History of The All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship - 1892 To 1894 - Cork's First Three-in-a-row

Cork's First Three-in-a-row

1892 saw Cork begin a three-year dominance of the championship. That year's All-Ireland final saw 'the Rebels' take on Dublin for the first time. The game turned into a controversial one as referee Dan Fraher changed his mind after initially awarding a goal to Cork. He eventually decided that the GAA's Central Council should decide the matter. Dublin, however, had walked off the field as some of the players had to return to work and, because of this, Cork were awarded the title.

Cork qualified for a third All-Ireland final in three seasons in 1893 and, once again, they proved that they were the hurling masters. The championship decider pitted Cork against Kilkenny. It was the very first meeting of these two great rivals in the history of the championship. The game was fixed for Ashtown, however, upon arrival both teams refused to play there as somebody had neglected to have the grass cut. After a long delay the goalposts were uprooted and both teams and their supporters headed to the Phoenix Park where the game took place after some delay. The game itself turned into a rout as Cork scored a huge tally of 6-8 to Kilkenny’s 0-2. It was Cork’s second All-Ireland title in-a-row.

The 1894 championship saw Cork retain their provincial title for the third consecutive occasion. The subsequent All-Ireland final pitted Cork against Dublin for the second time in three years. Cork showed their class and the game turned into a rout. A 5-20 to 2-0 score line gave victory to Cork once again. The 29 point defeat of ‘the Dubs’ marks the game out as one of the most one-sided All-Ireland finals in history. It was a record-making third All-Ireland title in-a-row for Cork.