The Christy Ring Cup () is an annual
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 ...
competition organised 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 ...
. Originally introduced as a second-tier competition, it is currently the third tier overall in the inter-county hurling championship system. Each year, the champions of the Christy Ring Cup are promoted to the
Joe McDonagh Cup, and the lowest finishing team is relegated to the
Nicky Rackard Cup
The Nicky Rackard Cup (; often referred to as the Rackard Cup) is the fourth tier of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship. Each year, the champion team in the Nicky Rackard Cup is promoted to the Christy Ring Cup, and the lowest finishing ...
.
Kildare
Kildare () is a town in County Kildare, Ireland. , its population was 8,634 making it the 7th largest town in County Kildare. The town lies on the R445, some west of Dublin – near enough for it to have become, despite being a regional cen ...
are the
2022 title-holders. The competition is named in honour of
Christy Ring
Nicholas Christopher Michael Ring (30 October 1920 – 2 March 1979) was an Irish hurling, hurler whose National Hurling League, league and All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, championship career at senior level with the Cork county hurling ...
, a legendary player from
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 ...
.
The Christy Ring Cup, which was introduced in
2005
File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...
, replaced the
All-Ireland B Hurling Championship (1974-2004). Between 2005 and 2017 the Christy Ring Cup was the second tier hurling championship. With the introduction of the Joe McDonagh cup, the Christy Ring Cup is the highest tier of the championship system without entry to that year's All-Ireland finals series (the top two teams in the Joe McDonagh Cup usually gain entry to preliminary quarter-finals of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship).
At present (
2021
File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...
),
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 ...
holds the longest tenure in the Christy Ring Cup. They have appeared in every season of the cup.
Down and
Kildare
Kildare () is a town in County Kildare, Ireland. , its population was 8,634 making it the 7th largest town in County Kildare. The town lies on the R445, some west of Dublin – near enough for it to have become, despite being a regional cen ...
had appeared in every season until 2021, when they participated in the Joe McDonagh Cup.
History
In 2003 the Hurling Development Committee (HDC) was charged with restructuring the entire hurling championship. The committee was composed of chairman Pat Dunny (Kildare),
Liam Griffin (Wexford), P. J. O'Grady (Limerick),
Ger Loughnane
Gerard "Ger" Loughnane (born 27 January 1953) is an Irish retired hurler who played as a right wing-back for the Clare senior team.
Born in Feakle, County Clare, Loughnane first played competitive hurling whilst at school in St. Flannan's C ...
(Clare),
Cyril Farrell
Cyril Farrell (born 1 August 1950) is an Irish former hurling manager, selector, trainer and coach. He was the manager of the senior Galway county team on three separate occasions, during which time he became the county's longest-serving mana ...
(Galway), Jimmy O'Reilly (Down), Willie Ring (Cork), Pat Daly (GAA Games Development Officer) and
Nicky English
Nicholas J. "Nicky" English (born 20 October 1962) is an Irish former hurler who played as a full-forward at senior level for the Tipperary county team.
Born in Cullen, County Tipperary, English first played competitive Gaelic games during h ...
(Tipperary). Over the course of three months they held discussions with managers, players and officials, while also taking a submission from the
Gaelic Players Association
The Gaelic Players Association ( ga, Cumann na n-Imreoirí Gaelacha), or GPA, is the officially recognised player representative body for inter county Gaelic footballers and Hurling, hurlers in Ireland. The GPA's aim is to promote and protect all ...
. The basic tenet of the proposals was to structure the hurling championship into three tiers in accordance with
2004 National Hurling League status. The top tier was confined to 12 teams, while the next ten teams would contest the second tier which was to be known as the Christy Ring Cup. There would also be promotion-relegation play-offs between the three championship tiers. The HDC also suggested that these games would be played as curtain raisers to All-Ireland quarter-finals and semi-finals.
The proposal were accepted at the 2004
GAA Congress
The GAA Congress is the supreme legislative body of the Gaelic Athletic Association ( ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael ), commonly known by its acronymic, the ''GAA''. The GAA is the international governing body of Gaelic games such as football and hurl ...
. The Christy Ring Cup and the
Nicky Rackard Cup
The Nicky Rackard Cup (; often referred to as the Rackard Cup) is the fourth tier of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship. Each year, the champion team in the Nicky Rackard Cup is promoted to the Christy Ring Cup, and the lowest finishing ...
competitions were launched at
Croke Park
Croke Park ( ga, Páirc an Chrócaigh, ) is a Gaelic games stadium in Dublin, Ireland. Named after Archbishop Thomas Croke, it is referred to as Croker by GAA fans and locals. It serves as both the principal national stadium of Ireland and he ...
on 8 December 2004.
Format
2005-2007
The ten participating teams were divided into two groups of five and played in a
round-robin format. Each team was guaranteed at least four games each. The eventual group winners and runners-up qualified for the knock-out semi-finals of the competition.
The bottom two teams of both groups were involved in a four-way relegation play-off with the eventual loser being relegated to the
Nicky Rackard Cup
The Nicky Rackard Cup (; often referred to as the Rackard Cup) is the fourth tier of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship. Each year, the champion team in the Nicky Rackard Cup is promoted to the Christy Ring Cup, and the lowest finishing ...
. In 2006 the relegation play-off was limited to just the bottom teams in both groups, while in 2007 there was no relegation.
2008
The competition was expanded to include twelve teams. The participating teams were divided into four groups of three and played in a
round-robin format, thus limiting each team to just two games each. The eventual group winners and runners-up qualified for the knock-out quarter-finals of the competition.
The bottom team in each group went into the relegation play-offs. The eventual losers were relegated to the Nicky Rackard Cup, however, the relegation play-offs in 2008 were rendered meaningless as all four bottom-placed teams were relegated.
2009-2017
In 2009 a
double elimination
A double-elimination tournament is a type of elimination tournament competition in which a participant ceases to be eligible to win the tournament's championship upon having lost ''two'' games or matches. It stands in contrast to a single-elimina ...
format was introduced, thus guaranteeing each team at least two games before being eliminated from the competition.
The eight teams play four Round 1 matches.
* The winners in Round 1 advance to Round 2A.
* The losers in Round 1 go into Round 2B.
There are two Round 2A matches.
* The winners in Round 2A advance to the semi-finals.
* The losers in Round 2A go into the quarter-finals.
There are two Round 2B matches.
* The winners in Round 2B advance to the quarter-finals.
* The losers in Round 2B go into the bottom playoff. The losers of this match play a relegation/promotion match with the winners of the
Nicky Rackard Cup
The Nicky Rackard Cup (; often referred to as the Rackard Cup) is the fourth tier of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship. Each year, the champion team in the Nicky Rackard Cup is promoted to the Christy Ring Cup, and the lowest finishing ...
. If they lose they are relegated to the Nicky Rackard cup for the following year.
There are two quarter-final matches between the Round 2A losers and Round 2B winners.
* The winners of the quarter-finals advance to the semi-finals.
* The losers of the quarter-finals are eliminated.
There are two semi-final matches between the Round 2A winners and the quarter-final winners.
* The winners of the semi-finals advance to the final.
* The losers of the semi-finals are eliminated.
The winners of the final (with the exception of
Down in 2013, are promoted to the
Liam MacCarthy Cup
The Liam MacCarthy Cup is a trophy awarded annually by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) to the team that wins the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, the main competition in the prehistoric sport of hurling. Based on the design of a ...
for the following year.
From 2018
2018 saw the reintroduction of a group phase format to all tiers of the hurling Championship structure. The eight participating teams are divided into two groups of four and will play in a
round-robin format. Each team will be guaranteed at least three games each. The eventual group winners and runners-up will qualify for the knock-out semi-finals of the championship.
2020 and the coronavirus pandemic
The Coronavirus pandemic in 2020 significantly affected the GAA season, with the Chisty Ring Cup reverting for one season only to the partial double elimination format that existed until 2017.
List of finals and relegated teams
Team records and statistics
Performance by county
Performance by province
Year by year
Player records
Top scorers overall
Top Scorers in the Final
See also
*
Christy Ring Cup records and statistics
This page details statistics of the Christy Ring Cup.
General performances Wins by team
By province
Total Intermediate grade championship titles
''Includes All-Ireland Intermediate Hurling Championship and Christy Ring Cup.''
Number ...
References
{{Hurling
2005 establishments in Ireland
All-Ireland inter-county hurling championships
Hurling cup competitions
Recurring sporting events established in 2005