1984–85 National Hurling League

The 1984–85 National Hurling League was the 54th season of the National Hurling League (NHL), an annual hurling competition for the GAA county teams.^[1][2] It was won by Limerick for the second year in a row.^[3][4]

1984–85 National Hurling League

League details
Dates	7 October 1984 – 30 June 1985
League champions
Winners	Limerick (9 win)
Other division winners
Division 2	Clare
Division 3	Meath
Division 4	Louth
← 1983–84 1985–86 →

Division 1

Limerick came into the season as defending champions of the 1983-84 season. Offaly and Tipperary entered Division 1 as the promoted teams.

On 14 April 1985, Limerick won the title following a 3-12 to 1-7 win over Clare in the final. It was their second league title in succession and their 9th National League title overall.^[1]

Tipperary and Wexford were relegated from Division 1.

Laois's Eugene Fennelly was the Division 1 top scorer with 2-44.

Table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	Pts	Notes
1	Galway	7	5	1	1	11
2	Limerick	7	4	0	3	8	National Hurling League champions
3	Offaly	7	4	0	3	8
4	Kilkenny	7	3	1	3	7
5	Cork	7	3	0	4	6
6	Laois	7	3	0	4	6
7	Wexford	7	3	0	4	6	Relegated to Division 2
8	Tipperary	7	2	0	5	4	Relegated to Division 2

Group stage

Cork v Laois

7 October 1984	Cork	3-20 - 4-11	Laois	Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Cork
	T Finn 1-5, T O'Sullivan 0-7, B Óg Murphy 1-2, K Hennessy 1-0, P Hartnett 0-3, T Cashman 0-2, J Hartnett 0-1.		P Cleary 2-1, M Walsh 0-5, PJ Cuddy 1-1, L Bergin 1-0, E Fennelly 0-2, M Cuddy 0-1.	Referee: P Long (Kilkenny)

Offaly v Wexford

7 October 1984	Offaly	2-17 - 0-13	Wexford	St. Brendan's Park, Birr
	P Horan 1-7, B Keeshan 1-2, J Dooley 0-3, T Conneely 0-2, D Owens 0-1, P Delaney 0-1, J Kelly 0-1.		B Byrne 0-3, J Holohan 0-3, G O'Connor 0-2, M Fitzhenry 0-2, E Cleary 0-1, P Courtney 0-1, J McDonald 0-1.	Referee: C Foley (Dublin)

Kilkenny v Limerick

7 October 1984	Kilkenny	1-18 - 5-8	Limerick	Nowlan Park, Kilkenny
	K Brennan 0-5, F Cummins 1-1, G Henderson 0-3, P Walsh 0-3, H Ryan 0-2, N Brennan 0-1, L McCarthy 0-1, J Lawlor 0-1, J Brennan 0-1.		P McCarthy 3-0, P Kelly 1-3, T Quaid 1-3, A Garvey 0-1, D Fitzgerald 0-1.	Referee: J Moore (Waterford)

Galway v Tipperary

7 October 1984	Galway	2-12 - 3-7	Tipperary	Ballinasloe Sportsfield, Ballinasloe
	M O'Shea 0-10, J Connolly 1-0, N Lane 1-0, M Haverty 0-1, M McGrath 0-1.		N O'Dwyer 1-1, P Dooley 1-1, L Maher 1-0, P McGrath 0-3, N English 0-2.	Referee: N Duggan (Limerick)

Cork v Tipperary

28 October 1984	Cork	4-18 - 3-8	Tipperary	Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Cork
	B Óg Murphy 2-1, D Walsh 0-7, D Buckley 1-2, K Hennessy 0-4, T Finn 1-0, J Hartnett 0-2, P Hartnett 0-2.		S Power 2-0, P McGrath 0-5, N O'Dwyer 1-0, P Dooley 0-1, P Kennedy 0-1, L Maher 0-1.

Galway v Laois

28 October 1984	Galway	1-16 - 3-8	Laois	Ballinasloe Sportsfield, Ballinasloe
	A Cunningham 1-4, T Kilkenny 0-2, M O'Shea 0-2, J Cooney 0-2, M McGrath 0-2, M Connolly 0-1, N Lane 0-1, B Lynskey 0-1, S Linnane 0-1.		E Fennelly 0-7, P Cleary 2-0, M O'Sullivan 1-0, J Dollard 0-1.

Kilkenny v Wexford

28 October 1984	Kilkenny	2-14 - 0-13	Wexford	John Locke Park, Callan
	K Brennan 0-6, R Power 1-1, R Heffernan 1-0, H Ryan 0-3, J Brennan 0-2, L McCarthy 0-1, N Brennan 0-1.		J Holohan 0-6, G O'Connor 0-3, M Fitzhenry 0-2, J McDonnell 0-1, B Byrne 0-1.

Offaly v Limerick

28 October 1984	Offaly	0-18 - 5-6	Limerick	St. Brendan's Park, Birr
	J Dooley 0-5, P Corrigan 0-4, T Conneely 0-3, P Carroll 0-2, P Delaney 0-1, B Keeshan 0-1, D Owens 0-1, D Fogarty 0-1.		P Kelly 2-4, P McCarthy 2-0, R Sampson 1-0, J Carroll 0-2.

Wexford v Cork

4 November 1984	Wexford	2-17 - 2-6	Cork	Wexford Park, Wexford
	J Holohan 1-8, J McDonald 0-4, J O'Connor 0-2, F Fenlon 0-1, T Harrington 0-1, M Fitzhenry 0-1.		T Finn 1-0, T Mulcahy 1-0, D Walsh 0-3, P Hartnett 0-1, J Hartnett 0-1, B Murphy 0-1.	Referee: P Long (Kilkenny)

Tipperary v Offaly

4 November 1984	Tipperary	3-7 - 1-12	Offaly	Semple Stadium, Thurles
	S Power 1-5, G Ryan 1-1, L Maher 1-0, P Kennedy 0-1.		P Corrigan 0-6, P Horan 1-0, P Delaney 0-2, G Coughlan 0-2, P Carroll 0-1, D Owens 0-1.	Referee: S O'Grady (Limerick)

Limerick v Galway

4 November 1984	Limerick	0-9 - 1-18	Galway	Gaelic Grounds, Limerick
	O O'Connor 0-3, P McCarthy 0-2, D Fitzgerald 0-2, J Carroll 0-1, T Quaid 0-1.		M Haverty 0-9, J Cooney 1-1, M Lane 0-3, A Kilkenny 0-2, B Lynskey 0-2, A Cunningham 0-1.	Referee: W Horgan (Cork)

Laois v Kilkenny

4 November 1984	Laois	1-8 - 1-15	Kilkenny	Kelly Daly Park, Rathdowney
	PJ Cuddy 1-0, P O'Brien 0-3, E Fennelly 0-3, M Walsh 0-1, M Cuddy 0-1.		L McCarthy 1-0, K Brennan 0-4, C Heffernan 0-3, G Henderson 0-2, J Brennan 0-2, G Fennelly 0-2, Ray Heffernan 0-1, R Power 0-1.	Referee: N O'Donoghue (Dublin)

Offaly v Cork

18 November 1984	Offaly	3-21 - 0-11	Cork	St. Brendan's Park, Birr
	P Corrigan 0-11, P Carroll 1-2, J Kelly 1-2, P Horan 1-0, B Keeshan 0-3, P Delaney 0-1, J Mooney 0-1, D Fogarty 0-1.		J Fenton 0-9, T Finn 0-1, T Mulcahy 0-1.	Referee: N O'Donoghue (Dublin)

Galway v Kilkenny

18 November 1984	Galway	0-8 - 1-5	Kilkenny	Pearse Stadium, Salthill
	J Cooney 0-4, M McGrath 0-2, M Haverty 0-1, N Lane 0-1.		R Power 1-0, K Brennan 0-3, R Heffernan 0-2.	Referee: N Duggan (Limerick)

Limerick v Tipperary

18 November 1984	Limerick	0-12 - 1-7	Tipperary	Gaelic Grounds, Limerick
	T Quaid 0-3, D Fitzgerald 0-3, P McCarthy 0-2, R Sampson 0-2, M Carroll 0-1, J Carroll 0-1.		S Power 1-3, D O'Connell 0-2, G Ryan 0-1, L Maher 0-1.	Referee: W Horgan (Cork)

Laois v Wexford

18 November 1984	Laois	2-18 - 2-9	Wexford	Kelly Daly Park, Rathdowney
	E Fennelly 0-10, J Keenan 1-3, P O'Brien 1-0, P Critchley 0-2, M Cuddy 0-1, M O'Sullivan 0-1, P Cleary 0-1.		J Holohan 1-5, T Byrne 1-0, J O'Connor 0-1, R Murphy 0-1, J O'Connell 0-1, J McDonald 0-1.	Referee: J Moloney (Tipperary)

Limerick v Cork

9 December 1984	Limerick	1-8 - 0-6	Cork	Gaelic Grounds, Limerick
	D Fitzgerald 1-2, P Kelly 0-2, T Quaid 0-1, M Rea 0-1, O O'Connor 0-1, P McCarthy 0-1.		J Hartnett 0-4, T O'Sullivan 0-2.	Referee: G Ryan (Tipperary)

Wexford v Galway

9 December 1984	Wexford	3-9 - 2-15	Galway	Enniscorthy
	M Fitzhenry 1-2, J Holohan 0-5, T Byrne 1-0, J McDonald 1-0, G O'Connor 0-1, T Dempsey 0-1.		M Haverty 0-7, N Lane 0-5, M McGrath 1-0, J Cooney 1-0, B Lynskey 0-2, T Kilkenny 0-1.	Referee: JJ Landers (Waterford)

Tipperary v Kilkenny

9 December 1984	Tipperary	1-14 - 0-7	Kilkenny	Semple Stadium, Thurles
	S Power 0-8, L Maher 1-0, G O'Neill 0-3, P Kennedy 0-2, K Fox 0-1.		R Heffernan 0-6, C Heffernan 0-1.	Referee: N Duggan (Limerick)

Laois v Offaly

9 December 1984	Laois	1-10 - 1-11	Offaly	Kelly Daly Park, Rathdowney
	E Fennelly 0-6, P CLeary 1-1, PJ Cuddy 0-2, P Critchley 0-1.		D Fogarty 1-1, P Corrigan 0-4, B Keeshan 0-2, P Carroll 0-2, J Kelly 0-1.	Referee: P Long (Kilkenny)

Cork v Galway

3 February 1985	Cork	1-7 - 1-10	Galway	Clonmult Memorial Park, Midleton
	K Hennessy 1-3, T O'Sullivan 0-3, D Walsh 0-1.		M Haverty 0-8, J Cooney 1-0, M McGrath 0-1, N Lane 0-1.

Tipperary v Laois

3 February 1985	Tipperary	1-12 - 4-5	Laois	Semple Stadium, Thurles
	S Power 1-4, G O'Neill 0-3, P Kennedy 0-2, P Dooley 0-1, N English 0-1, T O'Connell 0-1.		T Cleary 3-0, E Fennelly 1-3, M Walsh 0-2.	Referee: B Duggan (Limerick)

Kilkenny v Offaly

3 February 1985	Kilkenny	2-15 - 1-11	Offaly	John Locke Park, Callan
	B Fitzpatrick 1-5, L Fennelly 1-2, R Power 0-3, C Heffernan 0-3, J Brennan 0-2.		D Owens 1-0, P Corrigan 0-4, P Cleary 0-2, J Dooley 0-2, B Keeshan 0-1, D Fogarty 0-1, M Coughlan 0-1.	Referee: N O'Donoghue (Dublin)

Wexford v Limerick

3 February 1985	Wexford	3-13 - 1-10	Limerick	O'Kennedy Park, New Ross
	T Dempsey 1-5, B Byrne 1-3, J McDonald 1-1, J Holohan 0-2, G O'Connor 0-1, R Murphy 0-1.		L O'Donoghue 1-0, D Fitzgerald 0-3, P Kelly 0-3, O O'Connor 0-2, P McCarthy 0-1, R Samspon 0-1.	Referee: J Moore (Waterford)

Laois v Limerick

10 February 1985	Laois	1-12 - 0-12	Limerick	Kelly Daly Park, Rathdowney
	E Fennelly 0-7, P Cleary 1-1, P O'Brien 0-1, J Taylor 0-1, PJ Cuddy 0-1, P Critchley 0-1.		J Carroll 0-2, P Kelly 0-2, B Carroll 0-2, O O'Connor 0-2, L O'Donoghue 0-2, D Fitzgerald 0-1, P McCarthy 0-1.	Referee: J Denton (Wexford)

Kilkenny v Cork

10 February 1985	Kilkenny	4-5 - 2-14	Cork	John Locke Park, Callan
	L Fennelly 2-0, C Heffernan 1-2, K Brennan 1-1, B Fitzpatrick 0-2.		K Hennessy 1-4, T O'Sullivan 1-3, P Horgan 0-2, T Cashman 0-1, J Hartnett 0-1, J Fenton 0-1, D Walsh 0-1, J Barry-Murphy 0-1.	Referee: G Ryan (Tipperary)

Tipperary v Wexford

10 February 1985	Tipperary	0-6 - 4-7	Wexford	Davin Park, Carrick-on-Suir
	S Power 0-3, P Dooley 0-2, D O'Connell 0-1.		R Murphy 2-1, J Holohan 1-2, M Fitzhenry 1-0, T Dempsey 0-2, E Cleary 0-1, J McDonald 0-1.	Referee: P Long (Kilkenny)

Offaly v Galway

10 February 1985	Offaly	1-14 - 0-10	Galway	St. Brendan's Park, Birr
	P Corrigan 0-9, D Fogarty 1-0, P Cleary 0-2, J Lyons 0-1, B Keeshan 0-1, M Cashin 0-1.		M Haverty 0-8, O Kilkenny 0-1, M McGrath 0-1.	Referee: N Duggan (Limerick)

Play-offs

Cork v Laois

24 February 1985	Cork	3-15 - 2-4	Laois	Semple Stadium, Thurles
	K Hennessy 1-3, D Walsh 1-2, T Mulcahy 1-1, P Crowley 0-4, T O'Sullivan 0-2, J Hartnett 0-2, P Horgan 0-1.		P Cleary 1-0, PJ Cuddy 1-0, E Fennelly 0-2, P Critchley 0-1, C Jones 0-1.	Referee: J O'Grady (Limerick)

Laois v Wexford

3 March 1985	Laois	1-8 - 1-4	Wexford	Geraldine Park, Athy
	E Fennelly 1-4, PJ Cuddy 0-2, M Aherne 0-1, M O'Sullivan 0-1.		T Dempsey 1-1, M Fitzhenry 0-1, E Cleary 0-1, J Holohan 0-1.	Referee: J Moore (Waterford)

Knock-out stage

Quarter-finals

Clare v Kilkenny

10 March 1985 Quarter-final	Clare	0-13 - 1-10	Kilkenny	Semple Stadium, Thurles
	C Lyons 0-5, J Shanahan 0-3, M Guilfoyle 0-3, S Dolan 0-1, PJ Deasy 0-1.		K Brennan 0-6, C Heffernan 1-0, R Power 0-2, H Ryan 0-2.	Referee: G Ryan (Tipperary)

Limerick v Dublin

10 March 1985 Quarter-final	Limerick	4-12 - 2-9	Dublin	Semple Stadium, Thurles
	P Kelly 1-7, D Fitzgerald 1-3, S Fitzgibbon 1-0, P McCarthy 1-0, O O'Connor 0-2.		P Carton 1-7, E O'Shea 1-1, M Hurley 0-1.	Referee: G Rayn (Tipperary)

Clare v Kilkenny

24 March 1985 Quarter-final replay	Clare	1-12 - 1-7	Kilkenny	Semple Stadium, Thurles
	C Lyons 0-7, S Dolan 1-0, M Guilfoyle 0-2, P Deasy 0-1, J Callinan 0-1, J Shanahan 0-1.		K Brennan 0-4, G Henderson 1-0, H Ryan 0-1, B Fitzpatrick 0-1, R Heffernan 0-1.	Attendance: 7,766 Referee: JJ Landers (Waterford)

Semi-finals

Limerick v Offaly

31 March 1985 Semi-final	Limerick	0-15 – 1-9	Offaly	Semple Stadium, Thurles
	P Kelly 0-6, O O'Connor 0-3, D Fitzgerald 0-3, R Sampson 0-2, J Carroll 0-1.		P Corrigan 1-4, J Dooley 0-2, P Cleary 0-1, J Kelly 0-1, P Carroll 0-1.	Referee: G Ryan (Tipperary)

Clare v Galway

31 March 1985 Semi-final	Clare	1-14 – 0-11	Galway	Semple Stadium, Thurles
	C Lyons 0-6, J Shanahan 1-1, M Guilfoyle 0-2, A Cunningham 0-2, J Callinan 0-1, P Morey 0-1, S Stack 0-1.		S Mahon 0-2, M Haverty 0-2, J Cooney 0-2, M McGrath 0-2, N Lane 0-2, T Kilkenny 0-1.	Referee: N Duggan (Limerick)

Final

Limerick v Clare

14 April 1985 Final	Limerick	3-12 – 1-7	Clare	Semple Stadium, Thurles
	P McCarthy 2-1, S Fitzgibbon 1-3, P Kelly 0-5, J Carroll 0-1, D Fitzgerald 0-1, O O'Connor 0-1.		C Lyons 1-4, P Morey 0-1, A Nugent 0-1, S Dolan 0-1.	Attendance: 20,700 Referee: J Moore (Waterford)

Scoring statistics

Rank	Player	Team	Tally	Total	Matches	Average
1	Eugene Fennelly	Laois	2-44	50	9	5.55
2	Paddy Corrigan	Offaly	1-42	45	7	6.42
3	Paddy Kelly	Limerick	4-32	44	9	4.88
4	John Holohan	Wexford	3-32	41	8	5.12
5	Séamus Power	Tipperary	5-23	38	6	6.33
6	Michael Haverty	Galway	0-36	36	7	5.14
7	Pat Cleary	Laois	10-04	34	9	3.77
8	Pat McCarthy	Limerick	8-07	32	9	3.55
	Kieran Brennan	Kilkenny	1-29	32	9	3.55
10	Kevin Hennessy	Cork	4-14	26	5	5.20

Top scorers in a single game

Rank	Player	Team	Tally	Total	Opposition
1	John Holohan	Wexford	1-08	11	Cork
	Paddy Corrigan	Offaly	0-11	11	Cork
3	Paddy Kelly	Limerick	2-04	10	Offaly
	Pádraig Horan	Offaly	1-07	10	Wexford
	Paddy Kelly	Limerick	1-07	10	Dublin
	Peadar Carton	Dublin	1-07	10	Limerick
	Martin O'Shea	Galway	0-10	10	Tipperary
	Eugene Fennelly	Laois	0-10	10	Wexford
9	Pat McCarthy	Limerick	3-00	10	Kilkenny
	Pat Cleary	Laois	3-00	10	Tipperary
	Michael Haverty	Galway	0-09	9	Limerick
	John Fenton	Cork	0-09	9	Offaly
	Paddy Corrigan	Offaly	0-09	9	Galway

Division 2

Table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	Pts	Notes
1	Clare	7	7	0	0	14	Promoted to Division 1
2	Dublin	7	4	1	2	9	Promoted to Division 1
3	Westmeath	7	4	0	3	8
4	Roscommon	7	4	0	3	8
5	Kerry	7	2	2	3	6
6	Antrim	7	3	0	4	6
7	Waterford	7	2	0	5	4	Relegated to Division 3
8	Kildare	7	0	1	6	1	Relegated to Division 3

Division 3

Table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	Pts	Notes
1	Meath	7	7	0	0	14	Promoted to Division 2
2	Down	7	6	0	1	12	Promoted to Division 2
3	Carlow	7	4	0	3	8
4	Wicklow	7	4	0	3	8
5	Armagh	7	4	0	3	8
6	Derry	7	2	0	5	4
7	Mayo	7	0	1	6	1
8	Longford	7	0	1	6	1	Relegated to Division 4

Division 4

Knock-out stage

Final

Louth v Sligo

30 June 1985 Final

Louth

3-12 - 3-5

Sligo

Pearse Park, Longford

References

1. "National Hurling League Results 1925-2009". Hogan Stand. Archived from the original on 5 August 2010. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
2. Smith, Raymond (1999). Complete Handbook of Gaelic Games. Dublin, Ireland. p. 208. ISBN 0950175870.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
3. "National Hurling League 1982/3 | Come on the Déise". Deiseach.wordpress.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
4. "Signed 1985 GAA National Hurling League Semi-finals Programme Limerick v Dublin & Kilkenny v Clare". adverts.ie. Archived from the original on 18 March 2016. Retrieved 24 August 2015.