1971 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship
| Championship details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 16 May – 5 September 1971 |
| Teams | 15 |
| All-Ireland champions | |
| Winning team | Tipperary (22nd win) |
| Captain | Tadhg O'Connor |
| All-Ireland Finalists | |
| Losing team | Kilkenny |
| Captain | Pat Henderson |
| Provincial champions | |
| Munster | Tipperary |
| Leinster | Kilkenny |
| Ulster | Not Played |
| Connacht | Not Played |
| Championship statistics | |
| No. matches played | 14 |
| Top Scorer | Eddie Keher (4–43) |
| Player of the Year | Michael 'Babs' Keating |
| All-Star Team | See here |
← 1970 1972 → | |
The 1971 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship was the 84th staging of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, the Gaelic Athletic Association's premier inter-county hurling tournament. The championship began on 16 May 1971 and ended on 5 September 1971.
Cork were the defending champions but were defeated by Limerick in the Munster semi-final.[1][2][3] Antrim, who won the All-Ireland Intermediate Hurling Championship in 1970, were promoted to the senior championship after a long absence.[4]
The All-Ireland final was played at Croke Park in Dublin on 5 September 1971 between Tipperary and Kilkenny, in what was their 16th championship meeting overall and a first meeting in the All-Ireland final four years. Tipperary won the match by 5–17 to 5–14 to claim their 22nd All-Ireland title overall and a first title in six years.[5][6][7]
Kilkenny's Eddie Keher was the championship's top scorer with 4–43. Tipperary's Michael 'Babs' Keating was the choice for Texaco Hurler of the Year.[8]
The championship
Participating counties
| Province | County | Most recent success | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All-Ireland | Provincial | |||
| Leinster | Dublin | 1938 | 1961 | |
| Kildare | ||||
| Kilkenny | 1969 | 1969 | ||
| Laois | 1915 | 1949 | ||
| Offaly | ||||
| Westmeath | ||||
| Wexford | 1968 | 1970 | ||
| Munster | Clare | 1914 | 1932 | |
| Cork | 1970 | 1970 | ||
| Limerick | 1940 | 1955 | ||
| Tipperary | 1965 | 1968 | ||
| Waterford | 1959 | 1963 | ||
| Connacht | Galway | 1923 | 1922 | |
| Ulster | Antrim | 1946 | ||
| Britain | London | 1901 | ||
Format
The All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship of 1971 was run on a provincial basis as usual. It was a knockout tournament with pairings drawn at random in the respective provinces – there were no seeds.
Each match was played as a single leg. If a match was drawn there was a replay. If both sides were still level at the end of that game another replay had to take place.
Munster Championship
Quarter-final: (1 match) This was a single match between the first two teams drawn from the province of Munster.
Semi-finals: (2 matches) The winner of the lone quarter-final joined the other three Munster teams to make up the semi-final pairings.
Final: (1 match) The winner of the two semi-finals contested this game.
Leinster Championship
First round: (1 match) This was a single match between two of the 'weaker' teams drawn from the province of Leinster.
Quarter-finals: (2 matches) The winner of the first-round game joined three other Leinster teams to make up the two quarter-final pairings.
Semi-finals: (2 matches) The winners of the two quarter-finals joined Kilkenny and Wexford, who received a bye to this stage, to make up the semi-final pairings.
Final: (1 match) The winner of the two semi-finals contested this game.
All-Ireland Championship
Quarter-final: (1 match) This was a single match between Antrim and Galway, two teams who faced no competition in their respective provinces.
Semi-finals: (2 matches) The winner of the lone quarter-final joined London and the Munster and Leinster champions to make up the semi-final pairings. The provincial champions were drawn in opposite semi-finals.
Final: (1 match) The winner of the two semi-finals contested this game.
Provincial championships
First round
| Westmeath | 3–9 – 1–10 | Kildare |
|---|---|---|
| T. Ring (2–1), Pete Loughlin (1–1), J. Keary (0–3), W. Shanley (0–2), Mick Flanagan (0–2). | J. Walsh (1–9), T. Carew (0–1). |
Quarter-finals
| Dublin | 2–14 – 1–11 | Laois |
|---|---|---|
| M. Bermingham (0–5), W. Pierce (1–0), F. Murphy (1–0), J. Kenny (0–3), H. Dalton (0–2), P. Pierce (0–2), B. Cooney (0–1), G. O'Driscoll (0–1). | P. Dowling (1–3), P. Bates (0–4), B. Delaney (0–3), F. Bates (0–1). |
| Offaly | 1–20 – 1–15 | Westmeath |
|---|---|---|
| B. Moylan (0–8), Barry (0–4), J. Flaherty (0–4), P. J. Whelehan (1–0), A. Hanniffy (0–2), M. Cleere (0–2). | T. Ring (0–10), C. Gavin (1–0), M. Flanagan (0–2), J. Keary (0–1), Fanning (0–1), L. Maher (0–1). |
Semi-finals
| Kilkenny | 3–14 – 1–13 | Dublin |
|---|---|---|
| E. Keher (2–7), M. Brennan (0–4), K. Purcell (1–0), P. Delaney (0–2), N. Byrne (0–1). | J. Kenny (0–4), M. Bermingham (0–4), B. Cooney (1–0), P. Pierce (0–2), D. Rheinisch (0–1), G. O'Driscoll (0–1), H. Dalton (0–1). |
| Wexford | 2–14 – 2–6 | Offaly |
|---|---|---|
| T. Doran (2–1), T. Byrne (0–4), C. Dowdall (0–3), D. Bernie (0–3),C. Kehoe (0–3). | P. Molloy (1–3), J. Kirwan (1–0), J. Flaherty (0–2), M. Cleare (0–1). |
Final
| Kilkenny | 6–16 – 3–16 | Wexford |
|---|---|---|
| E. Keher (0–11), M. Murphy (2–2), P. Delaney (2–0), M. Coogan (1–0), N. Byrne (1–0), K. Purcell (0–1), P. Cullen (0–1), M. Brennan (0–1). | C. Kehoe (1–7), T. Doran (1–1), T. Byrne (1–0), J. Quigley (0–3), D. Bernie (0–3), M. Quigley (0–1), C. Doran (0–1). |
Quarter-finals
| Limerick | 3–10 – 2–8 | Waterford |
|---|---|---|
| R. Bennis (1–5), M. Cregan (1–1), É. Cregan (1–1), É. Grimes (0–2), J. O'Donnell (0–1). | P. Enright (0–5), M. Ormond (1–1), S. Greene (1–0), A. Heffernan (0–1), J. Kirwan (0–1). |
Semi-finals
| Limerick | 2–16 – 2–14 | Cork |
|---|---|---|
| R. Bennis (1–8), D. Flynn (1–1), J. Foley (0–2), É. Grimes (0–2), M. Graham (0–1), É. Cregan (0–1), J. O'Donnell (0–1). | C. Kelly (0–7), R. Cummins (2–0), J. Horgan (0–2), C. Roche (0–1), S. Looney (0–1), P. Hegarty (0–1), M. Malone (0–1), J. McCarthy (0–1). |
| Tipperary | 1–15 – 3–4 | Clare |
|---|---|---|
| M. Keating (1–3), L. Gaynor (0–3), S. Hogan (0–3), J. Flanagan (0–2), N, O'Dwyer (0–1), P. J. Ryan (0–1), F. Loughnane (0–1), T. O'Connor (0–1). | J. Rochford (1–1), M. Moroney (1–0), N. Casey (1–0), T. Ryan (0–1), P. Russell (0–1), M. Pewter (0–1). |
Final
| Tipperary | 4–16 – 3–18 | Limerick |
|---|---|---|
| M. Keating (3–4), J. Flanagan (0–5), P. J. Ryan (1–0), F. Loughnane (0–3), L. Gaynor (0–2), J. Doyle (0–1), N. O'Dwyer (0–1) | R. Bennis (0–12), É. Cregan (1–2), É. Grimes (1–1), D. Flynn (1–0), M. Graham (0–2), B. Hartigan (0–1) |
All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship
All-Ireland quarter-finals
| Galway | 7–24 – 1–8 | Antrim |
|---|---|---|
| D. Coen (3–4), T. Ryan (1–7), J. Lane (2–1), P. Ryan (1–1), J. Connolly (0–4), P. Fahy (0–3), P. Mitchell (0–2), C. Muldoon (0–1), T. Murphy (0–1). | S. Burns (1–2), A. McAllin (0–4), S. Collins (0–2). |
All-Ireland semi-finals
| Kilkenny | 2–23 – 2–8 | London |
|---|---|---|
| E. Keher (0–14), P. Delaney (1–2), M. Murphy (1–1), M. Brennan (0–4), F. Cummins (0–1), K. Purcell (0–1). | F. Canning (1–4), N. Power, (1–0), L. Corless (0–2), T. Connolly (0–2). |
| Tipperary | 3–26 – 6–8 | Galway |
|---|---|---|
| M. Keating (2–12), F. Loughnane (0–7), J. Flanagan (1–2), N. O'Dwyer (0–3), S. Hogan (0–1), J. Ryan (0–1). | P. Fahy (2–3), P. Ryan (2–0), B. O'Connor (1–1), P. Mitchell (1–1), J. Connolly (0–2), D. Coen (0–1). |
All-Ireland Final
| Tipperary | 5–17 – 5–14 | Kilkenny |
|---|---|---|
| M. Keating (0–7), R. Ryan (2–0), J. Flanagan (1–2), D. Ryan (1–1), F. Loughnane (0–4), N. O'Dwyer (1–0), P.J. Ryan (0–2), P. Byrne (0–1). | E. Keher (2–11), M. Murphy (1–1), K. Purcell (1–0), N. Byrne (1–0), F. Cummins (0–2). |
Championship statistics
Scoring
- Widest winning margin: 34 points
- Most goals in a match: 10
- Most points in a match: 34
- Most goals by one team in a match: 7
- Most goals scored by a losing team: 6
- Most points scored by a losing team: 18
Miscellaneous
- The All-Ireland final between Tipperary and Kilkenny was the first championship decider to be broadcast in colour by Telefís Éireann. Some years later, it was revealed that RTÉ had recorded over its only copy of archive footage of the game, due to a shortage of blank cassette tape.
- Kilkenny's Eddie Keher set a new scoring record in an All-Ireland final. He scored 2–11 of his team's total of 5–14 yet, remarkably, ended up on the losing team.
Top scorers
Season
| Rank | Player | County | Tally | Total | Matches | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eddie Keher | Kilkenny | 4–43 | 55 | 4 | 13.75 |
| 2 | Michael 'Babs' Keating | Tipperary | 6–26 | 44 | 4 | 11.00 |
| 3 | Richie Bennis | Limerick | 2–25 | 31 | 3 | 10.33 |
| 4 | Tommy Ring | Westmeath | 2–11 | 17 | 4 | 4.25 |
| John Flanagan | Tipperary | 2–11 | 17 | 2 | 8.50 | |
| 6 | Mossy Murphy | Kilkenny | 4–04 | 16 | 4 | 4.00 |
| 7 | Francis Loughnane | Tipperary | 0–15 | 15 | 4 | 3.75 |
| 8 | Des Coen | Galway | 3–05 | 14 | 2 | 7.00 |
| 9 | Pat Delaney | Kilkenny | 3–04 | 13 | 4 | 3.25 |
| Christy Keogh | Wexford | 1–10 | 13 | 2 | 6.50 |
Single game
| Rank | Player | County | Tally | Total | Opposition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael 'Babs' Keating | Tipperary | 2–12 | 18 | Galway |
| 2 | Eddie Keher | Kilkenny | 2–11 | 17 | Tipperary |
| 3 | Eddie Keher | Kilkenny | 0–14 | 14 | London |
| 4 | Michael 'Babs' Keating | Tipperary | 3-04 | 13 | Limerick |
| Des Coen | Galway | 3-04 | 13 | Antrim | |
| Eddie Keher | Kilkenny | 2-07 | 13 | Dublin | |
| 5 | Johnny Walsh | Kildare | 1-09 | 12 | Westmeath |
| Richie Bennis | Limerick | 0–12 | 12 | Tipperary | |
| 6 | Richie Bennis | Limerick | 1-08 | 11 | Cork |
| Eddie Keher | Kilkenny | 0–11 | 11 | Wexford |
Player facts
Debutantes
The following players made their début in the 1971 championship:
| Player | Team | Date | Opposition | Game |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seánie O'Leary | Cork | July 4 | Limerick | Munster semi-final |
Retirees
The following players played their last game in the 1971 championship:
| Player | Team | Date | Opposition | Game | Début |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ollie Walsh | Kilkenny | September 5 | Tipperary | All-Ireland final | 1956 |
References
- ^ Fogarty, John (15 April 2020). "Plenty of discoveries to be made in deep dive of GAA digital archive". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
- ^ Daly, Derek (31 March 2021). "Reeling on the banks of the Lee: History of Cork sports 1970 to 1974". Echo Live. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
- ^ Wymbs, Henry (2 January 2021). "CLASH OF THE ASH: The greatest hurlers of the 1970s". The Irish Post. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
- ^ "Fifty golden years ago today Antrim hurlers made the breakthrough". The Saffron Gael. 4 October 2020. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
- ^ McNamara, Peter (2 September 2016). "When Tipp edged Keher-inspired Kilkenny in 10-goal final thriller". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
- ^ "Tipperary's All-Ireland success in 1971 coincided with abolition of the ludicrous Ban". Tipperary Live. 5 April 2021. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
- ^ "Action replay: Reeling in the championships of yesteryear". The 42. 13 May 2011. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
- ^ "Dry balls and stolen boots: Michael 'Babs' Keating relives finest hour in Tipperary jersey". Irish Examiner. 8 March 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2023.