Wicklow Senior Hurling Championship
Annual hurling competition in Ireland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Wicklow Senior Hurling Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Lightning Protection Ireland Senior Hurling Championship and abbreviated to the Wicklow SHC) is an annual club hurling competition organised by the Wicklow County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association and contested by the top-ranking senior clubs in the county of Wicklow in Ireland, deciding the competition winners through a group and knockout format. It is the most prestigious competition in Wicklow hurling.
| Wicklow Senior Hurling Championship | |
|---|---|
Current season or competition: 2026 Wicklow Senior Hurling Championship | |
 | |
| Irish | Craobh Iomána Sinsearach Chill Mhantáin |
| Code | Hurling |
| Founded | 1903 |
| Region | Wicklow (GAA) |
| Trophy | O'Donoghue Cup |
| No. of teams | 6 |
| Title holders |  Carnew Emmets (20th title) |
| Most titles | Carnew Emmets (20 titles) |
| Sponsors | Lightning Protection Ireland[1] |
| Official website | Wicklow GAA |
In its current format, the Wicklow Senior Hurling Championship begins with a group stage. The six participating teams play each other in a round-robin system. The four top-ranking teams proceed to the knockout phase that culminates with the final match at Echelon Park. The winner of the Wicklow Senior Championship, as well as being presented with the O'Donoghue Cup, qualifies for the subsequent Leinster Intermediate Club Championship.
The competition has been won by 14 teams, 10 of which have won it more than once. Carnew Emmets is the most successful team in the tournament's history, having won it 20 times. Carnew Emmets are the reigning champions, having beaten Bray Emmets by 0–16 to 2–08 in the 2025 final.[2]
History
The first senior championship was won by Barndarrig in 1923. There was no Wicklow championship in 1938.
Format
Group stage
Eight clubs start in the group stage. Over the course of the group stage, each team plays once against the others in the group, resulting in each team being guaranteed three group games. Two points are awarded for a win, one for a draw and zero for a loss. The teams are ranked in the group stage table by points gained, then scoring difference and then their head-to-head record. The top six teams qualify for the knockout stage
Knockout stage
Quarter-finals: The teams coming second in their groups compete against the teams coming third from the other group
Semi-finals: The teams coming first in the groups compete against the winners from the quarter-finals. The two winners from these games advance to the final.
Final: The two semi-final winners contest the final. The winning team are declared champions.
Teams
2026 Teams
| Club | Location | Colours | Position in 2025 | In championship since | Championship titles | Last championship title |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Aughrim |
Aughrim | White and blue | Intermediate champions | 2026 | ? | ? |
 Avondale |
Rathdrum | Green and white | Semi-finals | 2025 | 14 | 1983 |
 Bray Emmets |
Bray | Navy and green | Runners-up | ? | 10 | 2024 |
 Carnew Emmets |
Carnew | Blue and yellow | Champions | ? | 20 | 2025 |
 Éire Óg Greystones |
Greystones | Blue and white | Group stage | ? | 0 | — |
 Glenealy |
Glenealy | Red and white | Quarter-finals | ? | 16 | 2018 |
| Kiltegan |
Kiltegan | White and red | Semi-finals | ? | 8 | 2001 |
| St Patrick's |
Wicklow | Blue and white | Quarter-finals | 2024 | 6 | 1992 |
2026 grades
| Championship | Club |
|---|---|
| Senior championships | |
| Senior[3][4] | Aughrim |
| Avondale | |
| Bray Emmets | |
| Carnew Emmets | |
| Éire Óg Greystones | |
| Glenealy | |
| Kiltegan | |
| St Patrick's | |
| Intermediate championships | |
| Intermediate[5][6] | Arklow Rock Parnells |
| Avondale (2nd team) | |
| Barndarrig | |
| Bray Emmets (2nd team) | |
| Carnew Emmets (2nd team) | |
| Glenealy (2nd team) | |
| Kilcoole | |
| Western Gaels | |
| Junior championships (outdated) | |
| Junior | Arklow Rock Parnells (2nd team) |
| Bray Emmets (3rd team) | |
| Éire Óg Greystones (2nd team) | |
| Kilcoole (2nd team) | |
| Kiltegan (2nd team) | |
| Knockananna | |
Qualification for subsequent competitions
At the end of the championship, the winning team qualify to the subsequent Leinster Intermediate Club Hurling Championship, the winner of which progresses to the All-Ireland Intermediate Club Hurling Championship.
Roll of honour
By club
| # | Club | Titles | Championships won |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carnew Emmets | 20 | 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1984, 1989, 1991, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2009, 2025 |
| 2 | Glenealy | 16 | 1957, 1958, 1959, 1975, 1986, 1996, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2017, 2018 |
| 3 | Avondale | 14 | 1908, 1915, 1931, 1936, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1946, 1947, 1949, 1960, 1964, 1966, 1983 |
| 4 | Barndarrig | 12 | 1923, 1924, 1926, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1948, 1951, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1988 |
| 5 | Rathnew | 11 | 1906, 1911, 1913, 1925, 1929, 1932, 1933, 1934, 1937, 1939, 1950 |
| 6 | Bray Emmets | 10 | 1952, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 |
| 7 | Kiltegan | 8 | 1987, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001 |
| 8 | Arklow Rock Parnells | 6 | 1970, 1971, 1972, 1977, 1982, 1985 |
| St Patrick's | 6 | 1903, 1916, 1928, 1930, 1990, 1992 | |
| 10 | Arklow | 3 | 1917, 1918, 1919 |
| 11 | St Kevin's | 2 | 1961, 1963 |
| 11 | Baltinglass | 1 | 1927 |
| Ballymoney | 1 | 1910 | |
| Ballinacor | 1 | 1935 | |
| Avoca | 1 | 1953 | |
| Forestry College | 1 | 1962 |
List of finals
Legend
- Gold – Leinster intermediate club champions
- Silver – Leinster intermediate club runners-up
List of Wicklow SHC finals
Notes
- 1937- Although Whitestown (Baltinglass) won on the day they were later stripped of the title and suspended for playing illegal players.
- 2008 - The first match ended in a draw: Glenealy 1–12, Carnew Emmets 1–12.[25]
- 2016 - The first match ended in a draw: Bray Emmets 1–10, Carnew Emmets 0–12.[26]
- 2022- The first match ended in a draw: Bray Emmets 1–16, Glenealy 1–16.[27]
Records and statistics
Final
Team
- Most wins: 20:
- Carnew Emmets (1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1984, 1989, 1991, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2009, 2025)
- Most consecutive wins: 6:
- Bray Emmets (2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024)
- Most appearances in a final: 40:
- Carnew Emmets (1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2020, 2023, 2024, 2025)
- Most appearances in a final without ever winning: 8:
- Kilcoole (1954, 1958, 1960, 1963, 1964, 1969, 1983, 1985)
- Most defeats in a final: 20:
- Carnew Emmets (1966, 1971, 1982, 1986, 1992, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2003, 2005, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2020, 2023, 2024)
Teams
By decade
The most successful team of each decade, judged by number of Wicklow Senior Hurling Championship titles, is as follows:
- 1910s: 2 for Rathnew (1911–13)
- 1920s: 3 for Barndarrig (1923-24-26)
- 1930s: 5 for Rathnew (1932-33-34-37-39)
- 1940s: 6 for Avondale (1940-41-42-46-47-49)
- 1950s: 4 for Barndarrig (1951-54-55-56)
- 1960s: 4 for Carnew Emmets (1965-67-68,-69)
- 1970s: 5 for Carnew Emmets (1973-74-76-78-79)
- 1980s: 4 for Carnew Emmets (1980-81-84-89)
- 1990s: 6 for Kiltegan (1993-94-95-97-98-99)
- 2010s: 6 for Glenealy (2010-11-12-13-17-18)
- 2020s: 5 for Bray Emmets (2020-21-22-23-24)
Gaps
Longest gaps between successive championship titles:
- 62 years: Bray Emmets (1952–2014)
- 60 years: St Patrick's (1930–1990)
- 32 years: Barndarrig (1956–1988)
See also
- Wicklow Senior Football Championship
- Wicklow Intermediate Hurling Championship
- Wicklow Junior Hurling Championship