O'Byrne Cup
Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox GAA tournament
The O'Byrne Cup is a Gaelic football competition organized by the Leinster GAA and first staged in 1954.
History
The competition is named in honour of Matt Byrne (b. 14 February 1870), a former Wicklow GAA club and county officer. By virtue of a quirk in translation, the Corn Uí Bhroin became known as the O'Byrne cup even though Matt had never used an 'O' in his surname. Byrne was a native of Baltinglass and taught at the local national school. Deeply involved in GAA activities at all levels throughout his life, he was regarded as a good footballer in his youth and an excellent handballer. He was the first secretary of the Maurice Davins' club in Baltinglass and served as a member of the Wicklow County Board for over 50 years, mostly as registrar. He represented Wicklow on Leinster and Central Councils and served as President of the Irish Handball Council from 1941-44. Byrne died on 21 September 1947.
The competition is contested by the eleven Leinster county teams (excluding Kilkenny), although Third-level College teams have taken part occasionally. The competition is, together with the Walsh Cup and Kehoe Cup, part of a Leinster GAA Series which takes place each January. The most recent O'Byrne Cup winners were Longford, who beat Dublin in the 2024 final.[1]
The O'Byrne Shield was introduced in 2006 for teams knocked out at the first-round stage of the competition. It was later abandoned in 2013 due to the introduction of group stages in the competition, but re-introduced in 2024 when the O'Byrne Cup reverted to straight knockout format.[2][3]
Recent developments
In September 2024, GAA delegates voted to remove the O'Byrne Cup from the 2025 fixtures calendar on a one-year trial basis.[4]
Top winners
| Team | Wins | Years won | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | File:Colours of Kildare.svg Kildare | 11 | 1962, 1968, 1970, 1973, 1976, 1982, 1989, 2003, 2011, 2013, 2014 |
| 2 | File:Colours of Dublin.svg Dublin | 10 | 1956, 1958, 1960, 1966, 1999, 2007, 2008, 2015, 2017, 2022 |
| File:Colours of Meath GAA.svg Meath | 10 | 1967, 1974, 1977, 1983, 1992, 2001, 2004, 2006, 2016, 2018 | |
| 4 | File:Colours of Offaly.svg Offaly | 6 | 1954, 1961, 1981, 1993, 1997, 1998 |
| 5 | File:Colours of Laois.svg Laois | 5 | 1978, 1987, 1991, 1994, 2005 |
| File:Colours of Longford.svg Longford | 5 | 1965, 2000, 2020, 2023, 2024 | |
| 7 | File:Colours of Westmeath.svg Westmeath | 4 | 1959, 1964, 1988, 2019 |
| File:Colours of Louth.svg Louth | 4 | 1963, 1980, 1990, 2009 | |
| File:Colours of Wicklow.svg Wicklow | 4 | 1955, 1957, 1986, 1996 | |
| 10 | File:Colours of Kilkenny.svg DCU | 2 | 2010, 2012 |
| 11 | File:Colours of Carlow.svg Carlow | 1 | 2002 |
| File:Colours of Wexford.svg Wexford | 1 | 1995 |
List of finals
Template:Double dagger Wexford awarded title as Westmeath refused to play extra time.
O'Byrne Shield
Top winners
| Team | Wins | Years won | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | File:Colours of Laois.svg Laois | 3 | 2008, 2009, 2012 |
| 2 | File:Colours of Longford.svg Longford | 2 | 2006, 2007 |
| 3 | File:Colours of Carlow.svg Carlow | 1 | 2010 |
| 3 | File:Colours of Dublin.svg Dublin | 1 | 2011 |
| 3 | File:Colours of Louth.svg Louth | 1 | 2024 |
References
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