The
Christy Ring Cup is in effect a competition for the "Division 2"
hurlingHurling is an outdoor team sport of ancient Gaelic origin, administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association, and played with sticks called hurleys and a ball called a sliotar. The game, played primarily in Ireland, has prehistoric origins and is thought to be the world's fastest field team sport...
teams, the so-called middle-ranking hurling teams in
IrelandIreland is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islets. To the east of Ireland, separated by the Irish Sea, is the island of Great Britain...
. It is an extension of the
All-Ireland Senior Hurling ChampionshipThe 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....
, the premier knock-out hurling competition. The series of games are organised by the
Gaelic Athletic AssociationThe Gaelic Athletic Association is an amateur Irish and international cultural and sporting organisation focused primarily on promoting Gaelic games, which include the traditional Irish sports of hurling, camogie, Gaelic football, handball and rounders. The GAA also promotes Irish music and...
and are played during the summer months with the Final being played in
Croke ParkCroke Park in Dublin, Ireland is the largest sports stadium in Ireland and the fourth largest stadium in Europe. It is the principal stadium and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association , Ireland's biggest sporting organisation...
,
DublinDublin is the largest city and capital of Ireland. It is officially known in Irish as Baile Átha Cliath or Áth Cliath ; the English name comes from the Irish Dubh Linn meaning "black pool". It is located near the midpoint of Ireland's east coast, at the mouth of the River Liffey and at the...
.
The
Christy Ring Cup is the name of the Cup that hurling teams play for in the final of this newly created competition.
The
Christy Ring Cup is in effect a competition for the "Division 2"
hurlingHurling is an outdoor team sport of ancient Gaelic origin, administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association, and played with sticks called hurleys and a ball called a sliotar. The game, played primarily in Ireland, has prehistoric origins and is thought to be the world's fastest field team sport...
teams, the so-called middle-ranking hurling teams in
IrelandIreland is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islets. To the east of Ireland, separated by the Irish Sea, is the island of Great Britain...
. It is an extension of the
All-Ireland Senior Hurling ChampionshipThe 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....
, the premier knock-out hurling competition. The series of games are organised by the
Gaelic Athletic AssociationThe Gaelic Athletic Association is an amateur Irish and international cultural and sporting organisation focused primarily on promoting Gaelic games, which include the traditional Irish sports of hurling, camogie, Gaelic football, handball and rounders. The GAA also promotes Irish music and...
and are played during the summer months with the Final being played in
Croke ParkCroke Park in Dublin, Ireland is the largest sports stadium in Ireland and the fourth largest stadium in Europe. It is the principal stadium and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association , Ireland's biggest sporting organisation...
,
DublinDublin is the largest city and capital of Ireland. It is officially known in Irish as Baile Átha Cliath or Áth Cliath ; the English name comes from the Irish Dubh Linn meaning "black pool". It is located near the midpoint of Ireland's east coast, at the mouth of the River Liffey and at the...
.
The
Christy Ring Cup is the name of the Cup that hurling teams play for in the final of this newly created competition. The cup and competition are named after
Christy RingNicholas Christopher Michael Ring , better known as Christy Ring, was a famous Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with the Glen Rovers club from 1941 until 1967 and was a member of the Cork senior inter-county team from 1939 until 1963. Ring is widely regarded as one of the greatest hurlers in...
, considered to be the greatest hurler of all time. The inaugural "Christy Ring Cup" final was played on Sunday 14 August, 2005 between
DownDown may refer to:* Relative direction, where down is the direction towards the centre of gravity of a celestial object.* A slang term signifying parties being in agreeance with each other....
and Westmeath.
Format
From its inception in 2005 until the 2008 competition, the Christy Ring Cup was contested on a tournament basis, with round-robin group matches followed by a single-elimination playoff stage.
For 2009, the tournament has a new double elimination format - meaning each team will play at least two games before being knocked out.
Eight teams participate in the
Christy Ring Cup 2009The 2009 Christy Ring Cup is the 5th annual second-tier hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association. Eight county teams participate in the competition...
. They are:
- Carlow
The Carlow County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Carlow GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Carlow and the Carlow inter-county teams.-Gaelic football:...
- Down
The Down County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Down GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Down. The county board is also responsible for the Down inter-county teams....
- Derry
The Derry County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Derry GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and holds defacto responsibility for Gaelic games in County Londonderry...
- Kerry
The Kerry 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 Kerry...
- Kildare
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...
- Mayo
The Mayo County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Mayo GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Mayo and the Mayo inter-county teams.-History:...
- Wicklow
The Wicklow County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Wicklow GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Wicklow...
- Westmeath
The Westmeath County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Westmeath GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Westmeath...
Relegation and Promotion play-offs
Unlike in 2008, in 2009 there will be no play-off between the winners of the Christy Ring cup and the losers of the Tier 1 relegation playoffs - the Christy Ring Cup winners will automatically gain a place in next year's (2010)
Liam McCarthy CupThe Liam McCarthy Cup is a trophy awarded annually by the Gaelic Athletic Association to the hurling team that wins the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship.-The trophy:...
. The two lowest ranked teams, that is those that lose both their opening two matches play off against each other with the loser relegated to "Tier 3" - the
Nicky Rackard CupThe Nicky Rackard Cup is in effect a competition for the "Division 3" hurling teams, the counties in Ireland that would not be considered "traditional" hurling teams. It is an extension of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, the premier knock-out hurling competition...
.
Past winners
| Year |
Date |
Venue |
Winner |
Score |
Runner-up |
Score |
| 2005 The Christy Ring Cup 2005 began on Saturday, June 4, 2005. 2005 was the first time this new element of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship was introduced. It was devised by the Hurling Development Committee to encourage some of the so-called "weaker" hurling counties and to give them the...
|
August 14 |
Croke ParkCroke Park in Dublin, Ireland is the largest sports stadium in Ireland and the fourth largest stadium in Europe. It is the principal stadium and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association , Ireland's biggest sporting organisation...
|
WestmeathThe Westmeath County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Westmeath GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Westmeath...
|
1-23 |
DownThe Down County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Down GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Down. The county board is also responsible for the Down inter-county teams....
|
2-18 |
| 2006 The Christy Ring Cup 2006 began on Saturday, June 3, 2006. Antrim were easy winners.Down shocked Antrim on opening day, but the Glensmen came back to win their next three games by a combined 77 points. In Group B, Kildare won all their games while Carlow scraped the runner-up spot...
|
August 6 |
Croke ParkCroke Park in Dublin, Ireland is the largest sports stadium in Ireland and the fourth largest stadium in Europe. It is the principal stadium and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association , Ireland's biggest sporting organisation...
|
AntrimThe Antrim County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Antrim GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Antrim. The county board is also responsible for the Antrim inter-county teams-History:Antrim staged the first hurling match...
|
5-13 |
CarlowThe Carlow County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Carlow GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Carlow and the Carlow inter-county teams.-Gaelic football:...
|
1-07 |
| 2007 The Christy Ring Cup 2007 began on Saturday, June 16, 2007.-Format:10 counties are contesting the 2007 competition for the Christy Ring Cup — the prize for the winners of Tier Two of the Guinness All-Ireland Hurling Championship...
|
August 5 |
Croke ParkCroke Park in Dublin, Ireland is the largest sports stadium in Ireland and the fourth largest stadium in Europe. It is the principal stadium and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association , Ireland's biggest sporting organisation...
|
WestmeathThe Westmeath County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Westmeath GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Westmeath...
|
2-15 |
KildareFor 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...
|
0-13 |
| 2008 The 2008 Christy Ring Cup was the 4th annual second tier hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association. Carlow beat Westmeath in the final after extra time...
|
August 3 |
O'Connor Park O'Connor Park is a Gaelic Athletic Association stadium in Tullamore, County Offaly, Ireland. It is one of the principal grounds of the Offaly GAA Gaelic football and hurling teams. The ground was opened in 1934. and currently has a capacity of 20,000....
|
CarlowThe Carlow County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Carlow GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Carlow and the Carlow inter-county teams.-Gaelic football:...
|
3-22 |
WestmeathThe Westmeath County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Westmeath GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Westmeath...
|
4-16 |
| 2009 The 2009 Christy Ring Cup is the 5th annual second-tier hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association. Eight county teams participate in the competition...
|
July 11 |
Croke ParkCroke Park in Dublin, Ireland is the largest sports stadium in Ireland and the fourth largest stadium in Europe. It is the principal stadium and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association , Ireland's biggest sporting organisation...
|
CarlowThe Carlow County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Carlow GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Carlow and the Carlow inter-county teams.-Gaelic football:...
|
1-15 |
DownThe Down County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Down GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Down. The county board is also responsible for the Down inter-county teams....
|
0-14 |