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| Sport: | Hurling | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Irish: | Corcaigh | ||
| Nickname(s): | The Rebels TheLeesiders The Blood and Bandage | ||
| County board: | Cork GAA | ||
| Manager: | Ben O'Connor | ||
| Captain: | Darragh Fitzgibbon | ||
| Home venue(s): | Páirc Uí Chaoimh,Cork | ||
| Recent competitive record | |||
| Current All-Ireland status: | F in2025 | ||
| Last championship title: | 2005 | ||
| Current NHL Division: | 1A (2nd in2025) | ||
| Last league title: | 2025 | ||
| |||
TheCork county hurling team representsCork inhurling and is governed byCork GAA, thecounty board of theGaelic Athletic Association. The team competes in the three major annual inter-county competitions: theAll-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, theMunster Senior Hurling Championship, and theNational Hurling League.
Cork's home ground isPáirc Uí Chaoimh,Cork. The team's manager isPat Ryan.
The team last won the Munster Senior Championship in 2025, the All-Ireland Senior Championship in2005 and the National League in2025.
Cork is regarded as one of 'the big three' in hurling, withKilkenny andTipperary completing the trinity. The county currently lies second in the all-time roll of honour in terms of All-Ireland SHC titles, having won its 30th in 2005. Cork has also won the Munster SHC title 51 times, more than any other team in the province. Cork occupies second place in the National League roll of honour, after winning its 14th title in 1998. In1944, Cork won a fourth consecutive All-Ireland SHC title, a record which stood for 65 years until Kilkenny equalled it in2009. Limerick has recently achieved the same feat2023
Cork also competes in theWaterford Crystal Cup and contributes players to theMunsterRailway Cup team for an annual inter-provincial series of games.
During its beginning, Cork had been one of the few teams that was interested in fielding a hurling team in the very first All-Ireland championship in1887;[citation needed][1] however, a dispute over which team should represent the county led to Cork not taking part at all. The county entered a team in 1888 and went on to win their first All-Ireland title in 1890 when Aughabullogue beat Castlebridge ofWexford.
In the early years of the competition, the various county champions represented their county in the All-Ireland series. However, this changed in 1892 when Cork contested, and won their second All-Ireland final with a team consisting of players from multiple clubs in the county. Further All-Ireland titles in 1893 and 1894 meant Cork became the first team to win a three-in-row. This record would stand until it was later equaled byKilkenny andTipperary. Between 1901 and 1905 Cork appeared in five successive All-Ireland finals; however, victory only came in the form of a two-in-a-row in 1902 and 1903. Following this, Cork's hurlers waited sixteen years before their next All-Ireland win in 1919. A further five All-Ireland finals were contested by Cork between 1926 and 1931 with victory coming on four occasions.
The Cork team of the 1940s is regarded as one of the two greatest teams of all time.[original research?] They are one of only three teams to win four All-Ireland hurling titles in-a-row the Kilkenny team of 2006 to 2009) and the great Limerick team of 2020 to 2023. Many of the team's detractors,[who?] however, have questioned the worth of these championship victories as Cork lost the 1941 Munster championship and overcame aDublin team, and anAntrim team who only got into the final because Kilkenny and Tipperary could not play due to an outbreak of foot and mouth disease.[citation needed][2] However, the Cork team was defeated in two All-Ireland finals, those of1939 and1947. The former has come to be known as the "thunder and lightning final".[citation needed] On the day beforeWorld War II broke out, Cork faced aKilkenny side who were playing in their fourth final in five years. The game saw both sides remaining level for much of the game. Just as the game reached its climax, a crack of thunder interrupted the play and the rain bucketed down.Kilkenny emerged victorious by a single point.[citation needed]
In 1941, an outbreak offoot-and-mouth disease in the midlands forcedTipperary andKilkenny to withdraw from the competition. As a result, Cork facedLimerick in the Munster final, and defeated them, before beatingDublin in the All-Ireland decider for one of the handiest championships ever won.[citation needed] Following the All-Ireland final, Cork playedTipperary in the delayed Munster final and lost, thus becoming the very first All-Ireland champions but provincial runners-up. For these reasons, Cork's first win of four in-a-row is often dismissed by their opponents.[citation needed]
In 1942 Cork defeatedTipperary in the Munster final and silenced their critics,[citation needed] before going on to claim their second consecutive All-Ireland title by again defeatingDublinn. In 1943, Cork were repeat Munster champions and qualified for the All-Ireland final, where their opponents were expected to beKilkenny. Kilkenny, however, were defeated byAntrim, a junior team, in the All-Ireland semi-final. Cork went on to record a victory over Antrim in the final and claim a third consecutive All-Ireland victory. In 1944, Cork repeated as Munster champions, defeatingMick Mackey'sLimerick side in the decider. They defeatedGalway before beating their old enemyDublin in the final. Cork set a record of four All-Ireland titles in-a-row the first team to do this.
Five All-Ireland titles in-a-row was beyond this Cork team,[tone] as they were defeated in the 1945 Munster final. They returned in 1946, however, winning back their Munster crown and defeating Kilkenny in the All-Ireland final. Cork playerChristy Ring, at the age of 25, collected his fifth All-Ireland winners medal. In 1947, Cork were playing in their sixth All-Ireland final of the decade. In what has been described as the greatestAll-Ireland Hurling Final of all time,[by whom?] Cork were defeated by a single point. This defeat brought an end to the run of success of the Cork team of the 1940s.
Between 1949 and 1951 Cork had metTipperary every year in the Munster final. Each year, Tipperary had won and went on to claim the All-Ireland title. By 1952, Cork had an extra motivating factor because they realised that ifTipperary beat them again, they would almost certainly win a fourth consecutive All-Ireland title and equal the record set by Cork in the 1940s. At the start of the1952 championship, Tipperary was favored to retain their All-Ireland crown. It looked like the same old story in the Munster final as Cork conceded a goal after just three minutes of play. A goal for Cork from Mossie O'Riordan was the turning point of the match, however, and Cork ended Tipp's hopes of four in-a-row with a scoreline of 1–11 to 2–7.Christy Ring, who had again proved instrumental in the victory, was shouldered off the field with blood streaming down his face and a bandage around his head. Cork went on to narrowly defeatGalway in the All-Ireland semi-final before hammeringDublin in the final.
In 1953 Cork set out to defend their title. They defeated their old rivalsTipperary in the Munster final and set up a meeting withGalway in the All-Ireland decider.Galway believed that the physical route was the best way to upset Cork and it did. In a low scoring game Cork won by a single point; however, the battle didn't stop atCroke Park. Later that night some of theGalway players arrived at theGresham Hotel where Cork were staying. A fight broke, withChristy Ring getting a punch in the face and falling down some steps. The melee ended just as quick as it had begun. In 1954 Cork were the favourites to complete another three in-a-row. They defeatedTipp again in the Munster final, before storming pastGalway in the All-Ireland semi-final. The Corkmen then advanced to playWexford in one of the most eagerly anticipated All-Ireland finals ever.Wexford were hotly tipped to spoil Cork's quest for another treble, however, on the day Cork's defence were on top form. They won on a scoreline of 1–9 to 1–6, withChristy Ring becoming the first player to win eight All-Ireland medals.
In 1955 Cork were beaten byClare in the opening round of the Munster championship, however, they returned for one final swansong in 1956. They regained their Munster crown, courtesy of a hat-trick by Christy Ring, and set up another All-Ireland final showdown withWexford. It was another classic encounter but sides at their peak. The turing point of the game came whenWexford were two points up. Their goalkeeper,Art Foley, saved a great shot by Christy Ring and cleared the ball. Within secondsNicky Rackard scored a goal to win the game forWexford. The final score was 2–14 to 2–8. Ring had been denied his ninth All-Ireland medal. In a show of solidarityBobby Rackard andNick O'Donnell ofWexford shouldered Ring off the field. It would be Cork's last All-Ireland final appearance for ten years.
In1966 Cork came from nowhere to win their first Munster title in a decade and advanced to an All-Ireland final decider againstKilkenny. None of the Cork team had ever played inCroke Park before, however, forKilkenny it was like their home stadium. There was even speculation thatChristy Ring, the age of 45, was about to come out of retirement to play for Cork, however, this didn't happen. WhileKilkenny were the favouritesGerald McCarthy captained one of the youngest Cork teams ever to victory.Kilkenny had their revenge over Cork in1969, however, in1970 Cork captured theLiam MacCarthy Cup with a massive win overWexford.
The 1970s was to be a glorious decade for Cork's hurlers. In1975 Cork won their firstMunster title since1972. It was to be the first of five Munster Championship victories in-a-row. An All-Ireland semi-final loss toGalway raised certain doubts over Cork's ability. They silenced their critics in1976 when Cork facedWexford in the All-Ireland final. After 8 minutes Cork were in severe trouble, having conceded two goals and two points. It looked as if the game was going to be a repeat of the 1956 final, however, Cork fought back to win what has been referred to asPat Moylan's All-Ireland final.
In1977 Cork were back in the All-Ireland final taking onWexford for the second consecutive year. The game didn't start as quickly as the previous year, however, it was no less as exciting. Cork's captain,Martin O'Doherty, and the team's goalkeeper,Martin Coleman, were the heroes of the day, as Cork won on a scoreline of 1–17 to 3–8. The three-in-a-row was the major talking-point yet again and Cork didn't disappoint, returning to the All-Ireland final. This time their opponents wereKilkenny. They gave Cork a fright when they scored an early goal, however, an opportunistic goal by Cork'sJimmy Barry-Murphy sealed victory for the Leesiders. Sporting history was made. The possibility of completing a famous four-in-a-row looked extremely likely in1979 when Cork captured their fifth Munster title. A defeat at the All-Ireland semi-final stage byGalway ended Cork's run of success, and brought an end to the careers of many of their most famous players.
Cork reclaimed theirMunster Championship crown in 1982. It was the first of five Munster titles in-a-row. They reached the All-Ireland final that year but were defeated byKilkenny. In 1983 Cork were defeated by "the cats" for the second consecutive year. 1984 was a special year forGaelic games as it was the centenary year of the Gaelic Athletic Association. Having lost the previous two All-Ireland finals, Cork were even hungrier for success in 1984. The plan nearly came undone in the Munster final whenTipperary were up by four points with four minutes to go. One goal each fromSeánie O'Leary andTony O'Sullivan sealed victory for "the Rebels" and they advanced to an easy win overOffaly in the All-Ireland final atSemple Stadium.
In 1986 Cork were back in the All-Ireland final, this time facing favouritesGalway. Cork scored four goals on that day and, in spite of a late goal byGalway'sP. J. Molloy, Cork won the day on a scoreline of 4–13 to 2–15.
Four years later in1990 Cork were again Munster champions before taking part in another final againstGalway. Cork returned as the underdogs coming into the final. In one of the most high-scoring finals in years Cork re-emerged victorious with a scoreline of 5–15 to 2-21.The 1990s which started so well were to prove difficult for the Cork hurlers. After losing toKilkenny in the All-Ireland final in1992 it would take until1999 for Cork to re-emerge as Munster and All-Ireland champions.Jimmy Barry-Murphy, coached the youngest Cork team ever to another All-Ireland victory.[citation needed]
While it was expected that the team would build on the success of1999 the exact opposite happened.[original research?] After a defeat toOffaly in the All-Ireland semi-final in2000 the team went into terminal decline.[citation needed] In 2002 the entire senior hurling panel took the unprecedented move of going on strike. The players, who had been seeking better conditions, refused to play or train with the county again until the dispute with the county board was resolved. The players demands included having their own doctor at allChampionship,League, resolving disputes over travel arrangements and providing players with free gymnasium access. The strike was eventually resolved and all the demands were met, but not before the Cork footballers also went on strike in sympathy.
Following the strike the Cork hurlers came back stronger than ever,[original research?] winning three out of the next four Munster championships. Cork reached four consecutive All-Ireland finals with victories coming in2004 and2005. In2006 Cork attempted to capture an elusive three-in-a-row, however, they were defeated byKilkenny.
The Cork senior footballers and hurlers withdrew their services for almost 100 days from November 2007 until February 2008, duringa players' strike.
Cork featured again in 2013, defeating Clare in the Munster semi-final but losing to Limerick in the Munster final. Cork went through the back door accounting for Kilkenny and Dublin on their way to the final, where they met Clare again. The final ended in a draw, requiring a replay and in the replay Clare beat Cork. Both games have been described as some of the greatest finals of all time.
The Cork Hurling team made it to theAll-Ireland Hurling Final in 2024, where they lost to Clare by 3–29 to 1–34 after extra time.
Cork won its first national title in 20 years winning theNational Hurling League Final in 2025, beating Tipperary by 3–24 to 0–23.
In 2025, Cork despite winning both the National League an Munster hurling times, the latter after a dramatic penalty shoot out win over Limerick, slumped to a devastating defeat to Tipperary team in the All Ireland final as Tipperary outscored a fourteen man Cork team by 3-14 to 0-2 to in the second half to record a 3-27 to 1-18 winning scoreline
Roy Keane, the formerassociation football player, has attended Cork games and, before the2024 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship final, told other former players from that sport that "an All-Ireland hurling final at Croke Park was the best live sporting occasion a person could attend".[3]
Adam Idah, another association football player, attended games when he was a boy.[4]
 | This section needs to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(July 2025) |
Team as per Cork vsTipperary in the2025 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final, 20th July 2025:[5]
INJ Player has had an injury which has affected recent involvement with the county team.
RET Player has since retired from the county team.
WD Player has since withdrawn from the county team due to a non-injury issue.
| This section needs to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(July 2022) |
Cork — likeKilkenny andTipperary — traditionally appoints managers from inside, rather than seeking a "foreign" appointment.[7]
| Name | Club | From | To | All-Ireland titles | Munster titles | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bertie Troy | Newtownshandrum | 1975 | 1980 | 1976, 1977, 1978 | 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979 | ||
| Gerald McCarthy | St Finbarr's | 1980 | 1982 | ||||
| Johnny Clifford | Glen Rovers | 1982 | 1983 | 1983 | |||
| Justin McCarthy Fr Michael O'Brien | Passage Blackrock | 1983 | 1985 | 1984 | 1984, 1985 | ||
| Johnny Clifford | Glen Rovers | 1985 | 1988 | 1986 | 1986 | ||
| Charlie McCarthy | St Finbarr's | 1988 | 1988 | ||||
| Con Roche | St Finbarr's | 1988 | 1989 | ||||
| Fr Michael O'Brien | Blackrock | 1989 | 1993 | 1990 | 1990, 1992 | ||
| Johnny Clifford | Glen Rovers | 1993 | 1995 | ||||
| Jimmy Barry-Murphy | St Finbarr's | 1995 | 2000[8] | 1999 | 1999, 2000 | ||
| Tom Cashman | Blackrock | 2000 | 2001 | ||||
| Bertie Óg Murphy | Sarsfield's | 2001 | 2002 | ||||
| Dónal O'Grady | St Finbarr's | 2002 | 2004 | 2004 | 2003 | ||
| John Allen | St Finbarr's | 2004 | 2006 | 2005 | 2005, 2006 | ||
| Gerald McCarthy | St Finbarr's | 2006 | 2009 | ||||
| John Considine | Sarsfield's | 2009 | 2009 | ||||
| Denis Walsh | St Catherine's | 2009 | 2011 | ||||
| Jimmy Barry-Murphy | St Finbarr's | 2011 | 2015 | 2014 | |||
| Kieran Kingston | Tracton | 2016 | 2017 | 2017 | |||
| John Meyler | St Finbarr's | 2018 | 2019 | 2018 | |||
| Kieran Kingston | Tracton | 2020 | 2022 | ||||
| Pat Ryan | Sarsfield's | 2023 | 2025 | [9] | |||
| Ben O'Connor | Newtownshandrum | 2026 |
Cork has 109 All Stars, as of 2019.
![[icon]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg) | This sectionneeds expansion. You can help byadding missing information.(June 2022) |
Goalkeeper:Dave Creedon
Full-backs:Jerry O'Riordan,Seán Óg Murphy,Paddy Collins
Half-backs:Tom Cashman,Jim O'Regan,Jim Young
Midfielders:Jack Lynch,Jim Hurley
Half-forwards:Eudie Coughlan,Christy Ring,Dinny Barry-Murphy
Full-forwards:Johnny Quirke,Ray Cummins,Micka Brennan
Goalkeeper:Ger Cunningham
Full-backs:Jamesy Kelleher,Seán Óg Murphy,Brian Corcoran
Half-backs:Tom Cashman,Jim O'Regan,Denis Coughlan
Midfielders:Jack Lynch,Gerald McCarthy
Half-forwards:Eudie Coughlan,Josie Hartnett,Christy Ring
Full-forwards:Johnny Quirke,Ray Cummins,Paddy Barry
The Cork senior hurling team of early 2009 was in a unique situation, when replacements had to be found for those whowent on strike.
Cork launched a new jersey ahead of the 2019 season, featuring a different sleeve and without white stripes down the side.[11]
Cork launched a new jersey ahead of the 2021 season.[12]
Cork launched a new jersey ahead of the 2023 season, with a noticeably whiter sleeve.[13]
Cork was sponsored byO2 for 15 years. This arrangement ended on 31 December 2012.[14] In 2013, Chill Insurance announced it would sponsor Cork in a three-year deal.[15] Chill Insurance remained as sponsor for eight years until the end of 2020. Cork admitted in early 2021 that it had concluded a five-year deal withSports Direct in December 2020, following public reports ahead of the intended launch.[16][17][18] Following publication, it was subsequently confirmed that all negotiations were held with Sports Direct's Dublin-based marketing division, with no involvement from the British part of the company or fromMike Ashley, the billionaire owner ofan English association football club with links to the company.[19]
Every Munster and All-Ireland SHC result since2007.
As of 27 June 2022
| County | Pld | W | D | L | Win % | First Meeting | Last Meeting | Province |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Antrim | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100% | 2010 | 2022 | Ulster |
 Clare | 12 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 75% | 2007 | 2022 | Munster |
 Dublin | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 100% | 2007 | 2021 | Leinster |
 Galway | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 17% | 2008 | 2022 | Connacht |
 Kilkenny | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 40% | 2008 | 2021 | Leinster |
 Laois | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% | 2011 | 2011 | Leinster |
 Limerick | 11 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 33% | 2010 | 2022 | Munster |
 Offaly | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 100% | 2007 | 2012 | Leinster |
 Tipperary | 15 | 4 | 2 | 9 | 23% | 2007 | 2022 | Munster |
 Waterford | 13 | 6 | 1 | 6 | 46% | 2007 | 2022 | Munster |
| Westmeath | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% | 2019 | 2019 | Leinster |
 Wexford | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 67% | 2012 | 2016 | Leinster |
| Year | Championship | Other Competitions | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Hurling League | Munster Hurling League | Waterford Crystal Cup | ||||||||
| Championship Results | All-Ireland SHC | Munster SHC | ||||||||
| Pld | W | D | L | |||||||
| 2015 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | QF | SF | RU | - | RU | |
| 2016 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | R2 | QF | 6th | 3rd | - | |
| 2017 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | SF | Ch | QF | Ch | - | |
| 2018 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | SF | Ch | 6th | 4th | - | |
| 2019 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | QF | 3rd | 6th | GS | - | |
| 2020 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | R2 | SF | 7th | RU | - | |
| 2021 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | RU | SF | 9th | - | - | |
| 2022 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | QF | 3rd | SF | - | - | |
| 2023 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | N/A | 4th | SF | TBD | - | - |
| 2024 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | N/A | 3rd | 3rd | TBD | - | |
Winners (11): 1912, 1916, 1925, 1940, 1947, 1950, 1955, 1958, 1983, 1987, 1994
Runners-up (4): 1923, 1929, 1938, 1992Winners (9): 1970 (Cork County), 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009Winners (55): 1888, 1890, 1892, 1893, 1894, 1901, 1902, 1903, 1904, 1905, 1907, 1912, 1915, 1919, 1920, 1926, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1931, 1939, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1946, 1947, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1956, 1966, 1969, 1970, 1972, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1990, 1992, 1999,2000,2003,2005,2006,2014,2017,2018, 2025Runners-up (30): 1896, 1897, 1898, 1906, 1909, 1910, 1913, 1914, 1916, 1921, 1932, 1940, 1941, 1948, 1950, 1951, 1957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1964, 1965, 1968, 1980, 1987, 1988, 1991, 2004, 2010, 2013Winners (21): 1912, 1916, 1923, 1925, 1929, 1932, 1937, 1938, 1940, 1947, 1950, 1955, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1983, 1984, 1987, 1992, 1994, 1996Runners-up (16): 1913, 1914, 1926, 1933, 1934, 1936, 1946, 1948, 1949, 1952, 1953, 1957, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1991Winners (22): 1966, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1982, 1988, 1991, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2005, 2007, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2023Runners-up (14): 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1987, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2011, 2014, 2017, 2019, 2024Winners (34): 1928, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1941, 1951, 1964, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1994, 1995, 1998, 2000, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2017, 2021Runners-up (12): 1930, 1933, 1935, 1946, 1961, 1962, 1987, 1993, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2007Winners (1): 1984Sports psychologist Cathal Sheridan also comes on to Kingston's backroom team, while Ger Cunningham and Diarmuid O'Sullivan are retained as selectors.
