All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship

All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship

The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Minor Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1928 for the youngest competitors (under-18) in Ireland. It is sponsored by the Electricity Supply Board and therefore officially known as the Electric Ireland GAA Hurling All-Ireland Minor Championship.

The series of games are played during the summer months with the All-Ireland final being played on the first Sunday in September in Croke Park, Dublin. The prize for the winning team is the Irish Press 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 tournament began to be expanded, incorporating a 'back-door system' for teams beaten in the provincial series.

The championship currently consists of several stages. In the present format it begins in late May with the provincial championships in Leinster, Munster and Ulster. Even though a team may be defeated in the provincial stage they still have a chance to compete for the All-Ireland title. The Munster and Leinster champions are rewarded by gaining automatic admission to the All-Ireland semi-finals.

Twenty-six teams currently participate in the championship, the most dominant teams coming from the provinces of Leinster and Munster. Kilkenny, Cork and Tipperary are considered to be 'the big three' of hurling. Between them, these teams have won on 56 All-Ireland championships.

The title has been won by ten different teams, nine of which have won the title more than once. The all-time record-holders are Kilkenny, who have won the competition 20 times. Tipperary are the current champions.