Joe McDonagh Cup

Irish inter-county hurling competition

Joe McDonagh Cup

Current season or competition:
2024 Joe McDonagh Cup
Irish| Corn Sheosaimh Mhic Dhonnacha
Code| Hurling
Founded| 2018; 6 years ago (2018)
Region|  Ireland (GAA)
Trophy| Joe McDonagh Cup
No. of teams| 6
Title holders|  Carlow (2nd title)
Most titles|  Antrim,  Carlow (2 titles)
Sponsors| Bord Gáis Energy, Centra, Littlewoods Ireland
TV partner(s)| RTÉ2
Motto| Be there. All the way
Official website| Official website

The Joe McDonagh Cup is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It forms the second tier of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship and is the second highest level of inter-county championship hurling competition in Ireland. The last of the five tiers to be established, the competition was contested for the first time in 2018.[1][2][3]

The cup is named in honour of Joe McDonagh, the former president of the GAA who died in 2016.

The title has been won by four different counties, two of whom have won the title more than once. The all-time record-holders are Antrim and Carlow, who have won the championship on two occasions. Carlow are the title holders, defeating Offaly by 2-29 to 1-31 in the 2023 final.

## History[edit]

### Creation[edit]

For the history of the second-tier competition that existed before 2018, see Christy Ring Cup.

At the GAA’s Special Congress on 30 September 2017, a new provincial hurling championship system featuring five-team round-robin groups in both Leinster and Munster was accepted. This restructure necessitated the removal of four counties from the Leinster Championship. These four teams joined the 2017 Christy Ring Cup finalists - Antrim and Carlow \- in creating the new Tier 2 Championship. The proposal was carried by a narrow margin with 62% voting in favour (a majority of at least 60% was required).[4]

An amendment to the motion from Laois, Offaly and Meath was carried by 87%. This would see the two Joe McDonagh Cup finalists participating in preliminary All-Ireland quarter-finals against the third-placed team in both Leinster and Munster with the Joe McDonagh Cup teams having home advantage.[5]

### Development[edit]

The competition has reduced and increased its participants between 5 and 6 teams throughout its history.

### Team changes[edit]

9 county teams have participated in at least one edition of the McDonagh Cup. Kerry have been ever-presents, never being promoted or relegated, while Offaly hold the dubious distinction of being the only team to fall from the tier-one Leinster championship into the Joe McDonagh and immediately into the hurling's third-tier, the Christy Ring Cup, in successive seasons — in 2018 and 2019.

### Format history[edit]

#### 2021[edit]

In 2021, teams were divided into 2 groups to lessen the fixtures due to impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Gaelic games.

### Joe McDonagh Cup moments[edit]

* Carlow 2-26 - 1-24 Westmeath (1 July 2018): Carlow won the inaugural Joe McDonagh Cup, defeating Westmeath in Croke Park.
* Kerry 1-18 - 1-16 Offaly (15 June 2019): Kerry relegated Offaly in round 5 of the group stage. This was Offaly's second relegation in a row, previously being relegated from the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship.
* Down 3-16 - 6-22 Antrim (24 April 2022): This was the first championship meeting between the counties since the Ulster Senior Hurling Championship was suspended. The 2015 Ulster final was their last meeting, Antrim also being victorious on that day.

## Format[edit]

### Group stage[edit]

Group stage: There are six teams in the Cup. During the course of a season (from May to June) each team plays the others once (a single round-robin system) for a total of five games. Teams receive two points for a win and one point for a draw. No points are awarded for a loss. Teams are ranked by total points. The top two teams in the group contest the Joe McDonagh Cup final. The third, fourth and fifth-placed team are eliminated from the championship and the 6th-placed team is relegated to the Christy Ring Cup.

#### Tie-breakers[edit]

In the event of teams finishing on equal points, the tie shall be decided by the following means (in the order specified):[6]

* Where two teams only are involved – the outcome of the meeting of the two teams
* Score difference – subtracting the total "Scores Against" from the total "Scores For"
* Highest Total "Score For"
* Highest Total "Goals For"
* A Play-Off

### Knockout stage[edit]

Final: The top two teams in the group stage contest the final. The winning team are declared champions.

The Joe McDonagh Cup is unique among the four lower-tier hurling competitions in that it also currently provides a direct entry route for the top two teams to compete in that year's All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship; the two top-placed teams, in addition to contesting the Joe McDonagh Cup final, are rewarded with immediate entry into the GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship at the preliminary quarter-final stage. There are reports[7] that this same-year link between the competitions may be severed in the future.

### Promotion[edit]

At the end of the championship, the winning team is promoted to the provincial championship for the following season. Which provincial championship depends on the provincial allegiance of the winner:

* if the winners are from Connacht, Leinster or Ulster, they are automatically promoted to the following year's Leinster Senior Hurling Championship, with their place in the following year's Joe McDonagh Cup taken by the bottom-placed team in that year's Leinster Championship.
* From 2023 onwards,[8] if the winners are from Munster, they are automatically promoted to the following year's Munster Senior Hurling Championship, with their place in the following year's Joe McDonagh Cup taken by the bottom-placed team in the provincial championship that contains six teams. The previous format only allowed Kerry access to the Munster Championship via a playoff if they won the Joe McDonagh Cup.

### Relegation[edit]

The bottom team in the Joe McDonagh group stage is relegated to the third-tier Christy Ring Cup for the following year, being replaced by the champions of the Christy Ring Cup for that year. Since 2018 there has been no promotion/relegation playoff between tiers two and three.[9]

Team  | Qualification

|

1st in Group  | Advance to Joe McDonagh Cup Final and All-Ireland Preliminary Quarter-Finals
2nd in Group
3rd in Group  |
4th in Group
5th in Group
6th in Group  | Relegated to Christy Ring Cup

## Teams[edit]

### 2024 Cup[edit]

Six counties will compete in the 2024 Joe McDonagh Cup, with Westmeath relegated from the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship and Meath promoted from the Christy Ring Cup:

County | Location  | Stadium  | Province  | Position in 2023 championship  | First year in Championship  | In Championship Since  | Championship Titles  | Last Championship Title

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

Down | Newry | Páirc Esler | Ulster | 5th  | 2021 | 2021 | 0  | —
Kerry | Tralee | Austin Stack Park | Munster | 4th  | 2018 | 2018 | 0  | —
Laois | Portlaoise | O'Moore Park | Leinster | 3rd  | 2018 | 2023 | 1  | 2019
Meath | Navan | Páirc Tailteann | Leinster | Champions (Christy Ring Cup)  | 2018 | 2024 | 0  | —
Offaly | Tullamore | O'Connor Park | Leinster | Runners-up  | 2019 | 2022 | 0  | —
Westmeath | Mullingar | Cusack Park | Leinster | 6th (Leinster Senior Hurling Championship)  | 2018 | 2024 | 1  | 2021

### Seasons in Joe McDonagh Cup[edit]

The number of years that each county has played in the Joe McDonagh Cup between 2018 and 2024. A total of 9 counties have competed in at least one season of the Joe McDonagh Cup. Kerry have participated in all 7 seasons. The counties in bold participate in the 2024 Joe McDonagh Cup.

Years  | Counties

|

7  | Kerry
5  | Carlow, Meath, Westmeath
4  | Antrim, Down, Laois, Offaly
2  | Kildare

### Debut of teams[edit]

Year  | Debutants  | Total

|
|

2018 |  Antrim,  Carlow,  Kerry,  Laois,  Meath,  Westmeath | 6
2019 |  Offaly | 1
2020 | None | 0
2021 |  Down,  Kildare | 2
2022 | None | 0
2023 | None | 0
Total |  | 9

### Participation by province[edit]

Province  | No.  | County  | No.  | Years

|
|
|
|

Leinster | 6  | Carlow | 5  | 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
Westmeath | 5  | 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2024
Meath | 5  | 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2024
Laois | 4  | 2018, 2019, 2023, 2024
Offaly | 4  | 2019, 2022, 2023, 2024
Kildare | 2  | 2021, 2023
Ulster | 2  | Antrim | 4  | 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022
Down | 4  | 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
Munster | 1  | Kerry | 7  | 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024

### List of Joe McDonagh Cup Counties[edit]

County  | Total years  | Total spells  | Longest spell  | Most recent promotion  | Most recent relegation  | Total years absent  | Seasons  | 2022 championship finish  | Best Joe McDonagh finish  | Current Status (2024)  | Lvl

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

Antrim | 4  | 2 | 3  | 2022 | Never relegated | 3  | 2018-2020

2022

| 1st

(promoted)

| 1st | Leinster Senior Hurling Championship | 1
Carlow | 5  | 2 | 4 | 2023 | Never relegated | 2  | 2018

2020-2023

| 3rd  | 1st | Leinster Senior Hurling Championship | 1
Down | 4  | 1  | 4 | Never promoted | Never relegated | 3  | 2021- | 5th  | 3rd  | Joe McDonagh Cup  | 2
Kerry | 7 | 1  | 7 | Never promoted | Never relegated | 0  | 2018- | 2nd  | 2nd  | Joe McDonagh Cup  | 2
Kildare | 2  | 2 | 1 | Never promoted | 2023 | 5  | 2021

2023

| Christy Ring Cup

1st

(promoted)

| 6th  | Christy Ring Cup | 3
Laois | 4  | 2 | 2  | 2019 | Never relegated | 3  | 2018-2019

2023-

| Leinster Senior Hurling Championship

6th

(relegated)

| 1st | Joe McDonagh Cup  | 2
Meath | 5  | 3 | 3  | Never promoted | 2022 | 2  | 2018

2020-2022

2024-

| 6th

(relegated)

| 5th  | Joe McDonagh Cup  | 2
Offaly | 4  | 2 | 3 | Never promoted | 2019 | 3  | 2019

2021-

| 4th  | 2nd  | Joe McDonagh Cup  | 2
Westmeath | 5  | 2  | 4  | 2021 | Never relegated | 2  | 2018-2021

2024-

| Leinster Senior Hurling Championship

5th

| 1st | Joe McDonagh Cup  | 2

## Qualification for subsequent competitions[edit]

Further information: All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship

### Qualification for the All-Ireland Championship[edit]

The Joe McDonagh Cup winners and runners-up qualify for the subsequent All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship at the preliminary quarter-final stage. The teams plays the third-placed teams in the Leinster and Munster championships.

#### All-Ireland record of Joe McDonagh Cup teams[edit]

Season  | County  | Round  | Opponent  | Score

|
|
|
|

2018 |  Carlow | Preliminary QF |  Limerick | 5-22 - 0-13
Westmeath |  Wexford | 2-21 - 0-16
2019 |  Laois | Preliminary QF |  Dublin | 0-23 - 1-22
Quarter-Finals |  Tipperary | 2-25 - 1-18
Westmeath | Preliminary QF |  Cork | 1-40 - 0-20
2020 | No All-Ireland path for Joe McDonagh Cup finalists
2021 | No All-Ireland path for Joe McDonagh Cup finalists
2022 |  Antrim | Preliminary QF |  Cork | 2-19 - 3-27
Kerry |  Wexford | 0-18 - 3-30
2023 |  Carlow | Preliminary QF |  Dublin | 0-21 - 2-25
Offaly |  Tipperary | 3-18 - 7-38
2024 | Joe McDonagh Cup winners  | Preliminary QF | 3rd Munster  |
Joe McDonagh Cup runners-up  | 3rd Leinster  |

## Venues[edit]

See also: List of Gaelic Athletic Association stadiums

Croke Park in Dublin, hosted the 2018 Joe McDonagh Cup final.

### Group stage[edit]

Fixtures in the five group stage rounds of the cup are played at the home ground of one of the two teams. Each team is guaranteed at least two home games. During the inaugural staging of the competition some teams had three home games.

### Final[edit]

The Joe McDonagh Cup final is played at Croke Park as the curtain-raiser to the Leinster final on the first Sunday in July.

## Managers[edit]

Main article: Manager (Gaelic games)

### Winning managers[edit]

#  | Manager(s)  | Winning team(s)  | Titles(s)  | Winning years

|
|
|
|

1  |  Darren Gleeson | Antrim | 2  | 2020, 2022
2  |  Colm Bonnar | Carlow | 1  | 2018
Eddie Brennan | Laois | 1  | 2019
Shane O'Brien  | Westmeath | 1  | 2021
Tom Mullally | Carlow | 1  | 2023

## Trophy and medals[edit]

At the end of the cup final, the winning team are presented with a trophy. The Joe McDonagh Cup is held by the winning team until the following year's final. The presentation is made at a special rostrum in the Ard Chomairle section of the Hogan Stand where GAA and political dignitaries and special guests view the match.

The cup is decorated with ribbons in the colours of the winning team. During the game the cup has both teams' sets of ribbons attached and the runners-up ribbons are removed before the presentation. The winning captain accepts the cup on behalf of his team before giving a short speech. Individual members of the winning team then have an opportunity to come to the rostrum to lift the cup.

The cup is named after Joe McDonagh. He was an All-Ireland medal winner with Galway in 1980 before later serving as President of the Gaelic Athletic Association. McDonagh, who died in May 2016, was one of the most respected figures within the GAA.[10]

The winning team is presented with a set of gold medals.

## List of finals[edit]

Year  | Date  | Winners  | Runners-up  | Venue  | Winning captain(s)  | Winning margin  | Referee

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

County  | Score  | County  | Score
2023 | 27 May  | Carlow | 2-29 (35)  | Offaly | 1-31 (34)  | Croke Park | Paul Doyle | 1  | Thomas Walsh (Waterford)
2022 | 4 June  | Antrim | 5-22 (37)  | Kerry | 4-24 (36)  | Croke Park | Conor McCann | 1  | Sean Stack (Dublin)
2021 | 17 July  | Westmeath | 2-28 (34)  | Kerry | 1-24 (27)  | Croke Park | Cormac Boyle | 7  | Sean Cleere (Kilkenny)
2020 | 13 December  | Antrim | 0-22 (22)  | Kerry | 1-17 (20)  | Croke Park | Conor McCann | 2  | Liam Gordon (Galway)
2019 | 30 June  | Laois | 3-26 (35)  | Westmeath | 1-21 (24)  | Croke Park | Patrick Purcell | 11  | Colum Cunning (Antrim)
2018 | 1 July  | Carlow | 2-26 (32)  | Westmeath | 1-24 (27)  | Croke Park | Richard Coady and Diarmuid Byrne  | 5  | Cathal McAllister (Cork)

## Roll of honour[edit]

### Performance by county[edit]

County  | Titles  | Runners-up  | Years won  | Years runner-up

|
|
|
|

Antrim | 2  | 0  | 2020, 2022 | —
Carlow | 2  | 0  | 2018, 2023 | —
Westmeath | 1  | 2  | 2021 | 2018, 2019
Laois | 1  | 0  | 2019 | —
Kerry | 0  | 3  | —  | 2020, 2021, 2022
Offaly | 0  | 1  | —  | 2023

### Performance by province[edit]

Province  | Titles  | Runners-up  | Total

|
|
|

Leinster | 4  | 3  | 7
Ulster | 2  | 0  | 2
Munster | 0  | 3  | 3

## Team records and statistics[edit]

Main article: Joe McDonagh Cup records and statistics

### Team results[edit]

Legend

* 1st – Champions
* 2nd – Runners-up
* 3rd/4th/5th – Group Stage
* 5th/6th – Relegated
* L – Leinster Senior Hurling Championship
* CR – Christy Ring Cup

For year, the number of teams (in brackets) are shown.

Team  | 2018 (6)  | 2019 (5)  | 2020 (5)  | 2021 (6)  | 2022 (6)  | 2023 (6)  | 2024 (6)  | Years

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

Antrim | 5th  | 3rd  | 1st  | L  | 1st  | L  | L  | 4
Carlow | 1st  | L  | 4th  | 4th  | 3rd  | 1st  | L  | 5
Down | CR  | CR  | CR  | 3rd  | 5th  | 5th  |  | 4
Kerry | 3rd  | 4th  | 2nd  | 2nd  | 2nd  | 4th  |  | 7
Kildare | CR  | CR  | CR  | 6th  | CR  | 6th  | CR  | 2
Laois | 4th  | 1st  | L  | L  | L  | 3rd  |  | 4
Meath | 6th  | CR  | 5th  | 5th  | 6th  | CR  |  | 5
Offaly | L  | 5th  | CR  | CR  | 4th  | 2nd  |  | 4
Westmeath | 2nd  | 2nd  | 3rd  | 1st  | L  | L  |  | 5

### List of Joe McDonagh Cup counties[edit]

The following teams have competed in the McDonagh Cup for at least one season.

County  | Total years  | First year in Championship  | Most recent year in Championship  | Championship titles  | Last Championship title  | 2023 championship finish  | Best Joe McDonagh Cup finish  | Current Championship  | Lvl

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

Antrim | 4  | 2018 | 2022 | 2  | 2022 | 5th (Leinster Senior Hurling Championship)  | 1st | Leinster Senior Hurling Championship | 1
Carlow | 5  | 2018 | 2023 | 2  | 2023 | Champions  | 1st | Leinster Senior Hurling Championship | 1
Down | 4  | 2021 | 2024 | 0  | —  | 5th  | 3rd  | Joe McDonagh Cup  | 2
Kerry | 7  | 2018 | 2024 | 0  | —  | 4th  | 2nd  | Joe McDonagh Cup  | 2
Kildare | 2  | 2021 | 2023 | 0  | —  | 6th  | 6th  | Christy Ring Cup | 3
Laois | 4  | 2018 | 2024 | 1  | 2019 | 3rd  | 1st | Joe McDonagh Cup  | 2
Meath | 5  | 2018 | 2024 | 0  | —  | Champions (Christy Ring Cup)  | 5th  | Joe McDonagh Cup  | 2
Offaly | 4  | 2019 | 2024 | 0  | —  | Runners-up  | 2nd  | Joe McDonagh Cup  | 2
Westmeath | 5  | 2018 | 2024 | 1  | 2021 | 6th (Leinster Senior Hurling Championship)  | 1st | Joe McDonagh Cup  | 2

### All time table[edit]

Legend

Colours

Currently competing in the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship
Currently competing in the Joe McDonagh Cup
Currently competing in the Christy Ring Cup

As of 2023 Cup. Includes Relegation Playoffs.

#  | Team  | Part  | Pld | W | D | L | Points

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1  |  Carlow | 5  | 23  | 14  | 3  | 6  | 31
2  |  Antrim | 4  | 21  | 14  | 1  | 6  | 29
3  |  Kerry | 6  | 28  | 14  | 1  | 13  | 29
4  |  Westmeath | 4  | 18  | 11  | 1  | 6  | 23
5  |  Laois | 3  | 15  | 9  | 2  | 4  | 20
6  |  Offaly | 3  | 15  | 7  | 0  | 8  | 14
7  |  Down | 3  | 12  | 4  | 0  | 8  | 8
8  |  Meath | 4  | 17  | 2  | 0  | 15  | 4
9  |  Kildare | 2  | 9  | 0  | 0  | 9  | 0

### By Semi-Final/Top 4 Appearances[edit]

Team  | No.  | Years

|
|

Kerry | 6  | 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
Carlow | 5  | 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
Westmeath | 4  | 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021
Antrim | 3  | 2019, 2020, 2022
Laois | 3  | 2018, 2019, 2023
Offaly | 2  | 2022, 2023
Down | 1  | 2021

### By decade[edit]

The most successful team of each decade, judged by number of Joe McDonagh Cup titles, is as follows:

* 2010s: 1 each for  Carlow (2018) and  Laois (2019)
* 2020s: 2 for  Antrim (2020, 2022)

### Match records[edit]

* Most matches played
* 28,  Kerry

* Most wins
* 14,  Antrim
* 14,  Carlow
* 14,  Kerry

* Most losses
* 15  Meath

* Most draws
* 3,  Carlow

### Other records[edit]

#### Finishing positions[edit]

* Most championships
* 2,  Antrim (2020, 2022)
* 2,  Carlow (2018, 2023)

* Most second-place finishes
* 3,  Kerry (2020, 2021, 2022)

* Most third-place finishes
* 1,  Kerry (2018)
* 1,  Antrim (2019)
* 1,  Westmeath (2020)
* 1,  Down (2021)
* 1,  Carlow (2022)
* 1,  Laois (2023)

* Most fourth-place finishes
* 2,  Carlow (2020, 2021)
* 2,  Kerry (2019, 2023)

* Most fifth-place finishes
* 2,  Meath (2020, 2021)
* 2,  Down (2022, 2023)

* Most sixth-place finishes
* 2,  Meath (2018, 2022)
* 2,  Kildare (2021, 2023)

#### Unbeaten sides[edit]

* Four teams have won the Joe McDonagh Cup unbeaten:
* Laois had 4 wins and 1 draw in 2019.
* Antrim had 4 wins and 1 draw in 2020.
* Westmeath had 3 wins in 2021.
* Carlow had 4 wins and 2 draws in 2023.

#### Beaten sides[edit]

The group stage of the cup has resulted in 2 'back-door' Joe McDonagh Cup champions:

* Carlow (2018) were beaten by  Antrim in round 2.
* Antrim (2022) were beaten by  Kerry in round 5.

On one occasion a team was defeated twice but have remained in the championship:

* Kerry (2022) were beaten by  Down and  Offaly but still qualified for the final.

#### Final success rate[edit]

Only two counties have appeared in the final more than once, being victorious on all occasions:

* Antrim (2020, 2022)
* Carlow (2018, 2023)

On the opposite end of the scale, only one county has appeared in the final more than once, losing on each occasion:

* Kerry (2020, 2021, 2022)

#### Consecutive participations[edit]

* 7,  Kerry (2018–2024)

Kerry have the record number of consecutive participations in the Joe McDonagh Cup, taking part in the all 7 seasons.

#### Winning other trophies[edit]

Although not an officially recognised achievement, a number of teams have achieved the distinction of winning the Joe McDonagh Cup and their respective Division in the National Hurling League:

* Carlow in 2018 (Division 2A).
* Antrim in 2020 (Division 2A).

#### Biggest wins[edit]

* The most one sided finals:
* 11 points – 2019: Laois 3-26 - 1-21 Westmeath
* The most one sided group matches:
* 31 points – 2023: Laois 7-24 - 0-14 Down

#### Scoring Events[edit]

* Most goals in a match:
* 10 – 2022: Meath 3-13 - 7-29 Antrim
* Most points in a match:
* 51 points – 2022: Kerry 2-28 - 4-23 Offaly
* 51 points – 2023: Down 0-28 - 6-23 Carlow
* Most goals by one team in a match:
* 7 points – 2022: Meath 3-13 - 7-29 Antrim
* 7 points – 2023: Laois 7-24 - 0-14 Down
* Most points by one team in a match:
* 30 points – 2022: Meath 0-17 - 4-30 Carlow
* Highest aggregate score:
* 73 points – 2022: Antrim 5-22 - 4-24 Kerry
* Lowest aggregate score:
* 33 points – 2018: Kerry 0-15 - 2-12 Westmeath

#### Successful defending[edit]

Defending champions are promoted and a number of teams survived the first year of the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship. These are:

* Laois on 1 attempts out of 1 (2020)
* Westmeath on 1 attempts out of 1 (2022)
* Antrim on 1 attempts out of 2 (2021, 2023)
* Carlow on 0 attempts out of 1 (2019)

#### Gaps[edit]

* Longest gaps between successive cup titles:
* 5 years:  Carlow (2018–2023)
* 2 years:  Antrim (2020–2022)
* Longest gaps between successive Joe McDonagh Cup final appearances:
* 5 years:  Carlow (2018–2023)
* 2 years:  Westmeath (2019–2021)
* 2 years:  Antrim (2020–2022)
* 1 year:  Kerry (2020–2021)
* 1 year:  Kerry (2021–2022)
* Longest gap between successive championship appearances
* 4 years:  Laois (2019–2023)

#### Active gaps[edit]

* Longest active gaps between since last title:
* 5 years:  Laois (2019–)
* 3 years:  Westmeath (2021–)
* 2 years:  Antrim (2022–)
* 1 year:  Carlow (2023–)
* Longest active gaps since last cup final appearance:
* 5 years:  Laois (2019–)
* 3 years:  Westmeath (2021–)
* 2 years:  Antrim (2022–)
* 2 years:  Kerry (2022–)
* 1 year:  Carlow (2023–)
* 1 year:  Offaly (2023–)
* Longest active gap since last cup appearance
* 2 years:  Antrim (2022–)

#### Provinces[edit]

* Only on 3 occasions has the Joe McDonagh Cup final involved two teams from the same province:
* Carlow vs Westmeath (2018)
* Laois vs Westmeath (2019)
* Carlow vs Offaly (2023)
* The province providing the highest number of different winning teams is Leinster, with three:
* Carlow
* Laois
* Westmeath
* Province success rates
* Leinster 25% (3 out of 12 counties)
* Ulster 11% (1 out of 9 counties)
* Connacht 0% (0 out of 5 counties)
* Munster 0% (0 out of 6 counties)

#### Longest undefeated run[edit]

The record for the longest unbeaten run stands at 9 games held by  Antrim (2020-2022).

#### Miscellaneous[edit]

* Best finish by a debuting team
* Champions,  Carlow (2018)
* Best finish by a debuting team (after 2018)
* 3rd,  Down (2021)
* Highest winning record
* 66.7%,  Antrim (14 wins in 21 matches)
* Lowest winning record
* 0%,  Kildare (0 wins in 7 matches)
* Most played match
* 6,  Antrim v  Kerry (2018, 2019, 2020 (2x), 2022 (2x))

## Player records[edit]

### Top scorers[edit]

#### All time[edit]

As of 7 May 2023
#  | Name  | County  | Goals  | Points  | Total

|
|
|
|
|

1  |  Shane Conway | Kerry | 6  | 188  | 206
2  |  Marty Kavanagh | Carlow | 6  | 151  | 169
3  |  Jack Regan | Meath | 5  | 109  | 124
4  |  Neil McManus | Antrim | 6  | 105  | 123
5  |  Pádraig Boyle | Kerry | 5  | 107  | 122
6  |  Eoghan Cahill | Offaly | 4  | 108  | 120
7  |  Ciarán Clarke | Antrim | 11  | 61  | 94
8  |  Chris Nolan | Carlow | 5  | 75  | 90
9  |  Killian Doyle | Westmeath | 3  | 61  | 70
10  |  Stephen Maher | Laois | 1  | 63  | 66
11  |  Conal Cunning | Antrim | 2  | 56  | 62
Ross King | Laois | 2  | 56  | 62

#### By year[edit]

Year  | Top scorer  | County  | Score  | Total

|
|
|
|

2018 |  Neil McManus | Antrim | 3-67  | 76
2019 |  Killian Doyle | Westmeath | 3-61  | 70
2020 |  Ciarán Clarke | Antrim | 4-47  | 59
2021 |  Jack Regan | Meath | 1-36  | 39
2022 |  Pádraig Boyle | Kerry | 3-64  | 73
2023 |  Martin Kavanagh | Carlow | 3-71  | 80

#### In a single game[edit]

Year  | Top scorer  | County  | Score  | Total

|
|
|
|

2018 |  Neil McManus | Antrim | 0-17  | 17
2019 |  Killian Doyle | Westmeath | 0-17  | 17
2020 |  Martin Kavanagh | Carlow | 1-13  | 16
2021 |  Jack Regan | Meath | 0-17  | 17
2022 |  Pádraig Boyle | Kerry | 2-11  | 17
2023 |  Eoghan Cahill | Offaly | 2-11  | 17

#### In finals[edit]

Year  | Top scorer  | County  | Score  | Total

|
|
|
|

2018 |  Denis Murphy | Carlow | 0-10  | 10
2019 |  Killian Doyle | Westmeath | 1-11  | 14
2020 |  Ciarán Clarke | Antrim | 0-11  | 11
2021 |  Niall Mitchell | Westmeath | 0-07  | 7
Pádraig Boyle | Kerry | 1-04
2022 |  Pádraig Boyle | Kerry | 2-11  | 17
2023 |  Martin Kavanagh | Carlow | 1-08  | 11

### Captains[edit]

Winning captain(s)  | County  | Title(s)  | Year(s)

|
|
|

Diarmuid Byrne and Richard Coady | Carlow | 1  | 2018
Patrick Purcell | Laois | 1  | 2019
Conor McCann | Antrim | 1  | 2020
Cormac Boyle | Westmeath | 1  | 2021
Conor McCann | Antrim | 1  | 2022
Paul Doyle | Carlow  | 1  | 2023

## See also[edit]

* Joe McDonagh Cup records and statistics
* All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship (Tier 1)
* Christy Ring Cup (Tier 3)
* Nicky Rackard Cup (Tier 4)
* Lory Meagher Cup (Tier 5)

## References[edit]

1. ^ "Hurling changes will benefit Tier 2 counties, says Westmeath boss". RTÉ News. 2 October 2017. Retrieved 30 October 2017.
2. ^ Moran, Seán (30 September 2017). "GAA Congress approve round-robin provincial hurling championships". Irish Times. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
3. ^ "GAA 2018: How the new season will look". Irish Examiner. 1 November 2017. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
4. ^ "GAA votes to change senior hurling championship". Irish Examiner. 30 September 2017. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
5. ^ "Historic day at Croke Park as Congress votes in hurling structure changes". RTE Sport. 30 September 2017. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
6. ^ "Official Guide - Part 1" (PDF). Gaelic Athletic Association. 23 March 2019.
7. ^ "Joe McDonagh Cup link with All-Ireland series could be severed". The Independent. 27 June 2023. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
8. ^ "Kerry gain Munster entry". RTÉ. 18 February 2023. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
9. ^ "New hurling competition to be named after Galway All-Ireland winner and ex-GAA President". The 42. 28 November 2017. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
10. ^ "New hurling competition to be named after Galway All-Ireland winner and ex-GAA President". The 42. 29 November 2017. Retrieved 5 February 2018.

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Joe McDonagh Cup

2024 participants|

* Down
* Kerry
* Laois
* Meath
* Offaly
* Westmeath

Seasons|

* 2018
* 2019
* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024

Finals|

* 2018
* 2019
* 2020
* 2021
* 2022

* Liam MacCarthy Cup (Tier 1)
* Joe McDonagh Cup (Tier 2)
* Christy Ring Cup (Tier 3)
* Nicky Rackard Cup (Tier 4)
* Lory Meagher Cup (Tier 5)

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