All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship 1940

Infobox Hurling All-Ireland
year=1940


team=Limerick
titles=6th
captain=Mick Mackey
manager=
munster=Limerick
leinster=Kilkenny
ulster=
connacht=
poty=
matches=
The All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship of 1940 was the 54th edition of Ireland’s premier hurling knockout competition. The championship ran from May to September of that year, culminating with the All-Ireland final, held at Croke Park, Dublin on 1 September. The match was contested by Limerick and Kilkenny, with Limerick taking the title by 3-7 to 1-7. It was the last meeting between the two most outstanding teams of the decade.

Format

The All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship was run on a provincial basis as usual. All games were played on a knockout basis whereby once a team lost they were eliminated from the championship. The format for the All-Ireland series of games ran as follows:
* The winners of the Leinster Championship advanced directly to the All-Ireland final.
* The winners of the Munster Championship advanced directly to a lone All-Ireland semi-final.
* Galway, a team who faced no competition in the Connacht Championship, entered the championship at the All-Ireland semi-final stage where they played the Munster champions.
* There were no representatives from the Ulster Championship in the All-Ireland series.

All-Ireland final

Overview

Sunday 1 September was the date of the 1940 All-Ireland senior hurling final between Limerick and Kilkenny. It was their first meeting in the championship since the 1936 decider when Limerick were the winners. Kilkenny last won the championship decider in 1939 when they defeated Cork in the famous [thunder and lightning’ final. It would be there last meeting in the championship until the All-Ireland final of 1973.

Match report

At 3:15pm the former Dublin and Tipperary hurler and match referee John Joe Callinan got the game underway in front of almost 50,000 spectators. Limerick defended the canal end goalmouth for the first-half as Kilkenny set a blistering pace. The Leinster men had 1-1 on the scoreboard before Limerick eventually settled and responded with a goal from Jackie Power. After a tough thirty minutes of hurling Kilkenny had a 1-4 to 1-2 lead over the Munster champions. The second-half saw Limerick play into a blinding sun, however, this did not affect their play. Mick Mackey, the Limerick captain, was moved from centre-forward to midfield and the Limerick team eventually took control. Goalkeeper Paddy Scanlan fought off wave after wave of Kilkenny attacks while the defenders allowed ‘the Cats’ to record only three points in the second-half. Limerick went looking for goals and duly got them. Jackie Power, the goal-scoring hero of the first-half, set up Dick Stokes for their second. John Mackey recorded Limerick’s third of the day as the Munster men claimed a 3-7 to 1-7 victory.

As Mick Mackey received the Liam McCarthy Cup on the steps of the Hogan Stand he became the seventh captain to lead his county to more than one All-Ireland success.

tatistics

footballbox
date=1940-09-01
15:15 BST
team1=Limerick
score=3-7 – 1-7
team2=Kilkenny
report=
goals1=
goals2=
stadium=Croke Park, Dublin
attendance=49,260
referee= John Joe Callinan (Tipperary)

{| width=100% style="font-size: 90%"MATCH RULES
*60 minutes.
*Replay if scores level.
*Three named substitutes

References

* Corry, Eoghan, "The GAA Book of Lists" (Hodder Headline Ireland, 2005).
* Donegan, Des, "The Complete Handbook of Gaelic Games" (DBA Publications Limited, 2005).

ee also