The 1956 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship was the 70th staging of the All-Ireland

hurling Hurling ( ga, iománaíocht, ') is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic Irish origin, played by men. One of Ireland's native Gaelic games, it shares a number of features with Gaelic football, such as the field and goals, the number of p ...

championship since its establishment by the

Gaelic Athletic Association The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include the traditional ...

in 1887. The championship began on 22 April 1956 and ended on 23 September 1956.

Wexford Wexford () is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the island of Ireland. The town is linked to Dublin by the M11/N11 N ...

were the defending champions, and retained their All-Ireland crown following a 2–14 to 2–8 defeat of

Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...

Teams

A total of thirteen teams contested the championship, a reduction of one on the previous championship.

Wicklow Wicklow ( ; ga, Cill Mhantáin , meaning 'church of the toothless one'; non, Víkingaló) is the county town of County Wicklow in Ireland. It is located south of Dublin on the east coast of the island. According to the 2016 census, it has ...

withdrew and did not field a team in the

Leinster Senior Hurling Championship The Leinster GAA Hurling Senior Championship, known simply as the Leinster Championship, is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Leinster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is the highest inter-county hurl ...

Team summaries

Provincial championships

Leinster Senior Hurling Championship The Leinster GAA Hurling Senior Championship, known simply as the Leinster Championship, is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Leinster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is the highest inter-county hurl ...

First round Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final

Munster Senior Hurling Championship The Munster GAA Hurling Senior Championship, known simply as the Munster Championship, is an annual Inter county, inter-county hurling competition organised by the Munster GAA, Munster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is the h ...

Quarter-final Semi-finals Final

All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship

All-Ireland semi-finals

All-Ireland final

Championship statistics

Top scorers

;Top scorers overall ;Top scorers in a single game

Scoring

*Widest winning margin: 19 points **Wexford 8-9 - 2-2 Laois (''Leinster semi-final, 10 June 1956'') *Most goals in a match: 15 **Westmeath 9-6 - 6-1 Meath (''Leinster first round, 29 April 1956'') *Most points in a match: 22 **Wexford 2-14 - 2-8 Cork (''All-Ireland final, 23 September 1956'') *Most goals by one team in a match: 9 **Westmeath 9-6 - 6-1 Meath (''Leinster first round, 29 April 1956'') *Most goals scored by a losing team: 6 **Westmeath 9-6 - 6-1 Meath (''Leinster first round, 29 April 1956'') *Most points scored by a losing team: 12 **Cork 5-9 - 2-12 Waterford (''Munster quarter-final, 10 June 1956'')

Miscellaneous

won a third Leinster title in-a-row. It remains the only time in their history that they went undefeated in the provincial championship for three successive campaigns. * An outbreak of

polio Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 70% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe s ...

and the fear of a spread of the disease to

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

due to an influx of Cork supporters lead to the postponement of the All-Ireland final until 23 September 1956. * The attendance of 83,096 at the All-Ireland final remains an all-time record. * Wexford retained the All-Ireland title for the only time in their history. The 2–14 to 2–8 victory remained their only championship defeat of Cork until July 2016 when they did it again in the round 2 Qualifiers. ( Cork–Wexford hurling rivalry)

Sources

* Corry, Eoghan, ''The GAA Book of Lists'' (Hodder Headline Ireland, 2005). * Donegan, Des, ''The Complete Handbook of Gaelic Games'' (DBA Publications Limited, 2005). * Horgan, Tim, ''Christy Ring: Hurling's Greatest'' (The Collins Press, 2007). * Nolan, Pat, ''Flashbacks: A Half Century of Cork Hurling'' (The Collins Press, 2000). * Sweeney, Éamonn, ''Munster Hurling Legends'' (The O'Brien Press, 2002).

External links

1956 All-Ireland Hurling Championship results

References

{{Hurling All-Irelands

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, Jim ...

All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship, known simply as the All-Ireland Championship, is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is the highest inter-county hurling competition i ...