View source for Liam MacCarthy Cup

{{Short description|Irish senior hurling trophy}}
{{redirect-distinguish|MacCarthy Cup|Thomas St George McCarthy Cup}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
[[File:Henry Shefflin.jpg|thumb|[[Henry Shefflin]] (Kilkenny) with the Liam MacCarthy Cup, 2009]]
[[File:LiamMacCarthy Cup.jpg|thumb|Cup being repaired before the [[2011 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final]]]]
The '''Liam MacCarthy Cup''' ({{Langx|ga|Corn Liam Mhic Cárthaigh}}) is a [[trophy]] awarded annually by the [[Gaelic Athletic Association]] (GAA) to the team that wins the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship. 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]] in [[Dublin]].<ref>{{cite web|url= https://crokepark.ie/gaa-museum-tours/gaa-museum/exhibitions | publisher = Crokepark.ie | title= GAA Museum - Exhibitions |access-date = 29 October 2016 |quote = "''The museum is home to [...] the Sam Maguire & Liam MacCarthy Cups [.. and ..] The original trophies now reside permanently in The GAA Museum''" }}</ref>

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 [[Croke Park]] in [[Dublin]]. 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]]. Born in [[London]] to Irish parents in 1853, he was prominently involved in the establishment of a GAA county board in London in the 1890s.<ref>[http://www.arts-sport-tourism.gov.ie/publications/release.asp?ID=827 Department of Arts Sport and Tourism (Ireland) Speech by Minister at the official opening of the Liam MacCarthy Exhibition] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110614100715/http://www.arts-sport-tourism.gov.ie/publications/release.asp?ID=827 |date=2011-06-14 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=The Story of Liam MacCarthy|author=Ballygarvan GAA|author-link=Ballygarvan GAA|url=http://www.ballygarvangaa.ie/en/general/history/86-the-story-of-liam-maccarthy.html}}</ref> 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]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Wakeman's handbook of Irish antiquities|author=Wakeman, William F. (William Frederick), 1822-1900|author2=Cooke, John, M. A.|year=1903 |url=https://archive.org/details/wakemanshandbook00wake/page/274}}</ref> It was first presented in 1923 - to the [[Limerick GAA|Limerick]] team which defeated Dublin in the [[1921 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final]] (owing to the [[Irish revolutionary period|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 county hurling team|Cork]] 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]], who went on to become his nation's [[Taoiseach|Head of Government]], 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 county hurling team|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 county hurling team|Kilkenny]] 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 county hurling team|Wexford]] (1955, 1956) and [[Galway county hurling team|Galway]] (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.<ref name=replica_nearly_ready/>

==New trophy==
The GAA commissioned a replica from silversmith James M. Kelly.<ref name=replica_nearly_ready/><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.kilkennypeople.ie/lifestyle/entertainment/defined_by_design_1_2161170|title=Defined by design|work=[[Kilkenny People]]|date=16 April 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120401093208/http://www.kilkennypeople.ie/lifestyle/entertainment/defined_by_design_1_2161170|archive-date=1 April 2012}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite news|title=The new Liam MacCarthy Cup - The Longford Connection|date=31 Jul 1992|work=Longford Leader}}</ref> [[Tipperary county hurling team|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.{{contradict-inline|Examiner suggests it was first presented in 1993.|date=May 2021}} Kilkenny were the first team to win the "new" MacCarthy Cup.{{contradict-inline|Examiner suggests it was first presented in 1993.|date=May 2021}} Kilkenny are also the team to have won the new trophy on the most occasions and were the only team to have won it four consecutive times (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009) until Limerick emulated the feat (2020, 2021, 2022, 2023). 

All-Ireland winners are permitted to keep the trophy for a period of one year until the following year's All-Ireland final. [[List of All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship winning captains|All-Ireland-winning captains]] receive a model replica of the Liam MacCarthy Cup. The trophy is currently held by Clare. 

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.<ref name=replica_nearly_ready>{{cite news|first=Colm|last=O'Connor|url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/gaa/all-ireland-replica-trophies-nearly-ready-128280.html|title=All-Ireland replica trophies nearly ready|work=[[Irish Examiner]]|date=19 August 2010|access-date=2 December 2012}}</ref>

==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]], as well as two teams invited from the '''Tier 2''' [[Joe McDonagh Cup]] (the winner of the Joe McDonagh Cup in turn replaces Tier 1's bottom team via a system of [[promotion and relegation]]). In 2019 the twelve teams to participate are as follows:

{{col begin}}
{{col-3}}
"Leinster" contingent:
*[[Carlow county hurling team|Carlow]] '''(R)'''
*[[Dublin county hurling team|Dublin]]
*[[Galway county hurling team|Galway]]
*[[Kilkenny county hurling team|Kilkenny]]
*[[Wexford county hurling team|Wexford]]

{{col-3}}
Munster contingent:
*[[Clare county hurling team|Clare]]
*[[Cork county hurling team|Cork]]
*[[Limerick county hurling team|Limerick]]
*[[Tipperary county hurling team|Tipperary]]
*[[Waterford county hurling team|Waterford]]

{{col-3}}
[[Joe McDonagh Cup|''via'' the Joe McDonagh Cup]]
* [[Laois county hurling team|Laois]] '''(P)'''
* [[Westmeath county hurling team|Westmeath]]
{{col-3}}
{{col end}}
<!-- Until 2018 the top fourteen county teams competed. For the 2017 season, these teams were:
{{Div col}}
*[[Clare county hurling team|Clare]]
*[[Cork county hurling team|Cork]]
*[[Dublin county hurling team|Dublin]]
*[[Galway county hurling team|Galway]]
*[[Kerry county hurling team|Kerry]]
*[[Kilkenny county hurling team|Kilkenny]]
*[[Laois county hurling team|Laois]]
*[[Limerick county hurling team|Limerick]]
*[[Meath county hurling team|Meath]]
*[[Offaly county hurling team|Offaly]]
*[[Tipperary county hurling team|Tipperary]]
*[[Waterford county hurling team|Waterford]]
*[[Wexford county hurling team|Wexford]]
*[[Westmeath county hurling team|Westmeath]]
{{Div col end}}
 -->

==Winners==
:''See [[All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship]] for a list of all-time winners of the competition''.
'''Old Trophy'''
* {{color box|red|border=silver}}{{color box|white|border=silver}} [[Cork county hurling team|Cork]] – 1926, 1928, 1929, 1931, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1946, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1966, 1970, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1984, 1986, 1990
* {{color box|black|border=silver}}{{color box|#FFD700|border=silver}} [[Kilkenny county hurling team|Kilkenny]] – 1922, 1932, 1933, 1935, 1939, 1947, 1957, 1963, 1967, 1969, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1979, 1982, 1983
* {{color box|blue|border=silver}}{{color box|yellow|border=silver}} [[Tipperary county hurling team|Tipperary]] – 1925, 1930, 1937, 1945, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1958, 1961, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1971, 1989, 1991
* {{color box|green|border=silver}}{{color box|white|border=silver}} [[Limerick county hurling team|Limerick]] – 1921, 1934, 1936, 1940, 1973 
* {{color box|maroon|border=silver}}{{color box|white|border=silver}} [[Galway county hurling team|Galway]] – 1923, 1980, 1987, 1988
* {{color box|purple|border=silver}}{{color box|gold|border=silver}} [[Wexford county hurling team|Wexford]] – 1955, 1956, 1960, 1968
* {{color box|skyblue|border=silver}}{{color box|navy|border=silver}} [[Dublin county hurling team|Dublin]] – 1924, 1927, 1938
* {{color box|white|border=silver}}{{color box|blue|border=silver}} [[Waterford county hurling team|Waterford]] – 1948, 1959
* {{color box|#4fa36f|border=silver}}{{color box|white|border=silver}}{{color box|gold|border=silver}} [[Offaly county hurling team|Offaly]] – 1981, 1985

'''New Trophy'''
* {{color box|black|border=silver}}{{color box|#FFD700|border=silver}} [[Kilkenny county hurling team|Kilkenny]] – 1992, 1993, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015
* {{color box|green|border=silver}}{{color box|white|border=silver}} [[Limerick county hurling team|Limerick]] – 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
* {{color box|blue|border=silver}}{{color box|yellow|border=silver}} [[Tipperary county hurling team|Tipperary]] – 2001, 2010, 2016, 2019
* {{color box|yellow|border=silver}}{{color box|blue|border=silver}} [[Clare county hurling team|Clare]] – 1995, 1997, 2013, 2024
* {{color box|red|border=silver}}{{color box|white|border=silver}} [[Cork county hurling team|Cork]] – 1999, 2004, 2005
* {{color box|#4fa36f|border=silver}}{{color box|white|border=silver}}{{color box|gold|border=silver}} [[Offaly county hurling team|Offaly]] – 1994, 1998
* {{color box|purple|border=silver}}{{color box|gold|border=silver}} [[Wexford county hurling team|Wexford]] – 1996
* {{color box|maroon|border=silver}}{{color box|white|border=silver}} [[Galway county hurling team|Galway]] – 2017

==See also==
* [[List of All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship finals]]
* [[List of All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship winning captains]]
* [[Sam Maguire Cup]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Liam MacCarthy Cup}}
* [https://www.gaa.ie/centenary/museum-artefacts/original-liam-maccarthy-cup-video/ Original Liam MacCarthy Cup] at the [[Gaelic Athletic Association]]
* [https://crokepark.ie/stadium/stadium-history-development/1915-1923 1915-1923] at the [[Gaelic Athletic Association]]

{{Liam MacCarthy Cup}}
{{All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship}}
{{Hurling}}

[[Category:All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship]]
[[Category:Hurling trophies and awards]]