| Munster GAA Hurling Senior Championship | |
|---|---|
Current season or competition: 2024 Munster Senior Hurling Championship | |
| Irish | Craobh Iomána na Mumhan |
| Code | Hurling |
| Founded | 1888 |
| Region | Munster (GAA) |
| Trophy | Mick Mackey Cup |
| No. of teams | 5 |
| Title holders |  Limerick (25th title) |
| Most titles |  Cork (54 titles) |
| Sponsors | Centra, Littlewoods Ireland, Bord Gáis Energy |
| TV partner(s) | RTÉ GAA Go |
| Motto | Be there. All the way. |
| Official website | Official website |
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 hurling competition in the province of Munster, and has been contested every year since the 1888 championship.
The final, usually held on the first Sunday in July, serves as the culmination of a series of games played during May and June, and the results determine which team receives the Mick Mackey Cup. The championship was previously played on a straight knockout basis whereby once a team lost they were eliminated from the championship; however, as of 2018, the championship involved a round-robin system.
The Munster Championship is an integral part of the wider GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship. The winners of the Munster final, like their counterparts in the Leinster Championship, are rewarded by advancing directly to the semi-final stage of the All-Ireland series of games. The losers of the Munster final enter the All-Ireland series at the quarter-final stage, while the third-placed team advances to the preliminary quarter-finals. Each year, the lowest finishing team are possibly relegated to the Joe McDonagh Cup.
Five teams currently participate in the Munster Championship. Seven teams have competed since the inception of the Munster Championship in 1888.
The title has been won at least once by all six of the Munster counties, five of which have won the title more than once. The all-time record-holders are Cork, who have won the championship on 54 occasions. Limerick are currently six in-a-row title holders, defeating Clare by 1-26 to 1–20 in the 2024 final.
Hurling is the more prominent of the two Gaelic games in Munster. As such the Munster Championship is regarded as the most skillful and exciting of all the provincial hurling championships. The Munster final, particularly when played in Semple Stadium in Thurles, is considered one of the biggest and best sporting occasions in Ireland.[1][2][3]
- ^ Moynihan, Michael (23 May 2015). "9 things that make the Munster hurling championship the greatest". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
- ^ Allen, John (22 June 2007). "We all agree Munster hurling is still magic". Irish Times. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
- ^ McCarthy, Ger (9 July 2011). "Five of the best: Munster hurling finals". The 42. Retrieved 24 July 2015.