All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship 1897

Infobox Hurling All-Ireland
year=1897


team=Limerick
titles=1st
captain=Denis Grimes
manager=
munster=Limerick
leinster=Kilkenny
ulster=
connacht=
poty=
matches=
The All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship of 1897 was the 11th edition of Ireland’s premier hurling knockout competition. The championship ran throughout the whole of 1897 and 1898, culminating with the All-Ireland final, held at Jones's Road, Dublin on 20 November, 1898. The match was contested by Limerick, represented by Kilfinane, and KIlkenny, represented by Tullaroan, with Limerick taking the title by 3-4 to 2-4. It was Limerick's first All-Ireland title.

Format

The All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship was run on a provincial basis as usual. All games were played on a knockout basis whereby once a team lost they were eliminated from the championship. The format for the All-Ireland series of games ran as follows:
* The winners of the Munster Championship advanced directly to the All-Ireland final.
* The winners of the Leinster Championship advanced directly to a lone All-Ireland semi-final.
* Galway, a team with no opposition in Connacht, entered the competition at the All-Ireland semi-final stage where they played the Leinster champions.
* There were no representatives from Ulster in the championship.

All-Ireland final

Overview

Sunday 20 November, 1898 was the date of the 1897 All-Ireland senior hurling final between Limerick and Kilkenny. It was their first ever meeting in the history of the All-Ireland championship. At the end of the game a new name would appear on the All-Ireland honours list as neither county up to then had won the title.

Match report

The match referee for the final was J.J. McCabe, Chairmen of the Dublin County Committee. An attendance of about 5,000 spectators turned up to see McCabe throw in the sliothar and get the game under way. Among the large attendance was Archbishop Thomas Croke, patron of the GAA. Kilkenny were well on top for the opening thirty minutes and led by 2-4 to 1-1 at half-time. The second half saw an inexplicable collapse by the Kilkenny team as Limerick came storming back into the game with their new technique of hooking. They had two quick goals early in the second half while the winning goal came from a free with eight minutes left in the game. The final score of 3-4 to 2-4 gave Limerick their first All-Ireland title.

tatistics

footballbox
date=1898-11-20
team1=Limerick
(Kilfinane)
score=3-4 – 2-4
team2=Kilkenny
(Tullaroan)
report=
goals1=
goals2=
stadium=Jones's Road, Dublin
attendance=c.5,000
referee= J.J. McCabe (Dublin)

References

* Corry, Eoghan, "The GAA Book of Lists" (Hodder Headline Ireland, 2005).
* Donegan, Des, "The Complete Handbook of Gaelic Games" (DBA Publications Limited, 2005).

ee also