All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship - Notable Events

Notable Events

• At the third meeting of the newly-founded Gaelic Athletic Association in 1885 new rules for the game of hurling are drawn up and published in national newspapers.
• The first All-Ireland Hurling Championship takes place in 1887 with only five teams participating.
• In 1924 Mick Gill creates history by winning two All-Ireland Senior Hurling medals in the same year and for different counties. In September he played on the Galway side which beat Limerick in the delayed 1923 final. In the actual 1924 final he played on the victorious Dublin team.
• The All-Ireland Final of 1931 between Cork and Kilkenny had to be played no less than three times before a team emerged as the winner.
• The 1939 All-Ireland Final is remembered as the "thunder and lightning" final. On the eve of the outbreak of World War II Cork and Kilkenny played the first half of the game at a frantic pace. The climax of the final was played in a ferocious storm with victory eventually going to Kilkenny.
• In 1944 Cork pull off an historic achievement by winning their fourth All-Ireland title in a row.
• The All-Ireland Final of 1956 draws a record crowd of 83,096.
• The All-Ireland Final of 1993 is the last game to be played in the old Croke Park before the demolition of the Cusack Stand and the beginning of a multi-million pound redevelopment of the entire stadium.
• The All-Ireland Final of 1994 has come to be remembered as the "five minute final." Limerick looked set to win their first All-Ireland title since 1973 until Offaly stage one of the greatest comebacks of all time, scoring two goals and most of their points in the last few minutes.
• The Championship of 1997 sees the introduction of the so-called "back-door" system where the beaten Munster and Leinster finalists are allowed back to contest the All-Ireland series.
• In the All-Ireland Semi-Final replay of 1998 between Clare and Offaly, referee Jimmy Cooney blows the whistle two minutes early. Offaly's players and supporters launch a sit-down protest on the pitch due to the fact that they were losing when the whistle was blown early. An extra replay was forced, which Offaly won.
• The All-Ireland Final on September 11, 2005 was the first to be played at the fully refurbished Croke Park. The Cusack Stand, the Canal Stand, the Hogan Stand and the new Hill 16 and Nally End all have a combined capacity of 82,300.