All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship

The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Minor Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Electric Ireland GAA Hurling All-Ireland Minor Championship) is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is the highest inter-county hurling competition for male players under the age of 17 in Ireland and has been contested every year - except for a three-year absence during the Emergency - since 1928.

The final, currently held on the third Sunday in August, is the culmination of a series of games played during July and August, with the winning team receiving the Irish Press Cup. The qualification procedures for the championship have changed several times throughout its history. Currently, qualification is limited to teams competing in the Leinster and Munster Championships as well as Galway. Having previously been played on a straight knockout basis, the championship has incorporated a round robin since 2018.

Five teams currently participate in the All-Ireland Championship, with the most successful teams coming from the provinces of Leinster and Munster. Kilkenny, Cork and Tipperary are considered "the big three" of hurling. They have won 63 championships between them.

The title has been won by 10 different teams, all of whom have won the title more than once. The all-time record-holders are Tipperary, who have won the championship on 22 occasions. Tipperary are the current champions.

Since 1887 the All-Ireland Senior Championship had provided inter-county games for adult males. This was supplemented by the creation of the All-Ireland Junior Championship in 1912 which provided a springboard to develop players before progressing to senior level. The All-Ireland Minor Championship was the third championship to be created and was aimed at developing younger players who were under the age of 18.

The inaugural All-Ireland Championship in 1928 used a provincial format. 12 teams contested the respective championships in Leinster and Munster, with Cork and Dublin emerging as the respective champions. There were no representatives in Connacht or Ulster.

Cork and Dublin contested the first All-Ireland Championship match - the delayed final - on Sunday 1 September 1929 at Croke Park, Dublin. After a draw on the first day, Cork won the All-Ireland final replay on 27 October 1929 to take the title.

The first two All-Ireland Championships featured the Munster and Leinster champions facing off in the All-Ireland final. The Ulster Championship was introduced in the 1930 necessitating the need for an All-Ireland semi-final to be introduced. The Connacht champions qualified for the first time in 1931, with the four provincial winners participating in two All-Ireland semi-finals. Over time the Leinster and Munster teams grew to become the superpowers of the game, as Gaelic football was the more dominant sport in Ulster and Connacht. After some time Galway became the only credible team in Connacht and was essentially given an automatic pass to the All-Ireland semi-final every year. This knock-out system persisted for nearly 60 years and was considered to be the fairest system as the All-Ireland champions would always be the only undefeated team of the year.