The All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship 1888 was the second series of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship

All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship

The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1887 for the top hurling teams in Ireland....

, Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

's premier hurling

Hurling

Hurling is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic origin, administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association, and played with sticks called hurleys and a ball called a sliotar. Hurling is the national game of Ireland. The game has prehistoric origins, has been played for at least 3,000 years, and...

 knock-out competition

Single-elimination tournament

A single-elimination tournament, also called a knockout, cup or sudden death tournament, is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match or bracket is immediately eliminated from winning the championship or first prize in the event...

. No All-Ireland final took place and the championship remains unfinished due to the North American invasion tour of Irish athletes, an unsuccessful attempt to raise funds for a revival of the Tailteann Games

Tailteann Games

The Tailteann Games were an ancient sporting event held in Ireland in honour of the goddess Tailtiu. They ran from 632 BC to 1169-1171 AD when they died out after the Norman invasion....

.

Teams

A total of nine teams contested the championship, including five teams from the 1887 championship

All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship 1887

-Miscellaneous:* Tipperary receive a walkover in their opening game against Dublin. The Dublin champions, Metropolitans, sought a postponement of the game from the GAA's Executive because some of their players were on holidays...

 and four new entrants.

The Leinster championship

Leinster Senior Hurling Championship

The Leinster GAA Hurling Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1888 for the top hurling teams in the province of Leinster in Ireland....

 was contested by four teams: Dublin

Dublin GAA

Dublin County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association , or Dublin GAA, is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Dublin. The county board is also responsible for the Dublin inter-county teams...

 (Kickhams) and Kilkenny

Kilkenny GAA

The Kilkenny County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland and is responsible for Gaelic Games in County Kilkenny. The county board has its head office and main grounds at Nowlan Park and is also responsible for Kilkenny inter-county teams...

 (Mooncoin) and new entrants Kildare

Kildare GAA

For more information see Kildare Senior Club Football Championship or Kildare Senior Club Hurling Championship.The Kildare County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association , or Kildare GAA, is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Kildare...

 (Monastervin) and Laois

Laois GAA

The Laois County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Laois GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Laois and the Laois inter-county teams.-History:...

 (Rathdowney).

Five counties contested the Munster championship

Munster Senior Hurling Championship

The Munster GAA Hurling Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1888 for the top hurling teams in the province of Munster in Ireland....

: Cork (Tower St.), Clare

Clare GAA

The Clare County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Clare GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Clare. The county board is also responsible for the Clare inter-county teams....

 (Ogonolloe), Limerick

Limerick GAA

The Limerick County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Limerick GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Limerick...

 (South Liberties), Tipperary

Tipperary GAA

The Tipperary County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or C is one of over 30 regional executive boards throughout the world. These executive boards are known as County Boards even though some no longer correspond to the area under the jurisdiction of the counties from which their names...

 (Clonoulty) and Waterford

Waterford GAA

The Waterford County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Waterford GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for all levels of Gaelic games in County Waterford. The County Board is also responsible for the Waterford inter-county teams. The county...

 (Carrickbeg).

Galway

Galway GAA

The Galway County Boards of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Galway GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Galway. The county boards are also responsible for the Galway inter-county teams.Unlike all other counties in Ireland,...

 and Wexford

Wexford GAA

The Wexford County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Wexford GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Wexford. The county board is also responsible for the Wexford inter-county teams.-History:Hurling has been played in...

, two teams who participated in the previous year's All-Ireland championship, did not field teams.

There were no provincial championships in either Connacht

Connacht

Connacht , formerly anglicised as Connaught, is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the west of Ireland. In Ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for...

 or Ulster

Ulster

Ulster is one of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the north of the island. In ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial...

.

Format

For the first time the championship was organised on a provincial basis. Two separate championships were played in Leinster and Munster with the winners meeting in the All-Ireland final.

Leinster Championship

Semi-finals: (2 matches) The four participating teams make up the semi-final pairings. Two teams are eliminated at this stage while the two winning teams advance to the Leinster final.

Final: (1 match) The winners of the two semi-finals contest this game. One team is eliminated at this stage while the winners are declared Leinster champions and qualify for the All-Ireland final.

Final: (1 match) The winners of the two semi-finals contest this game. One team is eliminated at this stage while the winners are declared Munster champions and qualify for the All-Ireland final.

Munster Championship

Quarter-final: (1 match) This is a lone match between the first two team drawn from the province. One team is eliminated at this stage while the winners advance to the semi-finals.

Semi-finals: (2 matches) The winners of the lone quarter-final join the three other teams to make up the semi-final pairings. Two teams are eliminated at this stage while the two winning teams advance to the Munster final.

Final: (1 match) The winners of the two semi-finals contest this game. One team is eliminated at this stage while the winners are declared Munster champions and qualify for the All-Ireland final.

All-Ireland Championship

Final: (1 match) The two provincial representatives from Leinster and Munster contest this game with the winners being declared All-Ireland champions.

Leinster Senior Hurling Championship

Leinster Senior Hurling Championship

The Leinster GAA Hurling Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1888 for the top hurling teams in the province of Leinster in Ireland....

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Munster Senior Hurling Championship

Munster Senior Hurling Championship

The Munster GAA Hurling Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1888 for the top hurling teams in the province of Munster in Ireland....

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All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship

All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship

The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1887 for the top hurling teams in Ireland....

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Miscellaneous

• Despite losing to Tipperary
  Tipperary GAA
  The Tipperary County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or C is one of over 30 regional executive boards throughout the world. These executive boards are known as County Boards even though some no longer correspond to the area under the jurisdiction of the counties from which their names...
  
   in the opening round, Cork advanced to the Munster semi-final as Tipperary champions Clonulty
  Clonoulty-Rossmore GAA
  Clonoulty-Rossmore GAA is a Gaelic Athletic Association club located in the parish of Clonoulty and Rossmore, five miles from Cashel in County Tipperary, Ireland...
  
   used players from other clubs to supplement their team. Such a format was not yet allowed. A replay was ordered in Cork
  Cork (city)
  Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...
  
   but Clonulty refused to play anywhere in Cork stating a preference for Kilmallock
  Kilmallock
  Kilmallock or Kilmalloc is a town in south County Limerick, Ireland, near the border with County Cork. There is a Dominican Priory in the town and King's Castle . The remains of medieval walls which encircled the settlement are still visible. The Dublin–Cork railway line passes by the town,...
  
  . As a result of their refusal to play they were disqualified.
• In the Munster final Cork were due to play Clare
  Clare GAA
  The Clare County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Clare GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Clare. The county board is also responsible for the Clare inter-county teams....
  
   champions Ogonolloe, who had received a walkover from South Liberties of Limerick
  Limerick GAA
  The Limerick County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Limerick GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Limerick...
  
  in the semi-final. Before the final commenced South Liberties took to the field to play Ogonolloe. The officials decided then not to play either game. It was then decided to play the final in Cork the following week but Clare refused to travel and Cork were awarded the title.

Sources

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