The Liam MacCarthy Cup is a

trophy A trophy is a tangible, durable reminder of a specific achievement, and serves as a recognition or evidence of merit. Trophies are often awarded for sporting events, from youth sports to professional level athletics. In many sports medals (or, i ...

awarded annually 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 ...

(GAA) to the team that wins the

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 ...

, the main competition in the

prehistoric Prehistory, also known as pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the use of the first stone tools by hominins 3.3 million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The us ...

sport of

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 ...

. Based on the design of a medieval drinking vessel, the trophy was first awarded in 1923 to the winners of the (delayed) 1921 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final. The original 1920s trophy was retired in the 1990s, with a new identical trophy awarded annually since 1992. The original trophy is on permanent display in the GAA Museum 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 h ...

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...

. The GAA organises the series of games, which are played during the summer months. The All-Ireland Hurling Final was traditionally played on the first or second Sunday in September at

. In 2018, the GAA rescheduled its calendar and since then the fixture has been played in August.

Old trophy

The original Liam MacCarthy Cup commemorates the memory of

Liam MacCarthy Liam MacCarthy (1853–1928) was an Irish nationalist, businessman and activist in London; best known for his donation to the Gaelic Athletic Association of a trophy for the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, which is called the Liam MacCarth ...

. Born in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

to Irish parents in 1853, he was prominently involved in the establishment of a GAA county board in London in the 1890s. In 1922, a trophy in his honour was presented to the Central Council of the GAA, and replaced the Great Southern Cup as the All-Ireland trophy. The Liam MacCarthy Cup's design is based on a medieval Irish drinking vessel called a

mether A mether (; ga, meadar) is a communal or 'Friendship' drinking vessel from the Celtic tradition, mainly in Ireland and originally solely for mead with old examples being made of wood although they might have silver ornamentation added at a later ...

. It was first presented in 1923 - to the

Limerick Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2 ...

team which defeated Dublin in the 1921 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final (owing to the political situation in Ireland at the time, the 1921 final was not actually played until March 1923. Hence, though not first presented until 1923, the 1921 All-Ireland hurling champions are noted as first recipients of the Liam MacCarthy Cup.)

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 ...

won the old trophy on the most occasions. They also were the only team to win it on four consecutive occasions, achieving the feat during the 1940s (1941, 1942, 1943, 1944).

Jack Lynch John Mary Lynch (15 August 1917 – 20 October 1999) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as Taoiseach from 1966 to 1973 and 1977 to 1979, Leader of Fianna Fáil from 1966 to 1979, Leader of the Opposition from 1973 to 1977, Ministe ...

, who went on to become his nation's

Head of Government The head of government is the highest or the second-highest official in the executive branch of a sovereign state, a federated state, or a self-governing colony, autonomous region, or other government who often presides over a cabinet, a ...

, played in all four of these finals and captained the team in the first of them. In addition, Cork twice won the old trophy on three consecutive occasions, in the 1950s (1952, 1953, 1954) and in the 1970s (1976, 1977, 1978). They also won it on two consecutive occasions in the late-1920s (1928, 1929). Tipperary won the old trophy on three consecutive occasions (1949, 1950, 1951), as well as twice on two consecutive occasions in the 1960s (1961, 1962 & 1964, 1965).

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 ...

thrice won the old trophy on two consecutive occasions in the early-1930s (1932, 1933), mid-1970s (1974, 1975) and early-1980s (1982, 1983).

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 ...

(1955, 1956) and

Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a City status in Ireland, city in the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lo ...

(1987, 1988) each claimed the old trophy on consecutive occasions. 1992 brought the retirement of the original Liam MacCarthy Cup. It is permanently on display in the GAA Museum at Croke Park.

New trophy

The GAA commissioned a replica from silversmith James M. Kelly. The silver for the new cup was donated by Johnson Matthey Ireland at the behest of Kieran D. Eustace Managing Director, a native of Newtowncashel Co. Longford. Tipperary were the last team to claim the original. In 1992, an exact replica was produced and has been awarded on an annual basis since then. Kilkenny were the first team to win the "new" MacCarthy Cup. Kilkenny are also the team to have won the new trophy on the most occasions and the only team to have won it four consecutive times (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009). They had previously won it on consecutive occasions (2002, 2003).

were the only other team to have won the new trophy on consecutive occasions (2004, 2005), until Limerick did so in 2020, 2021 and 2022. All-Ireland winners are permitted to keep the trophy for a period of one year until the following year's All-Ireland final. All-Ireland-winning captains receive a model replica of the Liam MacCarthy Cup. The trophy is currently held by Limerick , who overcame Cork in the final held on 22 August 2021 to win the Liam MacCarthy Cup. In 2010, the GAA asked the same silversmith to produce another replica of the trophy (the third Liam MacCarthy Cup), although this was to be used only for marketing purposes.

Eligible teams

The Liam MacCarthy Cup is the trophy awarded to the victors in Tier 1 of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship. Twelve teams are eligible for this trophy; the five from the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship and the five from the

Munster Senior Hurling 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 hurli ...

, as well as two teams invited from the Tier 2

Joe McDonagh Cup The Joe McDonagh Cup is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It forms the second tier of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship and is the second highest level of inter-county champi ...

(the winner of the Joe McDonagh Cup in turn replaces Tier 1's bottom team via a system of

promotion and relegation In sports leagues, promotion and relegation is a process where teams are transferred between multiple divisions based on their performance for the completed season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are often called open leagues ...

). In 2019 the twelve teams to participate are as follows: "Leinster" contingent: *

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 boundar ...

(R) *

Munster contingent: *

Clare Clare may refer to: Places Antarctica * Clare Range, a mountain range in Victoria Land Australia * Clare, South Australia, a town in the Clare Valley * Clare Valley, South Australia Canada * Clare (electoral district), an electoral district * Cl ...

* Tipperary *

Waterford "Waterford remains the untaken city" , mapsize = 220px , pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe , pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe , pushpin_relief = 1 , coordinates ...

''via'' the Joe McDonagh Cup *

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 medi ...

(P) *

Westmeath "Noble above nobility" , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Westmeath.svg , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Ireland , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = , subdivis ...

Winners

:''See

for a list of all-time winners of the competition''. Old Trophy *

– 1926, 1928, 1929, 1931, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1946, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1966, 1970, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1984, 1986, 1990 *

– 1922, 1932, 1933, 1935, 1939, 1947, 1957, 1963, 1967, 1969, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1979, 1982, 1983 * Tipperary – 1925, 1930, 1937, 1945, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1958, 1961, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1971, 1989, 1991 *

– 1921, 1934, 1936, 1940, 1973 *

– 1923, 1980, 1987, 1988 *

– 1955, 1956, 1960, 1968 *

– 1924, 1927, 1938 *

– 1948, 1959 *

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, i ...

– 1981, 1985 New Trophy *

– 1992, 1993, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015 * Tipperary – 2001, 2010, 2016, 2019 *

– 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022 *

– 1995, 1997, 2013 *

– 1999, 2004, 2005 *

– 1994, 1998 *

– 1996 *

– 2017

References

External links

Original Liam MacCarthy Cup
at the

1915-1923
at the