The 1978 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship was the 92nd staging of the All-Ireland hurling championship since its establishment by the Gaelic Athletic Association in 1887. The championship began on 30 April 1978 and ended on 3 September 1978.
Cork entered the championship as defending champions.
On 3 September 1978, Cork won the championship following a 1–15 to 2–8 defeat of Kilkenny in the All-Ireland final. This was their 24th All-Ireland title, their third championship in succession.
Kilkenny's Liam "Chunky" O'Brien was the championship's top scorer with 1–23. Cork's John Horgan was the choice for Hurler of the Year.
Team summaries
TeamColoursMost recent successAll-IrelandProvincialLeagueAntrimSaffron and white1946ClareSaffron and blue191419321977–78CorkRed and white197719771973–74DublinNavy and blue193819611938–39GalwayMaroon and white192319221974–75KerryGreen and gold18911891KildareWhiteKilkennyBlack and amber197519751975–76LaoisBlue and white19151915LimerickGreen and white197319741970–71OffalyGreen, white and goldTipperaryBlue and gold197119711967–68WaterfordBlue and white195919631962–63WestmeathMaroon and whiteWexfordPurple and gold196819771972–73
Provincial championships
Leinster Senior Hurling Championship
First round
Quarter-final
Semi-finals
Final
Munster Senior Hurling Championship
Quarter-finals
Semi-finals
Final
All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship
All-Ireland quarter-finals
All-Ireland semi-finals
All-Ireland Final
Top scorers
Overall Rank Player County Tally Total Matches Average1Liam O'BrienKilkenny1–232646.502Ned BuggyWexford1–151829.003Billy FitzpatrickKilkenny2–101644.04Colm HonanClare0–151527.505Charlie McCarthyCork0–141434.666Willie FitzmauriceLimerick4–01226.00Joe ConnollyGalway3–31226.008Seánie KinsellaWexford3–21125.50
Single game
Rank Player County Tally Total Opposition1Liam O'BrienKilkenny0–1111Offaly2Joe ConnollyGalway3–110AntrimRandall McDonnellAntrim3–110GalwaySeánie KinsellaWexford3–110DublinNed BuggyWexford1–710KilkennyFrank KeenanLaois1–710Dublin7Willie FitzmauriceLimerick3–09ClareColm HonanClare0–99Limerick9Ned BuggyWexford0–88Dublin10Mick RyanWestmeath2–17LaoisMatt RuthKilkenny2–17GalwayMossie WalshWaterford0–77KerryCharlie McCarthyCork0–77Kilkenny
Championship statistics
Miscellaneous
Cork retain the All-Ireland title for a third successive season. It is the fourth time in their history that they have achieved this feat and the first time since Cork in 1954 that a team has won three championships in succession. Kerry return to the Munster Senior Hurling Championship for the first time since 1958.
Broadcasting
The following matches were broadcast live on television in Ireland on RTÉ.
Round RTÉ All-Ireland semi-final Kilkenny vs Galway All-Ireland finalCork vs Kilkenny
Sources
Corry, Eoghan, The GAA Book of Lists (Hodder Headline Ireland, 2005). Donegan, Des, The Complete Handbook of Gaelic Games (DBA Publications Limited, 2005). Nolan, Pat, Flashbacks: A Half Century of Cork Hurling (The Collins Press, 2000).
References