All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship

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The All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship, commonly known from current sponsorship as the AIB Club Hurling Championship, is an Irish hurling competition. Like its equivalent at senior inter-county level, it is played on a provincial knockout (single elimination) basis. Unlike the All-Ireland inter-county championship there is no "back-door" or second chance for defeated teams. The competition is open to the champion clubs of the strongest hurling counties in the four provinces.

History

In the 1960s a number of new initiatives took place with regard to developments in Gaelic games competitions. Firstly the All-Ireland under-21 championships in hurling and Gaelic football were introduced in 1964 as a new grade of competition for young hurlers. Secondly, the Munster Senior Club Hurling Championship was established that same year as a competition for the champion clubs of the six counties of the southern province. Prior to this, however, tournaments and charity games involving clubs from different counties had taken place as far back as the thirties.

At the GAA's annual congress in 1969 Donegal, Galway and Wexford put down a motion for the introduction of All-Ireland club championships in both codes. The competition eventually began in 1970-71.

Structure

Each of Ireland's 32 counties play their own championship between all the hurling clubs in the county – depending on the county, it can be league, knockout, or a mixture of both. The 32 county champions play in the 4 provincial championships, with the four winners of these advancing to the All-Ireland Semi-Finals. Until the introduction of the Intermediate and Junior Championships one team usually played the London champions in a quarter-final. The London champions now play in the Intermediate Championship. The All-Ireland Final is played in Croke Park on St. Patrick's Day.

Schedule:

• County championships: June — November
• Provincial championships: October — December
• All-Ireland quarter-final and semi-finals: February
• All-Ireland Final: March 17

History

Action from the 2009 semi-final between De La Salle (white and red) and Cushendall (maroon)

The club championship was first held in 1971, with Roscrea of Tipperary becoming the first champions. Ironically, given the county's initial opposition to the tournament, Cork clubs won seven All-Irelands in this decade. James Stephens of Kilkenny were the first Leinster team to win.

Castlegar won Connacht's first title in 1980, and in '83 Loughgiel Shamrocks became Ulster's first and only All-Ireland champions at the time, repeating the feat in 2012. Teams from the traditional hurling counties (Cork, Tipperary and Kilkenny) dominated for the rest of the 80s.

Since the 1990s Galway clubs have come to the fore, with Sarsfields, Athenry and Portumna managing to retain the title. Birr also enjoyed much success, winning four titles in nine seasons.

In defeating De La Salle of Waterford in the 2009 final, Portumna of Galway won a third title in four years, the first club to manage this feat.

Roll of honour

All-Ireland winners are shaded gold, and counties are given in brackets.

List of Finals

Roll of honour

By club

Listing the most successful clubs only. Four further clubs are on two titles – Glen Rovers and St. Finbarr's (both of Cork), Sarsfields, of Galway and, most recently, Loughgiel of Antrim.

Province	All-Irelands	Club
Leinster	5	Ballyhale Shamrocks (Kilkenny), 2009–10
Leinster	4	Birr (Offaly), 2002–03
Connacht	3	Athenry (Galway), 2000–01
Connacht	3	Portumna (Galway), 2008–09
Munster	3	Blackrock (Cork), 1978–79
Leinster	3	James Stephens (Kilkenny), 2004–05

By county

M, L, C, U refer to Munster/Leinster/Connacht/Ulster championships won by clubs from the county. "Last winners" gives the name of the club from the county which last won the All-Ireland' if no club has, the name of the last provincial champion is given in italic type.

No club from Armagh, Carlow, Cavan, Derry, Donegal, Fermanagh, Kerry, Kildare, Leitrim, London, Longford, Louth, Mayo, Meath, Monaghan, Sligo, Tyrone, Westmeath or Wicklow has ever won a national or provincial title.

By province

Province	All-Irelands	Last winners
Leinster clubs	15	Ballyhale Shamrocks (Kilkenny), 2009–10
Munster clubs	14	Newtownshandrum (Cork), 2003–04
Connacht clubs	11	Clarinbridge (Galway), 2010–11
Ulster clubs	2	Loughgiel Shamrocks (Antrim), 2011–12

Notes and references

External links

• List of GAA Clubs Online
• The Castlegar Team with Photograph