History
Up to and including 1986, the Inter-pros were played in the Spring, with the semi-finals usually in February and the finals on Saint Patrick's Day. From 1987 to 1989 then were given an Autumn slot, moving back to the Spring in 1991 (there was no competition in 1990). 1993 saw the competition played again in the Autumn, but all others from 1991 until 2000 were played in the early part of the year, with the semi-finals even being played in January in 1997, 1998 and 2000. However the rescheduling of the commencement of the National Football and National Hurling Leagues to the start of the calendar year, has saw the Railway Cup moved to the latter part of the year from 2001 onwards. In an effort to combat the declining popularity of the competition, some including Ulster manager Joe Kernan have suggested playing the finals as double-headers with the respective All-Ireland Club Football and All-Ireland Club Hurling Championship finals in the early part of the year in Croke Park and Semple Stadium respectively. The 2009 hurling semi-finals were held in February, and the final took place in March in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi joined a list of foreign cities including Boston, Paris and Rome to have hosted finals.
Attendances at the matches have fallen. However players seem to love playing in the competition. Former Armagh player Martin McQuillan said it gave players not accustomed to success at county level, a chance to taste victory.
Read more about this topic: Interprovincial Championship
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