The Dublin Senior Hurling Championship () is an annual hurling competition organised by the Dublin County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) since 1887 for the top hurling clubs in County Dublin, Ireland.
Sixteen clubs compete. Initially the teams are divided into four groups of four with the group matches being played from April to May with a break to accommodate the All-Ireland Championship and resume during August or September. The group stage is followed by a knock-out phase which takes place during the months of October and November.
Sponsored by Go-Ahead, it is therefore officially known as the Go-Ahead Dublin Senior Hurling Championship.
Since the establishment of the Dublin Senior Hurling Championship in 1887, a total of 26 clubs have won the tournament. Faughs have been the most successful club having won 31 titles.
Na Fianna are the title holders having defeated Lucan Sarsfields 1-20 to 0-22 in the 2025 final.
History
Origins The game of hurling has been played in Dublin long since before the foundation of the Dublin Senior Hurling Championship and the GAA. According to Irish historian James Ware (1594–1666), it was customary in the 13th century for the inhabitants of Dublin to organise hurling matches on festive days. On Easter Monday 1209, hundreds of Dublin citizens left the safety of the city walls and descended on the woods near Cullenswood, now Ranelagh, for a hurling match. Tragically, the hurlers and spectators were ambushed by rival clans who had come down from the Wicklow Mountains. Over three hundred Dubliners (including women and children) were slaughtered in the 1209 Cullenswood massacre. This day was commemorated by the citizens of Dublin for many centuries afterwards and became known as Black Monday.
Other early written accounts of hurling matches in Dublin include several 18th-century newspaper reports. According to these reports, the most popular hurling venues in Dublin at that time were the Crumlin Commons, Irishtown Green and Phoenix Park. One such account recalls a match which took place on the Crumlin Commons in May 1748, where a selection of hurlers from Leinster defeated 20 hurlers from Munster. In a re-match a month later, the Leinster hurlers proved their worth by beating the Munster selection for a second time. Another report describes a hurling match which took place on Irishtown Green in 1757. The game was held between married men and bachelors for a wager of 50 guineas a side. The tradition of a 'married versus singles' hurling match is still staged by many Dublin hurling clubs on Saint Stephen's Day. In 1778, police officers dispersed a crowd on Summerhill that had assembled in the fields there every Sunday during the summer for the purpose of playing football and hurling. It is believed that this was the exact spot where Croke Park now stands. According to the Freeman's Journal, in August 1779, there was a bet between the penny boys of Smithfield, who had arranged a bull bait for the Fifteen Acres, that they would draw a bigger crowd than "the hurlers of the Phoenix Park". An account from 1792 describes a hurling match which took place in Phoenix Park in front of what was described as a vast concourse of spectators. The report claims that the game had to be abandoned before full-time because the spectators forced their way onto the playing ground.
Foundation
The organisation of hurling clubs in Dublin also predates the foundation of the GAA. In 1882, Michael Cusack attended the first meeting of the 'Dublin Hurling Club', formed "for the purpose of taking steps to re-establish the national game of hurling". In September 1883, Cusack began to organise hurling practices in Phoenix Park on Saturday afternoons. The game had long been lost to the city and to most of the remaining parts of the country as well. As a consequence, just four men turned up on that first Saturday. Slowly the numbers grew, with intrigued spectators joining in. Eventually, Cusack had sufficient numbers to found 'Cusack's Academy Hurling Club' which, in turn, led to the establishment of the Metropolitan Hurling Club. Cusack then established a hurling club in his school on Gardiner Place in October 1883. Immediately, the two clubs began to play matches against each other. A report, written by Cusack, records a game played in December 1883: "During the third and fourth quarters the hurling became so fast and furious, the goals were so threatened on the one hand and defended on the other, that spectators expected to be called on after each charge to help the disabled to Steevens Hospital." On Easter Monday 1884, the Metropolitans played Killimor, in Galway. The game had to be stopped on numerous occasions as the two teams were playing to different rules. It was this clash of styles that convinced Cusack that not only did the rules of the games need to be standardised, but that a body must be established to govern Irish sports.
On Saturday, 1 November 1884, the GAA was founded in Hayes' Hotel, Thurles, County Tipperary. Michael Cusack was among the founding members present that day. From then on, Gaelic games adopted a more structured approach and were governed in each county by a separate body known as the county board. The Dublin County Board was set up in 1886 and within a year had organised a hurling competition known today as the Dublin Senior Hurling Championship. In 1887, the first Dublin Senior Hurling Championship was played out and was won by the Metropolitans, previously formed by Cusack in 1883.
Qualification for subsequent competitions At the end of the championship, the winning team qualify to the subsequent Leinster Senior Club Hurling Championship.
Format
Group stage The 12 teams are divided into two groups of six. Over the course of the group stage, each team plays once against the others in the group, resulting in each team being guaranteed at least five games. Two points are awarded for a win, one for a draw and zero for a loss. The teams are ranked in the group stage table by points gained, then scoring difference and then their head-to-head record. The top four teams in each group qualify for the knock-out stage.
Knockout stage
Quarter-finals: The team coming first of group 1 faces the team coming fourth of group 2 and so on.
Semi-finals: The four quarter-final winners contest this round. The two winners from these two games advance to the final.
Final: The two semi-final winners contest the final. The winning team are declared champions and represent Dublin in the Leinster Club Hurling Championship.
Relegation At the end of the championship, the two 5th-placed teams face the two 6th-placed teams from the group stage with the losing teams being relegated to the Dublin Senior 2 Hurling Championship.
Teams
2026 teams 24 clubs will compete in the 2026 Dublin Senior Hurling Championships: 12 teams in Senior 1 and 12 teams in Senior 2.
Senior 1 teams Team Location Division Colours In Senior 1 championship since Championship titles Last championship title Ballyboden St Enda'sKnocklyonSouth DublinBlue and white2022 (first year)72018 CualaDalkeyDún Laoghaire–RathdownRed and white2022 (first year)82020 Erins IsleFinglasDublin CityGreen with black band202611983 FaughsTempleogueSouth DublinGreen and yellow2026311999 Kilmacud CrokesStillorganDún Laoghaire–RathdownPurple and yellow2022 (first year)72022 Lucan SarsfieldsLucanSouth DublinWhite and green2022 (first year)0— Na FiannaGlasnevinDublin CityYellow and blue2022 (first year)32025 Naomh BarrógKilbarrack Dublin CityGreen and red20250— St Brigid'sCastleknockFingalRed and white2022 (first year)0— St Jude'sTempleogueSouth DublinNavy and Sky Blue20250— St Vincent'sMarinoDublin CityBlue and white2022 (first year)131993 Whitehall ColmcilleCollins AvenueDublin CityWhite and red20230—
Senior 2 teams Team Location Division Colours In Senior 2 championship since Dublin Senior Championship titles Last senior championship title Ballinteer St John'sBallinteerSouth DublinOrange and black20250— Ballyboden St Enda'sKnocklyonSouth DublinBlue and white stripes202572018 CastleknockCastleknockFingalBlue and yellow2022 (first year)0— ClontarfClontarfDublin CityRed and white20250— CommercialsRathcooleSouth DublinRed and green202691916 Craobh ChiaráinDonnycarneyDublin CityMaroon and white202652006 Kilmacud CrokesStillorganDún Laoghaire–RathdownPurple and gold2022 (first year)72022 Naomh MearnógPortmarnockFingalBlack and amber20240— RahenyRahenyDublin CityMaroon and white20240— St Oliver Plunketts/Eoghan RuadhNavan RoadDublin CityMaroon and gold202611951 (as Eoghan Rua) St Sylvester'sMalahideFingalBlue with a green sash20260— Thomas DavisTallaghtSouth DublinGreen with gold sash2022 (first year)11913
Roll of honour
By club # Club Titles Runners-up Championships won Championships runner-up1 Faughs 3122 1892, 1900, 1901, 1903, 1904, 1906, 1910, 1911, 1914, 1915, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1930, 1936, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1950, 1952, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1986, 1987, 1992, 19991899, 1907, 1908, 1916, 1917, 1918, 1919, 1925, 1927, 1928, 1931, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1954, 1955, 1958, 1969, 1974, 1977, 1978, 19802 St Vincents 1314 1953, 1954, 1955, 1957, 1960, 1962, 1964, 1967, 1975, 1981, 1982, 1988, 19931951, 1952, 1959, 1961, 1970, 1971, 1989, 1990, 1995, 1997, 2000, 2005, 2007, 20103 Commercials 93 1895, 1896, 1897, 1898, 1899, 1901, 1907, 1909, 19161906, 1911, 19294 UCD 88 1934, 1947, 1948, 1961, 1968, 2000, 2004, 20051932, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1943, 1945, 1950, 1965 O'Tooles 86 1969, 1977, 1984, 1990, 1995, 1996, 1997, 20021972, 1973, 1981, 1982, 1985, 2011 Cuala 82 1989, 1991, 1994, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 20201987, 20127 Kilmacud Crokes 78 1974, 1976, 1985, 2012, 2014, 2021, 20221968, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2024 Ballyboden St Enda's 77 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 20181983, 1988, 2001, 2004, 2006, 2020, 20239 Young Irelands 65 1932, 1937, 1942, 1943, 1949, 19651924, 1934, 1938, 1946, 1963 Garda 62 1925, 1926, 1927, 1928, 1929, 19311930, 193311 Craobh Chiaráin 57 1971, 1998, 2001, 2003, 20061975, 1976, 1991, 1992, 1999, 2002, 200912 Kickhams 43 1889, 1890, 1908, 19241910, 1913, 192013 Collegians 32 1917, 1918, 19191914, 1923 Rapparees 30 1891, 1894, 1912— Army Metro 30 1933, 1935, 1938 Na Fianna 322023, 2024, 20252021, 202217 New Irelands 23 1958, 19591956, 1957, 1960 Crumlin 23 1978, 19791993, 1994, 199819 Eoghan RuadhsA 15 19511939, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1944 St ColumbasB 14 19561962, 1964, 1966, 1967 Davitts 13 18931887, 1889, 1891 Thomas Davis 13 19131909, 1912, 1915 St Brendan's 11 19801979 Erins Isle 11 19831986 Metropolitans 10 1887— Junior Board Selection 10 1963— CrokesC 10 1966—28St Jude's 02—2014, 2015St Brigid's 02—2003, 2019Lucan Sarsfields 02—2013, 2025Dunleary 01—1888Erin's Pride 01—1890Celtics 01—1895Grocers 01—1921Kevin's 01—1926Civil Service 01—1953
Notes No competition: 1888, 1902.
A: Eoghan Ruadhs Hurling Club and St Oliver Plunketts Football Club amalgamated to form St Oliver Plunketts/Eoghan Ruadh GAA in the 1990s.
B: St Columbas Hurling Club and St Agnes Football Club amalgamated to form Crumlin GAA in 1970.
C: Crokes Hurling Club and Kilmacud Football Club amalgamated to form Kilmacud Crokes GAA in 1966.
List of finals
List of Dublin SHC finals