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The 2023 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final, the 136th final of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship and the culmination of the 2023 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, was played at Croke Park in Dublin on 23 July 2023.[2][3]
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| Event | 2023 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship | ||||||
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| Date | 23 July 2023 | ||||||
| Venue | Croke Park, Dublin | ||||||
| Man of the Match | Peter Casey | ||||||
| Referee | John Keenan (Wicklow) | ||||||
| Attendance | 82,300 | ||||||
| Weather | Cloudy with a moderate to fresh northerly breeze 17 °C (63 °F)[1] | ||||||
The match was televised live on RTÉ2 as part of The Sunday Game, presented by Joanne Cantwell from the Croke Park studio with analysis by Anthony Daly, Dónal Óg Cusack and Liam Sheedy. Commentary on the game was provided by Marty Morrissey alongside Michael Duignan.[4]
Defending champions Limerick won the game by 0-30 to 2-15 to claim their four-in-a-row and their fifth title in six years.[5][6]
The match drew a peak audience of more than 1 million on RTÉ. The TV audience for The Sunday Game coverage peaked at 1,125,000 by the end of the final, the highest since 2019.[7]
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- Limerick were aiming to complete a four-in-a-row, having won the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championships of 2020, 2021 and 2022.[8] This had only been done twice before in the championship's history, by Cork in 1941–44 and Kilkenny in 2006–09.[9]
- Kilkenny were aiming to win their first All-Ireland since 2015.[10]
- This was to be the tenth Kilkenny–Limerick final; Limerick had won five of these (1897, 1936, 1940, 1973, 2022) and Kilkenny four (1933, 1935, 1974, 2007).[11]
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Kilkenny
| 22 April 2023 Leinster round-robin |  Kilkenny | 0-29 - 0-07 |  Westmeath | Kilkenny |
| TJ Reid 0-9 (3fs, 2 65), Adrian Mullen 0-6, John Donnelly 0-4, Eoin Cody, Martin Keoghan 0-2 each, David Blanchfield, Padraig Walsh, Darragh Corcoran, Timmy Clifford, Billy Ryan, Niall Brennan 0-1 each. | Ciaran Doyle 0-4 (3fs), Joseph Boyle, Darragh Clinton, Derek McNicholas 0-1 each. | Stadium: UPMC Nowlan Park Referee: Chris Mooney (Dublin). |
| 30 April 2023 Leinster round-robin | Kilkenny | 0-28 - 1-25 |  Galway | Kilkenny |
| TJ Reid 0-9 (8fs), Eoin Cody 0-6, Darragh Corcoran, Adrian Mullen, John Donnelly, Billy Ryan, and Martin Keoghan 0-2 each, Mikey Butler, Timmy Clifford, and David Blanchfield 0-1 each. | Report | Brian Concannon 1-5, Evan Niland 0-7 (6fs), Conor Whelan 0-2, Padraic Mannion, Daithi Burke, Joseph Cooney, Cianan Fahy, Ronan Glennon, Cathal Mannion, Kevin Cooney, Conor Cooney, Jason Flynn, Liam Collins, and Declan McLoughlin 0-1 each. | Stadium: UPMC Nowlan Park Attendance: 11,550[12] Referee: J Murphy (Limerick). |
| 7 May 2023 Leinster round-robin |  Antrim | 3-20 - 5-31 | Kilkenny | Belfast |
| Conal Cunning 0-8 (6 frees, 1 65), Keelan Molloy 1-2, Niall McKenna 0-4, Neil McManus 1-1, Conor Johnston 1-0, Paul Boyle 0-2, James McNaughton 0-2, Gerard Walsh 0-1. | Report | TJ Reid 2-10 (0-6 frees, 0-2 65s), Martin Keoghan 3-3, Billy Ryan 0-4, Adrian Mullen 0-2, Alan Murphy 0-3, Eoin Cody 0-2, Walter Walsh 0-2, Richie Reid 0-1, David Blanchfield 0-1, Tom Phelan 0-1, Cillian Buckley 0-1, Eoin Murphy 0-1 (free). | Stadium: Corrigan Park Referee: Shane Hayes (Galway). |
| 20 May 2023 Leinster round-robin | Kilkenny | 0-27 - 0-21 |  Dublin | Kilkenny |
| TJ Reid 0-10 (10fs), Paddy Deegan, Tom Phelan 0-3 each, Adrian Mullen, Martin Keoghan, Eoin Cody 0-2 each, Mikey Butler, David Blanchfield, Richie Reid, Billy Ryan, and Billy Drennan (f) 0-1 each. | Donal Burke 0-10 (8fs), Danny Sutcliffe, Mark Grogan, Dara Purcell 0-2 each, Eoghan O’Donnell, Conor Donohoe, Daire Gray, Cian Boland, Sean Currie 0-1 each. | Stadium: UPMC Nowlan Park |
| 28 May 2023 Leinster round-robin |  Wexford | 4-23 - 5-18 | Kilkenny | Wexford |
| Lee Chin 1-10 (0-6 frees, 0-1 ‘65), Liam Óg McGovern 2-1, Kevin Foley 1-1, Rory O’Connor 0-4, Oisín Foley, Cathal Dunbar (one line-ball) 0-2 each, Conor McDonald, Diarmuid O’Keeffe, Liam Ryan 0-1 each. | Report | Eoin Cody 3-1, Tom Phelan 1-4, TJ Reid 0-7 (4 frees, 1 ‘65), Martin Keoghan 1-0, Adrian Mullen, Walter Walsh, Billy Ryan, Pádraig Walsh, Alan Murphy, Conor Delaney 0-1 each. | Stadium: Chadwicks Wexford Park Attendance: 9,725 Referee: Colm Lyons (Cork). |
Kilkenny finished second in the Leinster round-robin and so advanced to the Leinster Final.
| 11 June 2023 Leinster Final | Kilkenny | 4-21 - 2-26 | Galway | Dublin |
| TJ Reid 0-9 (6f), Walter Walsh 1-2, Mikey Butler 1-0, Martin Keoghan 1-0, Cillian Buckley 1-0, Eoin Cody 0-3, Cian Kenny 0-2, John Donnelly 0-2 David Blanchfield 0-1, Padraig Walsh 0-1, Billy Drennan 0-1 | Report | Evan Niland 0-12 (8f), Conor Whelan 1-6, Jason Flynn 1-0, Brian Concannon 0-3, Kevin Cooney 0-3, Cathal Mannion 0-1, Joseph Cooney 0-1 | Stadium: Croke Park Attendance: 24,483[13] Referee: Seán Stack (Dublin) Man of the match: Conor Whelan (Galway) |
As Leinster champions, Kilkenny advanced to the All-Ireland semi-final.
Limerick
| 23 April 2023 Munster round-robin |  Waterford | 0-19 - 1-18 |  Limerick | Thurles |
| Stephen Bennett 0-13 (10fs), Austin Gleeson, Dessie Hutchinson 0-2 each, Jamie Barron, Conor Gleeson 0-1 each. | Report | Aaron Gillane 0-7 (5fs), Seamus Flanagan 1-1, Diarmuid Byrnes 0-3 (0-2 frees), Peter Casey and Tom Morrissey 0-2 each, Barry Nash, Gearoid Hegarty, 0-1. | Stadium: Semple Stadium Attendance: 20,267[15] |
| 29 April 2023 Munster round-robin | Limerick | 2-20 - 1-24 |  Clare | Limerick |
| Aaron Gillane 0-7 (0-6 frees); Seamus Flanagan 2-1; Diarmaid Byrnes 0-5 (0-5 frees); Tom Morrissey 0-4 (0-1 free); Cathal O’Neill 0-2; Cian Lynch 0-1. | Report | Aidan McCarthy 0-7 (0-4 frees, 0-1 ’65); Tony Kelly 0-4; Peter Duggan 1-1, Mark Rodgers 0-3 (0-1 sideline); David McInerney, David Fitzgerald, Shane O’Donnell, Aron Shanagher 0-2 each; Ryan Taylor 0-1. | Stadium: TUS Gaelic Grounds Attendance: 30,460[16] Referee: Colm Lyons (Cork). |
| 21 May 2023 Munster round-robin |  Tipperary | 0-25 - 0-25 | Limerick | Thurles |
| Gearoid O’Connor 0-10 (9fs), Jake Morris 0-4, Mark Kehoe 0-3, Conor Bowe 0-3, Noel McGrath 0-2, Seamus Callanan, Rhys Shelly, John McGrath 0-1 each. | Report | Aaron Gillane 0-6 (3fs) Cathal O’Neill 0-5, Diarmuid Byrnes 0-4 (3fs), Tom Morrissey 0-4, Seamus Flanagan, Graeme Mulcahy 0-2 each, Peter Casey, Declan Hannon 0-1 each. | Stadium: Semple Stadium Attendance: 37,459[17] Referee: Sean Stack (Dublin). |
| 28 May 2023 Munster round-robin | Limerick | 3-25 - 1-30 |  Cork | Limerick |
| Diarmaid Byrnes 1-4 (1-0 pen, 0-1 ’65), Seamus Flanagan 1-3, Aaron Gillane 0-5 (0-2 frees), Cathal O’Neill 1-0, Gearoid Hegarty, Darragh O’Donovan 0-3 each, Tom Morrissey 0-2; Peter Casey, William O’Donoghue, Barry Nash, Declan Hannon, Barry Nash 0-1 each. | Report | Patrick Horgan 1-14 (0-11 frees), Darragh Fitzgibbon, Seamus Harnedy 0-4 each, Declan Dalton 0-3 (0-2 frees), Shane Kingston 0-2; Tim O’Mahony; Luke Meade, Rob Downey 0-1 each. | Stadium: TUS Gaelic Grounds Attendance: 40,847 Referee: James Owens (Wexford). |
Limerick finished second in the Munster round-robin and so advanced to the Munster Final.
| 11 June 2023 Munster Final | Clare | 1-22 - 1-23 | Limerick | Limerick |
| T Kelly (0-6, 2 frees); M Rodgers (1-2); A McCarthy (0-4, 3 frees); S O’Donnell, D Fitzgerald, I Galvin (0-2 each); R Taylor, D Ryan, C Malone, A Shanagher (0-1 each). | Report | A Gillane (1-11, 0-8 frees); T Morrissey, D Reidy (0-3 each); C O’Neill (0-2); D O’Donovan, G Hegarty, K Hayes, A English (0-1 each). | Stadium: TUS Gaelic Grounds Attendance: 43,756[18] Referee: Liam Gordon (Galway) Man of the Match: Aaron Gillane (Limerick) |
As Munster champions, Limerick advanced to the All-Ireland semi-final.
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Officials
On 13 July, the GAA named Wicklow's John Keenan as the referee for the final, his first All-Ireland final. He previously refereed the 2016 All-Ireland minor final, the 2018 All-Ireland Under-21 final, the 2019 Leinster hurling final and the 2022 Munster hurling final. His umpires were Tommy Redmond (Tinahely), Eddie Leonard (St Patrick's), Paul Reville (Turin) and David Clune (Delvin). His linemen were Galway's Liam Gordon and Wexford's James Owens, with Gordon also the standby referee. The sideline official was Shane Hynes from Galway.[19]
Build-up
Both teams confirmed that they would return home to their respective counties straight after the match and not remain in Dublin overnight. Limerick would return to Fitzgerald's Woodlands House Hotel and Spa in Adare while Kilkenny would go to the River Court Hotel in Kilkenny. [20]
The final was shown on a big screen on Pery Square in Limerick where an all ticket crowd watched the match.[21]
Jubilee teams
The Offaly team that won the 1998 All-Ireland Final was presented to the crowd before the match.[22]
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Summary
Paddy Deegan opened the scoring for Kilkenny in the opening minute of the game, a lead which was held for a further five minutes before Limerick could equalise through Cian Lynch, this would be the only time the sides were level until deep into the second half. Limerick would for a brief moment, take the lead of the game when Diarmaid Byrnes knocked over Limerick's second point of the afternoon. However, Limerick's bright start was negated when, in the 10th minute, Eoin Cody picked up a loose ball in the Limerick box, and tucked it low into the bottom-right of the Limerick net, giving Kilkenny a two point advantage. By the 14th minute, two of Limerick's half-back line, William O'Donoghue and Diarmaid Byrnes received yellow cards for foul play. Kilkenny would go on to dominate much of the first half proceedings, leading by as much as six points by the 27th minute. At the end of the first half, Kilkenny led by three points on a 1-09 to 0-09 scoreline.
Limerick started the second half intensely, rejuvenating their hopes of a fourth successive championship, bringing the scores to within a point by the 40th minute. Yet the afternoon was about to take another turn when a piece of individual brilliance saw Deegan scored a goal for Kilkenny, breaking the right side-netting of the Limerick goal. This saw Kilkenny extend their lead to five points in the 42nd minute. Limerick would bravely respond to this turn of events, aggressively seeking possession and scoring five successive points to bring the scores level for only the second time in the contest with 13 minutes remaining in normal time. From this point onwards, Limerick took control of proceedings, taking the lead for the first time since the sixth minute, when Darragh O'Donovan made it 0-18 to 2-11 in the 58th minute. In total, Limerick outscored Kilkenny 0-21 to 1-06 in the second half, completing a stellar comeback and running out comfortable winners. The game finished Kilkenny 2-15 (21 points), Limerick 0-30 (30 points). This fourth consecutive championship meant Limerick became only the third county, since the competition began in 1887, to win four All-Ireland hurling titles in a row.[23][24][25]
While David Blanchfield was named on the Kilkenny squad to start at right wing back, he was unable to due to injury. Walter Walsh started in the position instead wearing the number 24 jersey. While starting in the half back line, Walsh operated across the half forward line, with Conor Fogarty dropping back to cover the number 5 position, and John Donnelly occupying the midfield area.
Details
| Limerick |
0-30 (30) – (21) 2-15 | Kilkenny |
|---|---|---|
| (HT: 0-09 (9) – (12) 1-09) | ||
Pts: Diarmaid Byrnes 8 (7f), Peter Casey 5, Aaron Gillane 5 (3f), Cian Lynch 2, Gearóid Hegarty 2, David Reidy 2, Cathal O'Neill 2, Barry Nash 1, Kyle Hayes 1, Darragh O'Donovan 1, Tom Morrissey 1 |
Gls: Paddy Deegan 1, Eoin Cody 1 Pts: TJ Reid 7 (6f, 1 '65), Paddy Deegan 1, Tom Phelan 3, Eoin Murphy 1 (1f), Richie Reid 1, John Donnelly 1, Adrian Mullen 1 | |
          Limerick
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     Kilkenny
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Trophy presentation
Stand-in captain Cian Lynch accepted the Liam MacCarthy Cup from GAA president Larry McCarthy in the Hogan Stand alongside the injured Declan Hannon.[27]
Reaction
Diarmaid Byrnes speaking to RTÉ after the match said "it needed a big half-time talk" to inspire Limerick's second period demolition of Kilkenny.[28]
Limerick manager John Kiely credited his team for both their resolve and their ability to stick to the process in the white heat of battle.[29]
Kilkenny manager Derek Lyng speaking to RTÉ after the match admitted Limerick were relentless in the way they ground down his side as the 70 minutes elapsed.[30]
Highlights of the final were shown on The Sunday Game programme which aired at 9:30pm that night on RTÉ2 and was presented by Jacqui Hurley.[31]
Celebrations
The Limerick team returned home straight after the final where a private event was held at the Fitzgerald Woodlands House Hotel in Adare.[32] An estimated 20,000 people turned out to welcome home the team at a public homecoming event at Pery Square in the city centre from 5pm the next day, where a list of live acts and music entertained the crowds in advance of the team's appearance.[33][34][35]
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