Lory Meagher Cup

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Template:Short description Template:Use Irish English Script error: No such module "Unsubst". Script error: No such module "Unsubst". Template:Infobox GAA tournament The Lory Meagher Cup (Template:Langx;[1] often referred to as the Meagher Cup) is an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association. The cup forms the fifth-tier of hurling for senior county teams (the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship is the first-tier trophy). It is contested by the six county teams ranked 30–36 in the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship. Each year, the champions of the Lory Meagher Cup are promoted to the Nicky Rackard Cup. The competition is named in honour of former Kilkenny hurler Lory Meagher who many regard as one of the greatest hurlers of all time.

The Lory Meagher Cup, which was introduced for the 2009 season, provides a championship for fifth tier teams deemed "too weak" for the fourth tier Nicky Rackard Cup.

The title has been won by 10 different counties, 5 of whom have won the title more than once. The all-time record-holders are Fermanagh and Louth, who have won the cup on 3 occasions. New York are the current Lory Meagher Cup champions. They beat Cavan by 4-17 to 2-17 in their first season in the competition.

History

Creation

Following the success of the Christy Ring Cup and Nicky Rackard Cup for the lower tier hurling teams, it was decided in 2008 to investigate the possibility of introducing a fourth tier. The Hurling Development Committee (HDC) proposed the new four-tier structure in place of the existing three-tier model. It, and the second and third-tier competitions, were to consist of eight teams.[2] The proposals were accepted at a special GAA Congress in October 2008.[3] Another second tier competition, the Joe McDonagh Cup, was added in 2018, moving the Lory Meagher Cup down into tier 5.[4]

Development

Team changes

12 county teams have participated in at least one edition of the Lory Meagher Cup. Fermanagh and Leitrim have participated in the most editions. South Down, although not an official county entered a team the first three seasons of the Cup but withdrew after 2011. New York became the most recent county to make their debut in the Cup in 2025.

Team dominance

Summary of champions

Ranking County Titles Runners-up Total
1 File:Colours of Louth.svg Louth 3 0 3
2 File:Colours of Fermanagh.svg Fermanagh 2 3 5
File:Colours of Longford.svg Longford 2 2 4
File:Colours of Tyrone.svg Tyrone 2 1 3
File:Colours of Warwickshire.svg Warwickshire 2 0 2
6 File:Colours of Donegal.svg Donegal 1 2 3
File:Colours of Sligo.svg Sligo 1 2 3
File:Colours of Leitrim.svg Leitrim 1 1 2
File:Colours of Monaghan.svg Monaghan 1 0 1
10 File:Colours of Tipperary.svg Lancashire 0 3 3
File:Colours of Cavan.svg Cavan 0 1 1

Format history

Double elimination (2009–2011)

In 2009, a double elimination format was introduced, thus guaranteeing each team at least two games before being eliminated from the competition.

Group stage (2013–present)

Since 2013, a group stage has been included in the cup. The teams within the group stage has varied between 3 and 6 teams throughout the years.

Lory Meagher Cup moments

  • Warwickshire 2-16 - 0-10 Longford (8 June 2013): Warwickshire became the first and only overseas team to win the Lory Meagher Cup
  • Leitrim 2-23 - 2-22 Lancashire (22 June 2019): Leitrim won their first ever All-Ireland title, defeating Lancashire after extra time in Croke Park. This match also saw history with the first ever use of “Hawkeye” in a hurling match, Warwickshire's Sean Hennessey having a 65 yard free denied by the technology

Format

Group stage

Group stage: Six of the seven teams start at group stage (New York only enter from the semi-finals on, due to travel costs). During the course of a season (from May to June) each team plays the others once (a single round-robin system) for a total of five games. Teams receive two points for a win and one point for a draw. No points are awarded for a loss. Teams are ranked by total points. The first placed team in the group advance straight to the Lory Meagher Cup final while second place play New York (in Ireland) in the Lory Meagher Cup semi-final. The third, fourth, fifth and sixth-placed teams are eliminated from the championship.

Tie-breakers

In the event of teams finishing on equal points, the tie shall be decided by the following means (in the order specified):[5]

  • Where two teams only are involved – the outcome of the meeting of the two teams
  • Score difference – subtracting the total "Scores Against" from the total "Scores For"
  • Highest Total "Score For"
  • Highest Total "Goals For"
  • A Play-Off

Knockout stage

Final: The top two teams in the group stage contest the final. The winning team are declared champions.

The Lory Meagher has no direct entry route to compete in that year's All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship.

Promotion

At the end of the championship, the winning team is promoted to the Nicky Rackard Cup for the following season.

Relegation

There is no relegation from the Lory Meagher Cup as it is the bottom of five tiers in the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship.

Group stage qualifications

Team Qualification
1st in Group Advance to Lory Meagher Cup Final
2nd in Group
3rd in Group
4th in Group
5th in Group
6th in Group

Teams

2026 Cup

Six counties will compete in the 2026 Lory Meagher Cup, with no team relegated last year from the Nicky Rackard Cup:

County Location Stadium Province Position in 2024 Championship First year in Championship In Championship since Championship Titles Last Championship Title
File:Colours of Cavan.svg Cavan Cavan Breffni Park Ulster 3rd 2009 2017 0 —
File:Colours of Clare.svg Lancashire East Didsbury Old Bedians Britain 6th 2015 2022 0 —
File:Colours of Leitrim.svg Leitrim Carrick-on-Shannon Páirc Seán Mac Diarmada Connacht 4th 2009 2022 1 2019
File:Colours of Longford.svg Longford Longford Pearse Park Leinster Runners-up 2009 2021 2 2014
File:Colours of Monaghan.svg Monaghan Clones St Tiernach's Park Ulster 6th (Nicky Rackard Cup) 2009 2025 2 2023
File:Colours of Warwickshire.svg Warwickshire Solihull Páirc na hÉireann Britain 5th 2009 2023 2 2017

List of finals

List of Lory Meagher Cup finals

Year Date Winners Runners-up Venue Winning captain Winning margin Referee
County Score County Score
2025 31 May New York 4-17 (29) Cavan 2-17 (23) Croke Park, Dublin Jonathan Glynn 6 Kevin Parke (Antrim)
2024 2 June Fermanagh 3-22 (31) Longford 2-20 (26) Croke Park, Dublin Ryan Bogue 5 James Judge (Mayo)
2023 3 June Monaghan 3-22 (31) Lancashire 3-20 (29) Croke Park, Dublin Niall Garland & Kevin Crawley 2 Tarlach Conway (Derry)
2022 21 May Louth 3-27 (36) Longford 3-14 (23) Croke Park, Dublin Feidhleim Joyce 13 Caymon Flynn (Westmeath)
2021 31 July Fermanagh 3-26 (35) Cavan 1-17 (20) Croke Park, Dublin John Duffy 15 Michael Kennedy (Tipperary)
2020 28 Nov Louth 2-19 (25) Fermanagh 2-08 (14) Croke Park, Dublin Liam Molloy 11 Gearoid McGrath (Wexford)
2019 22 June Leitrim[6] 2-23 (29) AET Lancashire 2-22 (28) AET Croke Park, Dublin Declan Molloy 1 Kevin Brady (Louth)
2018 23 June Sligo 4-15 (27) Lancashire 2-20 (26) Croke Park, Dublin Keith Raymond 1 Kevin McGenney (Roscommon)
2017 10 June Warwickshire[7] 0-17 (17) Leitrim 0-11 (11) Croke Park, Dublin Donncha Kennedy 6 James Connors (Donegal)
2016 4 June Louth[8] 4-15 (27) Sligo 4-11 (23) Croke Park, Dublin Shane Callan 4 Mick Murtagh (Westmeath)
2015 6 June Fermanagh[9] 3-16 (25) Sligo 1-17 (20) Croke Park, Dublin John Paul McGarry 5 Colum Cunning (Antrim)
2014 7 June Longford[10] 3-18 (27) Fermanagh 3-16 (25) Croke Park, Dublin Martin Coyle 2 James Clarke (Cavan)
2013 8 June Warwickshire[11] 2-16 (22) Longford 0-10 (10) Croke Park, Dublin Conal Maskey 12 Liam McAuley (Antrim)
2012 9 June Tyrone[12] 2-24 (30) Fermanagh 3-20 (29) Croke Park, Dublin Damian Maguire 1 Sean Cleere (Kilkenny)
2011 4 June Donegal 2-12 (18) Tyrone 0-17 (17) Croke Park, Dublin Colm Breathnach 1 Fergus Smith (Meath)
2010 3 July Longford 1-20 (23) Donegal 1-12 (15) Croke Park, Dublin Brendan Stakem 8 Ray Matthews (Antrim)
2009 11 July Tyrone 5-11 (26) Donegal 3-16 (25) Croke Park, Dublin Stephen Donnelly 1 Tony Carroll (Offaly)

Roll of honour

Performances by county

County Titles(s) Runners-up Years won Years runners-up
File:Colours of Fermanagh.svg Fermanagh 3 3 2015, 2021, 2024 2012, 2014, 2020,
File:Colours of Louth.svg Louth 3 0 2016, 2020, 2022 —
File:Colours of Longford.svg Longford 2 3 2010, 2014 2013, 2022, 2024
File:Colours of Tyrone.svg Tyrone 2 1 2009, 2012 2011
File:Colours of Warwickshire.svg Warwickshire 2 0 2013, 2017 —
File:Colours of Donegal.svg Donegal 1 2 2011 2009, 2010
File:Colours of Sligo.svg Sligo 1 2 2018 2015, 2016
File:Colours of Leitrim.svg Leitrim 1 1 2019 2017
File:Colours of Monaghan.svg Monaghan 1 0 2023 —
File:Colours of New York.svg New York 1 0 2025 —
File:Colours of Cavan.svg Cavan 0 2 — 2021, 2025
File:Colours of Tipperary.svg Lancashire 0 3 — 2018, 2019, 2023

Performances by province

Division Titles Runners-up Total
File:Flag of Ulster.svg Ulster 7 7 14
File:Flag of Leinster.svg Leinster 5 3 8
File:Flag of Connacht.svg Connacht 2 3 5
File:Flag of Britain.svg Britain 2 3 5
File:Flag of United States.svg United States 1 0 1

Team records and statistics

Legend

For each championship, the number of teams (in brackets) are shown

Team 2009 (8) 2010 (7) 2011 (7) 2012 (5) 2013 (4) 2014 (4) 2015 (5) 2016 (5) 2017 (6) 2018 (4) 2019 (4) 2020 (3) 2021 (5) 2022 (6) 2023 (6) 2024 (6) 2025 (7) Years
File:Colours of Cavan.svg Cavan R2 QF — — — — — — 5th 3rd 4th 3rd 2nd 6th 3rd 3rd 2nd 11
File:Colours of Donegal.svg Donegal 2nd 2nd 1st NR NR NR NR NR NR NR CR NR NR NR NR NR CR 3
File:Colours of Fermanagh.svg Fermanagh QF SF QF 2nd 3rd 2nd 1st NR 6th 4th 3rd 2nd 1st NR NR 1st NR 13
File:Colours of Tipperary.svg Lancashire — — — — — — 5th 5th 4th 2nd 2nd — — 5th 2nd 6th 5th 9
File:Colours of Leitrim.svg Leitrim QF SF R2 SF 4th 4th 3rd 4th 2nd NR 1st NR NR 3rd 5th 4th 4th 14
File:Colours of Longford.svg Longford SF 1st QF R3 2nd 1st NR NR NR NR NR NR SF 2nd 4th 2nd 3rd 11
File:Colours of Louth.svg Louth NR NR NR NR NR NR NR 1st NR NR NR 1st SF 1st NR NR NR 4
File:Colours of Monaghan.svg Monaghan NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR QF 4th 1st NR SF 4
File:Colors of New York.svg New York — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — 1st 1
File:Colours of Sligo.svg Sligo NR NR NR NR NR NR 2nd 2nd 3rd 1st NR CR CR CR CR CR NR 4
File:Colours of Down.svg South Down SF R2 SF — — — — — — — — — — — — — — 3
File:Colours of Tyrone.svg Tyrone 1st NR 2nd 1st NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR CR CR CR 3
File:Colours of Warwickshire.svg Warwickshire R2 QF SF SF 1st 3rd 4th 3rd 1st NR NR — — NR 6th 5th 6th 12

Debut of teams

Year Debutants Total
2009 File:Colours of Cavan.svg Cavan, File:Colours of Donegal.svg Donegal, File:Colours of Fermanagh.svg Fermanagh, File:Colours of Leitrim.svg Leitrim, File:Colours of Longford.svg Longford, File:Colours of Down.svg South Down, File:Colours of Tyrone.svg Tyrone, File:Colours of Warwickshire.svg Warwickshire 8
2010–2014 None 0
2015 File:Colours of Tipperary.svg Lancashire, File:Colours of Sligo.svg Sligo 2
2016 File:Colours of Louth.svg Louth 1
2017–2020 None 0
2021 File:Colours of Monaghan.svg Monaghan 1
2022–2024 None 0
2025 File:Colors of New York.svg New York 1
Total 13

Seasons in Lory Meagher Cup

The number of years that each county has played in the Lory Meagher Cup between 2009 and 2025. A total of 13 counties have competed in at least one season of the Lory Meagher Cup. Leitrim have participated in the most championships. The counties in bold participate in the 2025 Lory Meagher Cup.

Years Counties
14 Leitrim
13 Fermanagh
12 Warwickshire
11 Cavan, Longford
9 Lancashire
4 Louth, Monaghan, Sligo
3 Donegal, South Down, Tyrone
1 New York

List of Lory Meagher Cup counties

The following teams have competed in the Lory Meagher Cup for at least one season.

County Appearances Debut Most recent Championship titles Last Championship title Best Lory Meagher Cup result
Cavan 11 2009 2025 0 — 2nd
Donegal 3 2009 2011 1 2011 1st
Fermanagh 13 2009 2024 3 2024 1st
Lancashire 9 2015 2025 0 — 2nd
Leitrim 14 2009 2025 1 2019 1st
Longford 11 2009 2025 2 2014 1st
Louth 4 2016 2022 3 2022 1st
Monaghan 4 2021 2025 0 2023 1st
New York 1 2025 2025 1 2025 1st
Sligo 4 2015 2018 1 2018 1st
South Down 3 2009 2011 0 — Semi-finals
Tyrone 3 2009 2012 1 2012 1st
Warwickshire 11 2009 2025 2 2017 1st

All-time table

Legend

Colours
Currently competing in the Christy Ring Cup
Currently competing in the Nicky Rackard Cup
Currently competing in the Lory Meagher Cup

As of 20 May 2025 (After 2025 group stage).

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1 File:Colours of Longford.svg Longford 45 23 6 16 52 1.15
2 File:Colours of Fermanagh.svg Fermanagh 47 22 6 19 50 1.06
3 File:Colours of Leitrim.svg Leitrim 56 22 2 32 46 0.82
4 File:Colours of Warwickshire.svg Warwickshire 47 22 1 24 45 0.95
5 File:Colours of Cavan.svg Cavan 41 13 4 24 30 0.73
6 File:Colours of Monaghan.svg Monaghan 20 11 3 6 25 1.25
7 File:Colours of Louth.svg Louth 17 12 0 5 24 1.41
8 File:Colours of Sligo.svg Sligo 19 12 0 7 24 1.26
9 File:Colours of Clare.svg Lancashire 42 11 0 31 22 0.52
10 File:Colours of Tyrone.svg Tyrone 12 10 0 2 20 1.66
11 File:Colours of Donegal.svg Donegal 13 10 0 3 20 1.53
12 File:Colours of Down.svg South Down 9 4 0 5 8 0.88
13 File:Colors of New York.svg New York 2 2 0 0 4 2.00

By Semi-Final/Top 4 Appearances

Team No. Years
Fermanagh 10 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2024
Leitrim 10 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2022, 2024
Longford 9 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
Warwickshire 7 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017
Cavan 7 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024, 2025
Sligo 4 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018
Louth 4 2016, 2020, 2021, 2022
Lancashire 4 2017, 2018, 2019, 2023
Donegal 3 2009, 2010, 2011
Tyrone 3 2009, 2011, 2012
Monaghan 3 2022, 2023, 2025
South Down 2 2009, 2011
New York 1 2025

By decade

The most successful team of each decade, judged by number of Lory Meagher Cup titles, is as follows:

Match records

  • Most wins
    • 23, Longford

Other records

Finishing positions

Unbeaten sides

Beaten sides

The group stage of the cup has resulted in 9 'back-door' Lory Meagher Cup champions:

On 2 occasions a team was defeated twice but have remained in the championship:

Final success rate

Only two counties have appeared in the final more than once, being victorious on all occasions:

On the opposite end of the scale, only one county has appeared in the final more than once, losing on each occasion:

Consecutive participations

Leitrim and Warwickshire have the record number of consecutive participations in the Lory Meagher Cup, taking part in 9 seasons.

Winning other trophies

Although not an officially recognised achievement, no team have ever achieved the distinction of winning the Lory Meagher Cup and their respective Division in the National Hurling League.

Biggest wins

Scoring Events

  • Most goals in a match:
    • 11 – 2021: Longford 8-25 - 3-19 Louth
  • Most points in a match:
    • 46 – 2024: Lancashire 0-21 - 2-25 Cavan
    • 46 – 2024: Lancashire 2-24 - 6-22 Warwickshire
    • 46 – 2025: Longford 3-17 - 3-29 Cavan
  • Most goals by one team in a match:
    • 8 – 2021: Longford 8-25 - 3-19 Louth
  • Most points by one team in a match:
    • 32 – 2025: Warwickshire 1-11 - 4-32 Cavan
  • Highest aggregate score:
    • 77 – 2021: Longford 8-25 - 3-19 Louth
  • Lowest aggregate score:
    • 20 – 2023: Leitrim 0-08 - 0-12 Longford

Successful defending

Only three teams were able to defend their title the following year. None of these teams were able to do so. These are:

Usually defending champions are promoted and a number of teams survived the first year of the Nicky Rackard Cup. These are:

  • 00 on 00 attempts out of 00 (0000)

Gaps

Active gaps

Provinces

Lory Meagher Cup final pairings

Pairing Meetings Last meeting
Donegal v Tyrone 2 2011
Fermanagh v Longford 2 2024
Donegal v Longford 1 2010
Fermanagh v Sligo 1 2015
Fermanagh v Tyrone 1 2012
Lancashire v Leitrim 1 2019
Cavan v Fermanagh 1 2021
Fermanagh v Louth 1 2020
Lancashire v Monaghan 1 2023
Lancashire v Sligo 1 2018
Leitrim v Warwickshire 1 2017
Longford v Louth 1 2022
Longford v Warwickshire 1 2013
Louth v Sligo 1 2016

Longest undefeated run

The record for the longest unbeaten run stands at 7 games held by Tyrone (2009–2011).

Miscellaneous

See also

References

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