| All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship | |
|---|---|
Current season or competition: 2025 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship | |
| Irish | Craobh Shinsir Iomána na hÉireann |
| Code | Hurling |
| Founded | 1887; 138 years ago (1887) |
| Region |  Ireland (GAA) |
| Trophy | Liam MacCarthy Cup |
| No. of teams | 17 |
| Title holders |  Clare (5th title) |
| Most titles |  Kilkenny (36 titles) |
| Sponsors | Bord Gáis Energy Centra Eir |
| TV partner(s) | RTÉ BBC Northern Ireland |
| Motto | Be there. All the way |
| Official website | gaa.ie/hurling/all-ireland |
TheGAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship, known simply as theAll-Ireland Championship, is an annualinter-countyhurling competition organised by theGaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is the highest-tier competition for inter-county hurling inIreland and has been contested in every year except one since1887.
The final, formerly held in September, then August and now moved to July[citation needed], is the culmination of a series of games played during July and August, with the winning team receiving theLiam MacCarthy Cup. The All-Ireland Championship has been played on astraight knockout basis for the majority of its existence, whereby a team's first loss eliminated them from the championship. In more recent years, the qualification procedures for the championship have changed several times. Currently, qualification is limited to teams competing in 3 feeder competitions; three teams from theLeinster Senior Hurling Championship, three teams from theMunster Senior Hurling Championship and two teams who qualify to the All-Ireland preliminary quarter-finals from the second-tierJoe McDonagh Cup. Annual promotion and relegation allows teams outside these competitions (teams from theChristy Ring Cup - tier 3, theNicky Rackard Cup - tier 4 and theLory Meagher Cup - tier 5) to eventually reach the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship.
Seventeen teams currently participate in the All-Ireland Championship, with the most successful coming from the provinces ofLeinster andMunster. 13 different teams have won the title, 10 of whom have been champions more than once.Kilkenny are the competition's most successful team, having been All-Ireland champions on 36 occasions. Kilkenny,Cork andTipperary are considered "the big three" of hurling and hold 94 championships between them. However Limerick have had huge success in recent years winning four of the last five all Irelands from 2019-2023. The current title holders areClare, who defeatedCork by 3–29 to 1–34 in the2024 final. This was Clare's fifth All Ireland hurling title, and their first since 2013.
The All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship final was listed in second place byCNN in its "10 sporting events you have to see live", after theOlympic Games.[1]
Following the foundation of theGaelic Athletic Association in 1884, new rules forGaelic football andhurling were drawn up and published in theUnited Irishman newspaper. In 1886, county committees began to be established, with several counties affiliating over the next few years. The GAA ran its inaugural All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship in1887. The decision to establish that first championship was influenced by several factors. Firstly, inter-club contests in 1885 and 1886 were wildly popular and began to draw huge crowds. Clubs started to travel across the country to play against each other and these matches generated intense interest as the newspapers began to speculate which teams might be considered the best in the country. Secondly, although the number of clubs was growing, many were slow to affiliate to the Association, leaving it short of money. Establishing a central championship held the prospect of enticing GAA clubs to process their affiliations, just as the establishment of theFA Cup had done much in the 1870s to promote the development of theFootball Association inEngland. The championships were open to all affiliated clubs who would first compete in county-based competitions, to be run by local county committees. The winners of each county championship would then proceed to represent that county in the All-Ireland series.[2]
The inaugural All-Ireland Championship used, for the only time in its history, an open draw format without the provincial series of games. All of the existing county boards were eligible to enter a team, however, only six chose to do so. Disputes inCork andLimerick over which club should represent the county resulted in neither county fielding a team.Dublin later withdrew from the championship. In all five teams participated:Clare (Garraunboy Smith O'Briens),Galway (Meelick),Kilkenny (Tullaroan)Tipperary (Thurles) andWexford (Castlebridge).
Galway and Wexford contested the very first championship match on Saturday 2 July 1887. Postponements, disqualifications, objections, withdrawals and walkovers were regular occurrences during the initial years of the championship. The inaugural All-Ireland final took place on 1 April 1888 inBirr, County Offaly, with Tipperary defeating Galway to take the title.[3][4][5]
The provincial championships were introduced in 1888 inMunster,Leinster,Connacht andUlster on a knock-out basis. The winners of the provincial finals participated in the All-Ireland semi-finals. Over time the Leinster and Munster teams grew to become the superpowers of the game, asGaelic football was the more dominant sport in Ulster and Connacht. After some timeGalway 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 persisted for over 100 years and was considered to be the fairest system as the All-Ireland champions would always be the only undefeated team of the year.
Unlike in other European countries, such as neighbouring England, where annual sports events were cancelled during the twentieth century due to theFirst andSecond World Wars, the All-Ireland Championship has been running continuously since 1887, with the final running since 1889 (the 1888 competition was played but no final was held due to theInvasion). The competition continued even in spite of the effects on the country of theCivil War and the Second World War (theNational Hurling League was not held during the latter). In1941, the All-Ireland Championship was disrupted by an outbreak offoot-and-mouth disease.[6]
The duration of certain championship matches increased from 60 to 80 minutes during the 1970s. They were settled at 70 minutes after five seasons of this in 1975.[7] This applied only to the provincial finals, All-Ireland semi-finals and finals.[8]
In the mid-1990s theGaelic Athletic Association looked at developing a new system whereby a defeat in the championship for certain teams would not mean an immediate exit from the Championship. In the1997 championship the first major change in format arrived when the '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 andKilkenny were the first two teams to benefit from the new system when they defeatedDown and Galway respectively in the quarter-finals. The All-Ireland final in the first year of this new experiment was a replay of the Munster final withClare defeating Tipperary. The first team to win the All-Ireland through the 'back-door' was Offaly in 1998, winning a replay of the Leinster final by beating Kilkenny 2–16 to 1–13.
The new "back-door system" proved successful and was expanded over the following years. The2005 Championship saw even bigger changes in the "back-door" or qualifier system. The Munster and Leinster champions and defeated finalists automatically qualified for the new quarter-final stages, while two groups of four other teams played in a league format to fill the vacant four places in the quarter-finals. Many criticised the structure for not being a real championship at all, for degrading the Munster and Leinster championships and for penalising the strongest teams.
2008 brought a change to the competition format, whereby the team that won the Leinster and Munster championships advanced to the All-Ireland semi-finals, and the losers of the provincial finals advanced to two quarter-finals. A series of knockout qualifiers for the remaining teams decided which other two teams would reach the quarter-finals. The updated qualifier structure provided more games and gave renewed hope to the "weaker" teams, as a defeat in the first round no longer meant the end of a county's All-Ireland ambitions.
Group stage (15 matches): Each team plays each other once. The 1st and 2nd placed teams advance to the Leinster final and the 3rd placed team advances to the all-Ireland preliminary quarter-finals. All other teams are eliminated from the championship and the bottom placed team may face relegation to next years Joe McDonagh Cup.
Final (1 match): The top 2 teams in the group stage contest this game. The Leinster champions advance to the All-Ireland semi-finals and the Leinster runners-up advance to the All-Ireland quarter-finals.
Group stage (10 matches): Each team plays each other once. The 1st and 2nd placed teams advance to the Munster final and the 3rd placed team advances to the all-Ireland preliminary quarter-finals. All other teams are eliminated from the championship and the bottom placed team may face relegation to next years Joe McDonagh Cup.
Final (1 match): The top 2 teams in the group stage contest this game. The Munster champions advance to the All-Ireland semi-finals and the Munster runners-up advance to the All-Ireland quarter-finals.
Group stage (15 matches): Each team plays each other once. The 1st and 2nd placed teams advance to the Joe McDonagh Cup final. All other teams are eliminated from the championship and the bottom placed team are relegated to next years Christy Ring Cup. If the top team is from Munster, effectively Kerry, they may play a promotion/relegation playoff to enter the following season's Munster Championship. If any other team wins the Joe McDonagh, it is promoted to the Leinster Championship (even if from Ulster or Connacht), and the last placed team in the Leinster Championship is relegated.
Final (1 match): The top 2 teams in the group stage contest this game. The Joe McDonagh Cup champions and runners-up advance to the All-Ireland preliminary quarter-finals.
Preliminary quarter-finals (2 matches): The 3rd placed teams from the Leinster and Munster championships play the Joe McDonagh Cup champions and runners-up. Two teams are eliminated at this stage while the winners advance to the quarter-finals.
Quarter-finals (2 matches): The winners of the preliminary quarter-finals join the Leinster and Munster runners-up to make up the quarter-final pairings. Teams who may have already met in the provincial championships are kept apart in separate quarter-finals. Two teams are eliminated at this stage while the winners advance to the semi-finals.
Semi-finals (2 matches): The winners of the quarter-finals join the Leinster and Munster champions to make up the semi-final pairings. Teams who may have already met in the provincial championships are kept apart in separate semi-finals where possible. Two teams are eliminated at this stage while the winners advance to the final.
Final (1 match): The two winners of the semi-finals contest this game.
| Teams entering in this round | Teams advancing from previous round | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Preliminary quarter-finals (4 teams) |
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| Quarter-finals (4 teams) |
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| Semi-finals (4 teams) |
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| Final (2 teams) |
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Teams from the first two levels are eligible for the All-Ireland series in that year. Teams from tiers 3 to 5 may reach tiers 1 and 2 through promotion.
| Level | Total teams (35) | Championship | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 | Munster Senior Hurling Championship 5 counties – 0 or 1 relegations | Leinster Senior Hurling Championship 6 counties – 0 or 1 relegations |
| 2 | 6 | Joe McDonagh Cup 6 counties – 1 promotion, 1 relegation | |
| 3 | 6 | Christy Ring Cup 6 counties – 1 promotion, 1 relegation | |
| 4 | 6 | Nicky Rackard Cup 6 counties – 1 promotion, 1 relegation | |
| 5 | 6 | Lory Meagher Cup 6 counties – 1 promotion | |
Seventeen counties will compete in the2025 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship: six teams in theLeinster Senior Hurling Championship, five teams in theMunster Senior Hurling Championship and six teams in theJoe McDonagh Cup.
Stadium attendances are a significant source of regular income for the GAA and for the teams involved. For the2017 championship, the average attendances for the five games was 56,565 with a total aggregate attendance figure of 282,826. The 2017 figure represented the highest combined total for an All-Ireland Championship since 2012, when 294,079 fans attended six games, including a final replay between Kilkenny and Galway. The highest all-time aggregate attendance for the championship was 332,387 in 2007 when eight games were played.
Croke Park was initially used as the venue for All-Ireland quarter-finals following their introduction in 1997. These games were usually played as a double-header. From 2008 until 2017 the quarter-finals were played atSemple Stadium inThurles.
The All-Ireland semi-finals have been played exclusively at Croke Park since 1977. Croke Park had been regularly used as a semi-final venue prior to this, however, a number of other stadiums around the country were also used.St Brendan's Park andSt Cronan's Park were regularly used for semi-finals involving Kilkenny and Galway. Other regular semi-final venues included theMarkets Field,Páirc Uí Chaoimh,St Ciarán's Park, theCork Athletic Grounds andCusack Park. Since introduction of the back door in 1997 less All Ireland hurling semi-finals involved Galway. Ulster team never reached the semi-final stage if the pre 1997 system had stayed Ulster hurling champions would possibly be still playing in the All Ireland semi-finals.
Since 1910, Croke Park has been the regular venue for the All-Ireland final. Only on two occasions since then has the final been played outside of Croke Park. Construction of the Cusack Stand in 1937 meant that that year's final was played at the newly openedFitzGerald Stadium inKillarney.[9] In 1984 the GAA celebrated its centenary by playing the All-Ireland final atSemple Stadium inThurles.[10]
In the years prior to 1910, the All-Ireland final was held in a variety of locations around the country, including Jones's Road as Croke Park was known before its dedication toThomas Croke. The inaugural final in 1887 was played atBirr, before Dublin venuesClonturk Park, the Pond Field and thePhoenix Park were used in the early 1890s.Fraher Field hosted the final on three occasions, while the final was played at the newly openedCork Athletic Grounds on two occasions.
Managers in the All-Ireland Championship are involved in the day-to-day running of the team, including the training, team selection, and sourcing of players from the club championships. Their influence varies from county-to-county and is related to the individual county boards. From 2018, all inter-county head coaches must be Award 2 qualified. The manager is assisted by a team of two or three selectors and an extensive backroom team consisting of various coaches. Prior to the development of the concept of a manager in the 1970s, teams were usually managed by a team of selectors with one member acting as chairman.
| Manager | Team | Wins | Winning years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brian Cody | Kilkenny | 11 | 2000, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015 |
| Tommy Maher | Kilkenny | 7 | 1975, 1975, 1972, 1969, 1967, 1963, 1957 |
 John Kiely | Limerick | 5 | 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 |
 Bertie Troy | Cork | 3 | 1976, 1977, 1978 |
| Pat Henderson | Kilkenny | 1979, 1982, 1983 | |
 Cyril Farrell | Galway | 1980, 1987, 1988 | |
| Michael O'Brien | Cork | 2 | 1984, 1990 |
 Michael "Babs" Keating | Tipperary | 1989, 1991 | |
| Ollie Walsh | Kilkenny | 1992, 1993 | |
| Ger Loughnane | Clare | 1995, 1997 | |
 Liam Sheedy | Tipperary | 2010, 2019 | |
 Padge Kehoe | Wexford | 1 | 1968 |
| Donie Nealon | Tipperary | 1971 | |
| Jackie Power | Limerick | 1973 | |
| Eddie Keher | Kilkenny | 1979 | |
 Andy Gallagher | Offaly | 1981 | |
| Justin McCarthy | Cork | 1984 | |
| Dermot Healy | Offaly | 1985 | |
| Johnny Clifford | Cork | 1986 | |
| Éamonn Cregan | Offaly | 1994 | |
| Liam Griffin | Wexford | 1996 | |
| Michael Bond | Offaly | 1998 | |
| Jimmy Barry-Murphy | Cork | 1999 | |
| Nicky English | Tipperary | 2001 | |
| Donal O'Grady | Cork | 2004 | |
| John Allen | Cork | 2005 | |
| Davy Fitzgerald | Clare | 2013 | |
| Michael Ryan | Tipperary | 2016 | |
| Micheál Donoghue | Galway | 2017 | |
| Brian Lohan | Clare | 2024 |
| # | Manager | County team | Appointed | Years as manager |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John Kiely | Limerick | 14 September 2016[11] | 7 |
| 2 | Ronan Sheehan |  Down | 2017 | 6 |
| 3 | David Herity |  Kildare | 2018 | 5 |
| 4 | Brian Lohan | Clare | 31 October 2019[12] | 4 |
| 5 | Stephen Molumphy |  Kerry | September 2021[13] | 3 |
| 6 | Tom Mullally |  Carlow | January 2021 | 2 |
| 7 | Joe Fortune | Westmeath | September 2021 | 2 |
| 8 | Darragh Egan | Wexford | September 2021 | 2 |
| 9 | Pat Ryan |  Cork | 7 July 2022[14] | 1 |
| 10 | Liam Cahill | Tipperary | 18 July 2022 | 1 |
| 11 | Derek Lyng | Kilkenny | 4 August 2022[15] | 1 |
| 12 | Johnny Kelly | Offaly | 5 September 2022 | 1 |
| 13 | Willie Maher |  Laois | 12 September 2022 | 1 |
| 14 | Peter Quelly |  Waterford | 09 August 2024[16] | |
| 15 | Davy Fitzgerald |  Antrim | 12 August 2024[17] | 1 |
| 16 | Micheál Donoghue | Galway | 29 August 2024[18] | 1 |
| 17 | Niall Ó Ceallacháin |  Dublin | 10 Septmeber 2024[19] | 1 |
At the end of the All-Ireland final, the winning team is presented with a trophy. TheLiam MacCarthy Cup is held by the winning team until the following year's final. Traditionally, the presentation is made at a special rostrum in the Ard Chomairle section of the Hogan Stand where GAA and political dignitaries and special guests view the match.
The cup is decorated with ribbons in the colours of the winning team. During the game the cup actually has both teams' sets of ribbons attached and the runners-up ribbons are removed before the presentation. The winning captain accepts the cup on behalf of his team before giving a short speech. Individual members of the winning team then have an opportunity to come to the rostrum to lift the cup.
The Liam MacCarthy Cup commemorates the memory ofLiam MacCarthy. Born inLondon to Irish parents in 1851, he was prominently involved in the establishment of a county board in London in the 1890s. In 1922 he presented the GAA with £500 to commission a cup for the All-Ireland champions. The cup, which was constructed to look like a medieval Irish drinking vessel called a mather, was made by jeweller Edmund Johnson at his premises on Dublin'sGrafton Street. It replaced the Great Southern Cup as the All-Ireland trophy and was first presented toBob McConkey of Limerick in 1923.[20]
Declan Carr of Tipperary was the last recipient of the original Liam MacCarthy Cup in 1991 before it was retired. It is now on display in the GAA Museum in Croke Park. JMK Gold & Silversmith's produced an exact replica which was first awarded toLiam Fennelly of Kilkenny in 1992.[21]
In accordance with GAA rules, the Central Council awards up to twenty-six gold medals to the winners of the All-Ireland final. The medals are 9 carat gold and depict the design of the GAA. Trophies are awarded to the All-Ireland runners-up. A miniature replica of the Liam MacCarthy Cup is awarded to the captain of the winning team.
Since 1995, the All-Ireland Championship has been sponsored. The sponsor has usually been able to determine the championship's sponsorship name.
| Period | Sponsor(s) | Name |
|---|---|---|
| 1887−1994 | No main sponsor | The All-Ireland Championship |
| 1995−2007 | Guinness | The Guinness Hurling Championship |
| 2008−2009 | RTÉ Sport, Etihad Airways,Guinness | The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Championship |
| 2010−2012 | Centra,Etihad Airways,Guinness | The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Championship |
| 2013−2016 | Centra,Etihad Airways, Liberty Insurance | The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Championship |
| 2017−2019 | Centra,Littlewoods Ireland,Bord Gáis Energy | The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Championship |
From the early 1920s,British Pathé recorded newsreel footage of the All-Ireland finals which was later shown in cinemas around the country. TheNational Film Institute andGael Linn later produced their own newsreels of All-Ireland finals withMichael O'Hehir providing commentary. These newsreels were staples for cinema-goers until the 1960s.
Following the establishment of2RN, Ireland's firstradio broadcasting station, on 1 January 1926, sports coverage, albeit infrequent, was a feature of the schedules. Early broadcasts consisted of team announcements and short reports on events of interest. 2RN recorded a broadcasting first on 29 August 1926, when former hurler and journalistP.D. Mehigan carried a live commentary of the All-Ireland semi-final between Kilkenny and Galway. It was the first live radio broadcast of a field game outside of theUnited States. Although there was no designated sports department within Irish radio for many years, a two-way relationship between the national broadcaster and the GAA was quickly established. As well as exclusive live commentaries, Seán Ó Ceallacháin began broadcasting a weekly results programme onRadio Éireann in 1930.[22]
WhenTelefís Éireann was established on 31 December 1961, the new station was interested in the broadcasting of championship games. The GAA, however, were wary that live television coverage would result in lower attendances at games. Because of this, the association restricted annual coverage of its games to the All-Ireland hurling and football finals, the two All-Ireland football semi-finals and the twoRailway Cup finals. The first live broadcast of a hurling championship match was the All-Ireland final between Tipperary and Wexford on 2 September 1962. While the All-Ireland semi-finals were reintroduced in 1969, RTÉ was still confined to just broadcasting the final. In spite of this, highlights of the semi-finals were regularly shown.
The All-Ireland final between Tipperary and Kilkenny on 5 September 1971 was the first to bebroadcast in colour.
The first All-Ireland semi-final to be broadcast live was the meeting of Cork and Galway on 7 August 1977. The popularity of the evening highlights programme led to the development ofThe Sunday Game, which was first broadcast on 8 July 1979.[23] For the early years financial and logistical reasons restricted the programme to featuring just one full championship game and discussion about it. The show, however, soon expanded featuring coverage of one or more of the day's main championship games, followed by extended highlights of the other major games of the day.
The 1981 All-Ireland final between Offaly and Galway was simultaneously broadcast onRTÉ 1 andRTÉ 2, withGer Canning providing commentary in theIrish language on the secondary channel.[24]
In 1983,Channel 4 began broadcasting RTÉ's coverage of the All-Ireland final inBritain. This simulcast lasted until 1992 when the live broadcast was dropped; however, the entire match was shown at a later time.
In 2014, the GAA signed a three-year broadcasting deal withSky Sports.[25] While Sky were granted exclusive rights to some high-profile games, they were also permitted to broadcast live coverage of the All-Ireland semi-finals and final, however, these games were also broadcast live on RTÉ.
| Province | Title(s) | Runners-up | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
 Munster | 77 | 51 | 128 |
 Leinster | 53 | 60 | 113 |
 Connacht | 5 | 20 | 25 |
.svg) Britain | 1 | 3 | 4 |
 Ulster | 0 | 2 | 2 |
The following counties have never won an All-Ireland in hurling:
| Province | No. | Counties |
|---|---|---|
| Connacht | 4 | Leitrim,Mayo,Roscommon,Sligo |
| Leinster | 7 | Carlow,Kildare,Longford,Louth,Meath,Westmeath,Wicklow |
| Ulster | 9 | Antrim,Armagh,Cavan,Derry,Donegal,Down,Fermanagh,Monaghan,Tyrone |
| Britain | 2 | Lancashire, Warwickshire |
Legend
For each year, the number of teams eligible for the All-Ireland (in brackets) are shown.
| Team | 2018 (16) | 2019 (15) | 2020 (10) | 2021 (11) | 2022 (17) | 2023 (17) | 2024 (17) | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antrim | JM | JM | JM | PR | PQF | L | L | 6 |
| Carlow | PQF | L | JM | JM | JM | PQF | L | 5 |
| Clare | SF | M | QF | R2 | SF | SF | 1st | 7 |
| Cork | SF | QF | R2 | 2nd | QF | M | 2nd | 7 |
| Down | CR | CR | CR | JM | JM | JM | JM | 3 |
| Dublin | L | PQF | R1 | QF | L | QF | QF | 7 |
| Galway | 2nd | L | SF | R2 | SF | SF | L | 7 |
 Kerry | JM | JM | JM | JM | PQF | JM | JM | 5 |
| Kildare | CR | CR | CR | JM | CR | JM | CR | 1 |
| Kilkenny | QF | 2nd | SF | SF | 2nd | 2nd | SF | 7 |
| Laois | JM | QF | R1 | R1 | L | JM | PQF | 7 |
| Limerick | 1st | SF | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | SF | 7 |
| Meath | JM | CR | JM | JM | JM | CR | JM | 3 |
| Offaly | L | JM | CR | CR | JM | PQF | PQF | 5 |
| Tipperary | M | 1st | QF | QF | M | QF | M | 7 |
| Waterford | M | M | 2nd | SF | M | M | M | 7 |
| Westmeath | PQF | PQF | JM | JM | L | L | JM | 5 |
| Wexford | QF | SF | R2 | R1 | QF | L | QF | 7 |
Kilkenny are the most successful hurling county to date, having won the All-Ireland Hurling Championship the most times (36). Kilkenny have also been runners-up more often than any other team (29).
| # | Team | Wins | Last win | Final losses | Last losing final | Final win ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kilkenny | 36 | 2015 | 29 | 2023 | 55% |
| 2 | Cork | 30 | 2005 | 21 | 2024 | 59% |
| 3 | Tipperary | 28 | 2019 | 13 | 2014 | 68% |
| 4 | Limerick | 12 | 2023 | 9 | 2007 | 57% |
| 5 | Dublin | 6 | 1938 | 15 | 1961 | 29% |
| Wexford | 1996 | 11 | 1977 | 35% | ||
| 7 | Galway | 5 | 2017 | 20 | 2018 | 20% |
| Clare | 5 | 2024 | 3 | 2002 | 63% | |
| 9 | Offaly | 4 | 1998 | 3 | 2000 | 57% |
| 10 | Waterford | 2 | 1959 | 6 | 2020 | 25% |
| 11 | London | 1 | 1901 | 3 | 1903 | 25% |
| Laois | 1915 | 2 | 1949 | 33% | ||
| Kerry | 1891 | 0 | — | 100% | ||
| 14 | Antrim | 0 | — | 2 | 1989 | 0% |
| Year | Debutants | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 1887 | Clare,Dublin,Galway,Kilkenny,Tipperary,Wexford | 6 |
| 1888 | Cork,Kildare,Laois,Limerick,Waterford | 5 |
| 1889 | Kerry,Louth | 2 |
| 1890–1896 | None | 0 |
| 1897 | Offaly | 1 |
| 1898–1912 | None | 0 |
| 1900 | Antrim,London, Sligo | 3 |
| 1901 | Derry,Roscommon | 2 |
| 1902 | Longford | 1 |
| 1903 | Donegal | 1 |
| 1904 | None | 0 |
| 1905 | Down, Mayo | 2 |
| 1906–1907 | None | 0 |
| 1908 | Cavan,Fermanagh | 2 |
| 1909 | Monaghan | 1 |
| 1910–1912 | None | 0 |
| 1913 | Glasgow,Lancashire,Westmeath | 3 |
| 1914–1918 | None | 0 |
| 1919 | Meath | 1 |
| 1920–1942 | None | 0 |
| 1943 | Wicklow | 1 |
| 1944–1945 | None | 0 |
| 1946 |  Armagh | 1 |
| 1947–1962 | None | 0 |
| 1963 | Carlow | 1 |
| 1964–1995 | None | 0 |
| 1996 |  New York | 1 |
| 1997–present | None | 0 |
| Total | 34 |
The following teams have competed in the All-Ireland Championship for at least one season.
| County | App. | Debut | Most recent | Championship titles | Last championship title | Best All-Ireland result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antrim | 1900 | 2025 | 0 | — | Runners-up | |
| Armagh | 1946 | — | 0 | — | Ulster runners-up | |
| Carlow | 1963 | 2025 | 0 | — | Quarter-finals | |
| Cavan | 1908 | 1925 | 0 | — | Ulster runners-up | |
| Clare | 131 | 1887 | 2025 | 5 | 2024 | Champions |
| Cork | 137 | 1888 | 2025 | 30 | 2005 | Champions |
| Derry | 1901 | 2004 | 0 | — | Semi-finals | |
| Donegal | 1903 | 1946 | 0 | — | Semi-finals | |
| Down | 1905 | 2025 | 0 | — | Semi-finals | |
| Dublin | 133 | 1887 | 2025 | 6 | 1938 | Champions |
| Fermanagh | 1908 | 1946 | 0 | — | Ulster semi-finals | |
| Galway | 1887 | 2025 | 5 | 2017 | Champions | |
 Glasgow | 1 | 1913 | 1913 | 0 | — | Semi-finals |
| Kerry | 1889 | 2025 | 1 | 1891 | Champions | |
| Kildare | 1888 | 2025 | 0 | — | Quarter-finals | |
| Kilkenny | 130 | 1887 | 2025 | 36 | 2015 | Champions |
| Laois | 1888 | 2025 | 1 | 1915 | Champions | |
| Limerick | 135 | 1888 | 2025 | 12 | 2023 | Champions |
| Lancashire | 1 | 1913 | 1913 | 0 | — | Semi-finals |
| London | 1900 | 2014 | 1 | 1901 | Champions | |
| Longford | 2 | 1902 | 1903 | 0 | — | Leinster first round |
| Louth | 4 | 1889 | 1920 | 0 | — | Leinster quarter-finals |
| Mayo | 3 | 1905 | 1913 | 0 | — | Semi-finals |
| Meath | 1919 | 2024 | 0 | — | Quarter-finals | |
| Monaghan | 1909 | 1946 | 0 | — | Ulster runners-up | |
| New York | 6 | 1996 | 2004 | 0 | — | Quarter-finals |
| Offaly | 1897 | 2025 | 4 | 1998 | Champions | |
| Roscommon | 20 | 1901 | 1999 | 0 | — | Semi-finals |
| Sligo | 2 | 1900 | 1913 | 0 | — | Connacht runners-up |
| Tipperary | 132 | 1887 | 2025 | 28 | 2019 | Champions |
| Waterford | 125 | 1888 | 2025 | 2 | 1959 | Champions |
| Westmeath | 1913 | 2025 | 0 | — | Quarter-finals | |
| Wexford | 126 | 1887 | 2025 | 6 | 1996 | Champions |
| Wicklow | 1943 | 2004 | 0 | — | Leinster quarter-finals |
| Rank | Player | Team | Goals | Points | Tally | Games | Era | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Patrick Horgan | Cork | 32 | 671 | 767 | 87 | 2008–present | 8.6 |
| 2 | T. J. Reid | Kilkenny | 39 | 630 | 747 | 93 | 2008–present | 7.9 |
| 3 | Joe Canning | Galway | 27 | 486 | 567 | 62 | 2008–2021 | 9.3 |
| 4 | Henry Shefflin | Kilkenny | 27 | 484 | 565 | 71 | 1999–2014 | 8.0 |
| 5 | Eddie Keher | Kilkenny | 35 | 336 | 441 | 50 | 1959–1977 | 8.8 |
| 6 | Eoin Kelly | Tipperary | 21 | 369 | 432 | 63 | 2000–2014 | 6.8 |
| 7 | Tony Kelly | Clare | 17 | 339 | 390 | 66 | 2012–present | 5.9 |
| 8 | Aaron Gillane | Limerick | 18 | 320 | 374 | 46 | 2017–present | 8.1 |
| 9 | Lee Chin | Wexford | 12 | 336 | 372 | 57 | 2011–present | 6.52 |
| 10 | Séamus Callanan | Tipperary | 40 | 226 | 343 | 66 | 2008–2023 | 5.1 |
| 11 | Christy Ring | Cork | 33 | 208 | 307 | 65 | 1940–1963 | 4.7 |
| 12 | D. J. Carey | Kilkenny | 33 | 188 | 287 | 57 | 1989–2005 | 5.0 |
| As of 8 June 2025 (Bold denotes players still active) | ||||||||
| Competition | Year | Champions | Title | Runners-up | Next edition | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship | 2024 | Clare | 5th | Cork | 2025 | ||
| Leinster Senior Hurling Championship | 2024 | Kilkenny | 76th | Dublin | 2025 | ||
| Munster Senior Hurling Championship | 2024 | Limerick | 25th | Clare | 2025 | ||
| Joe McDonagh Cup | 2024 | Offaly | 1st | Laois | 2025 | ||
| Christy Ring Cup | 2025 | London | 2nd | Derry | 2026 | ||
| Nicky Rackard Cup | 2025 | Roscommon | 3rd | Mayo | 2026 | ||
| Lory Meagher Cup | 2025 | New York | 1st | Cavan | 2026 |
Dublin [footballers]... hadn't won Leinster for seven years and didn't go into the All-Ireland semi-final as provincial champions – they were nominated by the province because of the foot-and-mouth outbreak that year, which caused the Leinster [football] final against Carlow to be postponed until November.
Another issue touched on by John O'Keeffe in his interview was the strange decision to extend senior championship provincial finals, All-Ireland semi-finals and finals to 80 minutes – which was an extra third on the previous duration of an hour. Curiously, it made little difference to the outcome of matches. Of the five finals plus 1972 replay played over 80 minutes – the length of a match was settled at 70 minutes from 1975 onwards – only the 1971 Offaly-Galway result would have been affected. Had it been played over an hour, it would have ended in a draw instead of Offaly's first All-Ireland triumph.
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