List of All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship finals
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The final of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship is the ultimate match in the annual hurling competition organised since 1887 by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). Contested by the top hurling teams in Ireland, the tournament has taken place every year, except in 1888, when the competition was not played due to a tour of the United States by would-be competitors. In 2012 the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final was listed in second place by CNN in its "10 sporting events you have to see live", after the Olympic Games and ahead of both the FIFA World Cup and UEFA European Football Championship.[1] The most recent All-Ireland Hurling Final was held at Croke Park, Dublin, on 20 July 2025, and saw Tipperary beat Cork out the gate by 15 points (final score: Tipperary 3–27 to Cork: 1–18).
The final, held in mid-late summer serves as the culmination of a series of games played during the summer months, and the results determine which county's team receives the Liam MacCarthy Cup. The Championship was initially a straight knockout competition open only to the champions of each of the four provinces of Ireland. During the 1990s the competition was expanded, firstly incorporating a "back-door system" and later a round-robin group phase involving more games. In the present format, the championship begins in late April with provincial championships held in Leinster and Munster. The Munster and Leinster champions gain automatic admission to the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship semi-finals, where they are joined by the two winners of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship qualifiers via two lone quarter-finals.
Thirteen teams currently participate in the Championship, the most dominant teams coming from the provinces of Leinster and Munster. Kilkenny, Cork and Tipperary are considered "the big three" of hurling. Between them, these teams have won 94 out of 136 (69%) championships completed during its history — though Limerick have had huge success in recent years, winning five of the 6 finals in 2018-2023.
In all, the title has been won by 13 different teams, 10 of which have won the title more than once. The all-time record-holders are Kilkenny, who won their 36th title in 2015. The current champions are Tipperary.
List of finals
Footnotes
a. ^ Limerick refused to play in Thurles after the original fixture on 18 February 1911 in Cork was postponed owing to the state of pitch. Kilkenny were awarded the All-Ireland title, and Tipperary were nominated to play in the All-Ireland final in Limerick's absence.
b. ^ A refixture of the All-Ireland Final was needed following an objection and a counter-objection.
c. ^ The 1899 final was abandoned due to darkness: Tipperary were awarded the title.
d. ^ The 1892 dinal was abandoned after Dublin walked off the field with ten minutes remaining after Cork were awarded a disputed goal: Cork were awarded the title.
e. ^ The 1890 final was abandoned after Cork walked off the field to protest the unduly rough play by Wexford's team. Cork were awarded the title.
f. ^ The 1888 Championship was unfinished owing to a tour of the United States by hurlers, footballers and athletes.
- 1997 was the first All-Ireland Hurling Final where the two competing teams came from the same province.
- 1975 was the first 70-minute All-Ireland Hurling Final.
- 1970 was the first 80-minute All-Ireland Hurling Final.
Man of the match
- 1968: Mick Roche, refused the prize[3]
- 1969:
- 1972: Eddie Keher[4]
- 1975:
- 1976:
- 1978:
- 1979:
- 1980: Michael Conneely[5]
- 1981:
- 1982:
- 1983:
- 1984:
- 1985:
- 1986:
- 1987:
- 1988:
- 1989: Nicky English[6]
- 1990: Tomás Mulcahy
- 1991: Pat Fox
- 1992: Pat O'Neill
- 1993: Pádraig Kelly[7][8]
- 1994: Brian Whelahan[9]
- 1995: Seánie McMahon
- 1996: Liam Dunne[10][11]
- 1997: Jamesie O'Connor
- 1998: Brian Whelahan[9][12]
- 1999: Brian Corcoran[13]
- 2000: D. J. Carey[14]
- 2001: Tommy Dunne[15]
- 2002: Henry Shefflin
- 2003: Noel Hickey[16]
- 2004: Niall McCarthy[17]
- 2005: Ben O'Connor[18]
- 2006: Aidan Fogarty[19]
- 2007: Eddie Brennan[20]
- 2008: Brian Cody
- 2009: P. J. Ryan
- 2010: Lar Corbett[21]
- 2011: J. J. Delaney[22]
- 2012 (draw): Iarla Tannian[23]
- 2012 (replay): Walter Walsh[24]
- 2013 (draw): Conor Ryan[25][26]
- 2013 (replay): Shane O'Donnell[27]
- 2014 (draw): Richie Hogan[28][29]
- 2014 (replay): Kieran Joyce[30]
- 2015: Michael Fennelly[31]
- 2016: Séamus Callanan[32]
- 2017: David Burke[33]
- 2018: Kyle Hayes[34][35]
- 2019: Noel McGrath[36][37]
- 2020: Gearóid Hegarty[38]
- 2021: Cian Lynch[39]
- 2022: Gearóid Hegarty[40]
- 2023: Peter Casey[41]
- 2024: Tony Kelly[42][43][44]
- 2025: Ronan Maher[45]