Region Ireland (GAA) No. of teams 6 | Trophy Irish Press Cup Title holders Tipperary (20th title) | |
Irish Craobh Iomána Mionúr na hÉireann Founded 1928; 89 years ago (1928) | ||
The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Minor Championship is an annual championship of hurling for male players under the age of 18 and is organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). The championship has been awarded every year - except for a brief hiatus during the Emergency - since the first tournament in 1928.
Contents
The final, usually held on the first Sunday in September, serves as the culmination of a series of games played during the summer months, and the results determine which county's team receives the Irish Press Cup. The championship was initially a straight knockout competition open only to the champions of each of the four provinces of Ireland. During the 1990s the tournament began to be expanded, incorporating a "back-door system" for teams beaten in the provincial series. In the present format, it begins in May with provincial championships held in Leinster, Munster and Ulster, with the respective champions, runners-up and Galway contesting the subsequent All-Ireland Championship.
Six teams currently participate in the championship, the most dominant teams coming from the province of Munster. Cork, Kilkenny and Tipperary have historically dominated the championship since the beginning. Between them, these teams have won 58 out of 85 (approx 68%) championships completed during its history. Galway have dominated the championship in recent times, having won seven titles since 1999.
The title has been won by ten different teams, nine of which have won the title more than once. The all-time record-holders are Kilkenny, who have won the competition 21 times. Galway are the current title holders.
Qualification
The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Minor Championship features six teams in the final tournament. 19 teams contest the three provincial minor championships with the three respective champions, the runners-up of Leinster and Munster, and Galway automatically qualifying for the All-Ireland Championship.
History
The All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship began in 1928. It was the third All-Ireland championship to be created after the senior and junior grades.
Format
The All-Ireland Championship is a knockout tournament, however, there is a certain element of seeding. The Munster and Leinster champions are put on opposite sides of the draw in separate semi-finals. The Ulster champions and Galway are put on opposite sides of the draw in separate quarter-finals. The Munster and Leinster runners-up are drawn against these two teams in the quarter-finals.
Each match is played as a single leg. If a match is drawn there is a replay. Drawn replays are now settled with extra time, but if both sides are still level at the end of extra time a second replay takes place and so on until a winner is found.
The format has remained virtually the same since the very first championship in 1928. In 1997 the biggest change took place with the introduction of a 'back-door' to the All-Ireland quarter-finals for the defeated finalists in Munster and Leinster. This followed on from the success of the same system at senior level.
Overview
The All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship features the youngest competitive players of the game of hurling – players must be under eighteen years of age on 1 January of the year of the competition. The first minor championship was played in 1928 when Cork were crowned the champions. The championship has been held every year since then, except when it was suspended for a period during The Emergency.
The 'Big Three' of Cork, Kilkenny and Tipperary are the most dominant teams in minor hurling. All three counties have claimed famous three-in-rows over the years. The coveted treble of winning senior, under-21 and minor titles in the same year has been achieved by Cork in 1970 and by Kilkenny in 1975, 2003 and 2008.
Joe Dunphy of Mooncoin is the only player to captain a county team to two successive All-Ireland minor titles. He achieved this honour with Kilkenny in 1961 and 1962.