| All-Ireland Intermediate Hurling Championship | |
|---|---|
Current season or competition: 2018 All-Ireland Intermediate Hurling Championship | |
| Irish | Craobh Idimhéanach Iomána na hÉireann |
| Code | Hurling |
| Founded | 1961 |
| Region |  Ireland (GAA) |
| Trophy | Michael Cusack Cup |
| No. of teams | 2 |
| Title holders |  Cork (9th title) |
| Most titles | Cork (9 titles) |
| Official website | Official website |
The GAA Hurling Intermediate All-Ireland Championship, known simply as the All-Ireland Intermediate Championship, is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). Effectively contested by the second string teams of the top inter-county hurling sides in Ireland, the tournament has taken place every year since 1997—having originally been run between 1961 and 1973.
The final, currently held in July, serves as the culmination of a series of games played during the early summer, and the results determine which team receives the Michael Cusack Cup. The All-Ireland Championship has always been played on a straight knockout basis whereby once a team loses they are eliminated from the championship, however, the qualification procedures for the championship have changed several times throughout its history. Currently, qualification is limited to teams competing in the Leinster Championship and the Munster Championship.
Only two teams currently participate in the All-Ireland Championship, with the most successful teams coming from the province of Munster. Teams representing this province have won a total of 17 All-Ireland titles.
The title has been won by 11 different teams, 6 of whom have won the title more than once. The all-time record-holders are Cork, who have each won the championship on 9 occasions.[1] Cork are the current champions.[2]
The future of the All-Ireland Championship is currently uncertain, as Cork and Kilkenny are the only two counties to have shown an interest in fielding teams in the 2018 championship.[3]
- ^ Ó Conchuir, Darragh (9 August 2014). "Cork's hurlers win eighth All-Ireland intermediate title". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
- ^ Cormican, Eoghan (23 July 2017). "Kilkenny defeat Cork to claim first title at Páirc Uí Chaoimh". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
- ^ "All-Ireland IHC future in doubt". Hogan Stand. 19 January 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2018.