The Leinster GAA Hurling Minor Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the
Electric Ireland
Electric Ireland () is an Irish utility company that supplies electricity and gas to business and residential customers in Ireland. It is the supply division of the Electricity Supply Board, the former monopoly electricity company in Ireland. Th ...
Leinster GAA Hurling Minor Championship, is an annual
inter-county
Inter-county, or inter county is Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) terminology which refers to competitions or matches between counties, as used in Gaelic games (differently from legal counties). The term can also be used to describe the players o ...
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
Leinster Council
The Leinster Council is a provincial council of the Gaelic Athletic Association sports of hurling, Gaelic football, camogie, rounders and handball in the province of Leinster. The Leinster Council has been partnered with the European County ...
of 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 ...
(GAA). It is the highest inter-county hurling competition for male players under the age of 17 in the
province of Leinster
Leinster ( ; ga, Laighin or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, situated in the southeast and east of Ireland. The province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige. Following the 12th-century Norman invasion of Ire ...
, and has been contested every year – except for a three-year absence during
the Emergency – since the
1928 championship.
The final, usually held on the last Sunday in June, serves as the culmination of a series of games played during April, May and June, and the results determine which team receives the Hanrahan Cup. The championship was previously played on a
straight knockout basis whereby once a team lost they were eliminated from the championship, however, the championship has since incorporated a
round-robin system.
The Leinster Championship is an integral part of the wider
GAA Hurling All-Ireland Minor Championship. The winners of the Leinster final, like their counterparts in the
Munster Championship
The Munster GAA Hurling Senior Championship, known simply as the Munster Championship, is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Munster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is the highest inter-county hurlin ...
, are rewarded by advancing directly to the semi-final stage of the All-Ireland series of games. The losers of the Leinster final enter the All-Ireland series at the quarter-final group stage.
11 teams currently participate in the Leinster Championship.
Trophy
At the end of the Leinster final, the winning team is presented with a trophy. The Hanrahan Cup is named after Walter Hanrahan (Wexford), the first Secretary of the Leinster Council.
General statistics
Performance by county
Biggest Leinster final wins
* The most one sided Leinster finals:
** 29 points – 1974:
Kilkenny
Kilkenny (). is a city in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region and in the province of Leinster. It is built on both banks of the River Nore. The 2016 census gave the total population of Kilkenny as 26,512.
Kilken ...
8-19 (43) – (14) 3-5
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 ...
** 27 points – 1972:
Kilkenny
Kilkenny (). is a city in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region and in the province of Leinster. It is built on both banks of the River Nore. The 2016 census gave the total population of Kilkenny as 26,512.
Kilken ...
7-10 (31) – (4) 0-4
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 ...
** 26 points – 2006:
Kilkenny
Kilkenny (). is a city in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region and in the province of Leinster. It is built on both banks of the River Nore. The 2016 census gave the total population of Kilkenny as 26,512.
Kilken ...
4-22 (34) – (8) 1-5
Carlow
Carlow ( ; ) is the county town of County Carlow, in the south-east of Ireland, from Dublin. At the 2016 census, it had a combined urban and rural population of 24,272.
The River Barrow flows through the town and forms the historic bounda ...
** 25 points – 1971:
Kilkenny
Kilkenny (). is a city in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region and in the province of Leinster. It is built on both banks of the River Nore. The 2016 census gave the total population of Kilkenny as 26,512.
Kilken ...
7-18 (39) – (14) 3-5
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 ...
** 25 points – 1946:
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 ...
7-5 (26) – (1) 0-1
Laois
County Laois ( ; gle, Contae Laoise) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and in the province of Leinster. It was known as Queen's County from 1556 to 1922. The modern county takes its name from Loígis, a medie ...
** 25 points – 1935:
Kilkenny
Kilkenny (). is a city in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region and in the province of Leinster. It is built on both banks of the River Nore. The 2016 census gave the total population of Kilkenny as 26,512.
Kilken ...
7-8 (29) – (4) 1-1
Laois
County Laois ( ; gle, Contae Laoise) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and in the province of Leinster. It was known as Queen's County from 1556 to 1922. The modern county takes its name from Loígis, a medie ...
Miscellaneous
*
Kilkenny
Kilkenny (). is a city in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region and in the province of Leinster. It is built on both banks of the River Nore. The 2016 census gave the total population of Kilkenny as 26,512.
Kilken ...
hold the record for the longest streak of success. For ten championship seasons between 1990 and 1999 the county failed to lose a game and won ten Leinster titles in-a-row.
* Kilkenny hold the record for the most consecutive appearances in Leinster finals. They played in twelve in a row between 1968 and 1979, with success coming on ten of those occasions.
* Four counties have completed the minor and senior double in the same year:
**Kilkenny in 1931, 1932, 1933, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1939, 1950, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1982, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2014, 2015, 2020, 2021
**
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 ...
in 1928, 1938, 1952
**
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 ...
in 1968, 1970, 2019
**
Offaly
County Offaly (; ga, Contae Uíbh Fhailí) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe. It was formerly known as King's County, in hono ...
in 1989
List of Leinster Finals
#Kilkenny were disqualified from the championship due to their registration not being in order.
#Laois were awarded the title following an objection.
Records and statistics
By decade
The most successful team of each decade, judged by number of Leinster Minor Hurling Championship titles, is as follows:
*1930s: 8 for Kilkenny (1930-31-32-33-35-36-37-39)
*1940s: 3 each for Kilkenny (1942-48-49) and Dublin (1945-46-47)
*1950s: 7 for Kilkenny (1950-51-55-56-57-58-59)
*1960s: 4 each for Kilkenny (1960-61-62-69) and Wexford (1963-66-67-68)
*1970s: 9 for Kilkenny (1971-72-73-74-75-76-77-78-79)
*1980s: 4 for Kilkenny (1981-82-84-88)
*1990s: 10 for Kilkenny (1990-91-92-93-94-95-96-97-98-99)
*2000s: 7 for Kilkenny (2001-02-03-04-06-08-09)
*2010s: 5 for Kilkenny ( 2010-13-14-15-17)
Top scorers
Overall
Finals
References
External links
All-time roll of honour2012 Leinster Minor Hurling Championship fixturesComplete Roll of Honour on Kilkenny GAA bible
{{Leinster Council
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