Guide To The 2009 All Ireland Hurling Finals

• By: Editor
• On: 26/Aug/2009
• In: Ireland Travel Tips

2009 All Ireland Senior Hurling Final
Sponsored by Etihad Airlines and Guinness, The 2009 All Ireland Hurling Championship Final sees history in the making – as the mighty Kilkenny team are going for a modern day record of four All Ireland Championships in a row. Unbeaten since the All Ireland semi final of 2005, the aristocrats of the game are competing for their 32nd title, and remarkably, their 7th title this very decade.  The domination of the current state of play by the famed Kilkenny side is due to their skill, athleticism and a constant strive for improvement from their wily manager and multiple All Ireland winner himself, Brian Cody.

The present Kilkenny side has won 11 out of the last 12 Leinster Championships, and contains some of the most revered players in the history of the game, including the All Ireland Hurling Championship all time top scorer Henry Shefflin, Tommy Walsh, Eoin Larkin, Eddie Brennan and the classy Michael Rice.  This years Kilkenny captain is Michael Fennelly of the Ballyhale Shamrocks Club. Will he be the man to lead Kilkenny up the steps of Croke Park and claim the 125th All Ireland title?

Not if Tipperary have anything to do with it! Tipperary have re-emerged in the last two years as an exciting team with pace and youth in their attack fuelled by the attacking trio of Shane Callinan, Lar Corbett and outstanding talent Noel McGrath. The team have recently garnered back to back Munster Titles. Only a shock All Ireland semi final defeat last year to Waterford blots their copybook.  Kilkenny and Tipperary met in a titanic National League final earlier this year, and a six goal thriller after extra time saw Kilkenny narrowly emerge victorious by three points, but with Tipperary honour undiminished.

Team manager Liam Sheedy believes this is a team for coming years, but why not now? Being neighbouring counties the rivalry is intense, and even though the two teams have not met in the All Ireland series too often in recent years, Kilkenny have not beaten Tipperary in an All Ireland Final since 1967, and Tipperary emerged victorious when the teams last met in 1991 on the big day. So, will captain Willie Ryan be the man to lead Tipperary their 26th title?

The 2009 All Ireland hurling final will take place on Sunday 6th September, with a throw in time of 3.30pm. It will be preceded by the All Ireland Minor Hurling Final, which takes place at 1.30 pm.

2009 All Ireland Minor Hurling Final
The 2009 All Ireland Minor Hurling Final sees a repeat of last year’s decider, when Kilkenny pipped Galway by two points. Kilkenny are going for the 20th title, Galway for their 8th. Winning captains are presented with the Irish Press Cup. Although being the curtain raiser to the big game later that afternoon, the All Ireland Minor decider has often been known to be a high scoring and exciting game.

Previous meetings between these two teams have often seen classic encounters, in 2003 just one point separated the teams in a game of 35 scores, and a replay was required in 2004 to decide a winner, after a classic draw and replay between the two teams, during which Galway emerged victorious. Last year’s encounter was a dour game which only spilled to life after a couple of late Kilkenny goals allowing them to claim a narrow victory. Galway are always competitive at this level, often playing sparking attractive hurling. Coached by the evergreen Mattie Forde, they will want to avenge losing last year’s final because for much of it they appeared the likely winners.

2009 All Ireland Under 21 Hurling Final
The Bord Gais sponsored All Ireland Under 21 Hurling Final will take place on Sunday September 13th at Croke Park, with a throw in time to be announced. The All-Ireland Under 21 decider will be part of a triple-header with the Gala All-Ireland Senior and Junior Camogie Championship finals. This year’s decider will feature Kilkenny, who are gunning for their 12th title, and Clare, who feature in their very first Under 21 final. Kilkenny are the current titleholders.

Both teams have had contrasting fortunes on route to the final; Kilkenny emerged victorious in Leinster after a testing battle with emerging Dublin. Kilkenny then ran rampant against Antrim in the All Ireland semi final, running out 15-point winners. Senior panelists such as John Mulhall and sharp shooter Richie Hogan are well versed in the slick Kilkenny way of playing, and it will require a huge effort by Clare to stop their galloping runs in the wide open spaces of Croke Park.

Clare had lost 13 Munster Under 21 Finals before they finally made the breakthrough after a thrilling 5 point victory over Waterford in Dungarvan on the 29th of July last. If there was drama here as Ciaran O’Doherty lifted the Corn na Cásca trophy, this was nothing compared to the epic encounter the Banner County shared with next door neighbours Galway on August 22nd in Semple Stadium Thurles.

In a game featuring no fewer than 56 scores, after 80 minutes of hurling, an energy sapping encounter, Clare reached their first final by a margin of just two points after extra time, 3-23 to 5-15. Many experts have regarded this match as the game of the year, with no fewer than 4-07 scored by Galway sharpshooter Joe Canning and 2-04 from play by emerging Clare forward Darach Honan. Indeed Clare possess in their U21 team senior hurling panelists such as Colin Ryan, Patrick Kelly, John Conlon and Enda Barrett, so the future is bright for the county's hurling stock whatever the result in three weeks time.

So, if you are heading to Dublin and Croke Park on the open road for a feast of hurling this September, your best to bet is to avail of a top quality car hire rental. Check out our Car Rental Ireland page.

For more information on the 2009 All Ireland Final build up, check out the website of the GAA.

The 2009 All Ireland Hurling Finals will be played at the magnificent sporting theatre at Croke Park, which can accommodate 82,300 spectators. Located on the northside of Dublin, Croke Park Stadium is perfectly situated on the airport route from Dublin city centre. It is close to the Connolly Train Station, and Bus Aras station. Find out more about Croke Park in Dublin.

And if you are planning on staying around Dublin for a few nights, why not check out our excellent selection of Hotels in Dublin on our partner site GoIreland.com?

Who will win the Liam McCarthy Cup this September and why? Will the black and amber men from Kilkenny be celebrating their 4th Senior All Ireland in a row, or will the blue and gold ribbons of Tipperary adorn the most famous trophy in the GAA. Let us know your thoughts – join in with your fellow readers for a lively debate!