:KerryCrest.gif Kerry	1	1891

Hurling Team of the Millennium

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-Ireland 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 victorious Dublin team.
• 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.
• 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 1939 All-Ireland Final is remembered as the "thunder and lightning" 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 occasions.
• 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 redevelopment 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

File:Countyclare-crest.gif Clare (Munster)	File:Corkcrest.gif Cork (Munster)	Dublin (Leinster)	File:Galwaynewcrest.jpg Galway (Connacht)	File:Kilkenny crest.jpg Kilkenny (Leinster)	File:Laois.gif Laois (Leinster)
File:Limerick crest.gif Limerick (Munster)	Offaly (Leinster)	File:Tipperary-crest.gif Tipperary (Munster)	File:Waterfordnewcrest.jpg Waterford (Munster)	File:Westmeath2.gif Westmeath (Leinster)	File:Wexford crest.gif Wexford (Leinster)

Tier 2: Christy Ring Cup

• Antrim - relegated last year
• Carlow
• Down
• Kerry
• Kildare
• London - promoted last year
• Mayo
• Meath
• Roscommon
• Wicklow

Tier 3: Nicky Rackard Cup

• Armagh
• Cavan
• Derry - relegated last year
• Donegal
• Fermanagh
• Leitrim
• Longford
• Louth
• Monaghan
• Sligo
• Tyrone
• Warwickshire

External links

• All-Ireland results by county 1991-2003
• Hurling Statistics
• Comprehensive statistics on every county's record in the hurling championship, 1887-2004

See also

• Top 20 GAA Moments