The 1939 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship was the 53rd staging of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship since its establishment by the Gaelic Athletic Association in 1887. The championship began on 7 May 1939 and ended on 3 September 1939.
Dublin entered the championship as the defending champions, however, they were beaten by Kilkenny in the Leinster final.
The All-Ireland final was played on 3 September 1939 at Croke Park in Dublin, between Kilkenny and Cork, in what was their first meeting in a final in nine years. Kilkenny won the match by 2–07 to 3–03 to claim their 12th championship title overall and a first title since 1935. The 1939 All-Ireland final remains one of the most iconic of all time. Played on the day that Britain declared war on Germany, the climax of the match took place during a terrific thunderstorm and earned the sobriquet of the "thunder and lightning final".
Kilkenny's Jim Langton was the championship's top scorer with 1–20.
Teams
A total of thirteen teams contested the championship, including all of the teams from the 1938 championship. Wexford re-entered the championship after a one-year absence.
Team summaries
TeamColoursMost recent successAll-IrelandProvincialLeagueClareSaffron and blue19141932CorkRed and white193119311929–30DublinNavy and blue193819381938–39GalwayMaroon and white192319221930–31KilkennyBlack and amber193519371932–33LaoisBlue and white19151915LimerickGreen and white193619361937–38MeathGreen and goldOffalyGreen, white and goldTipperaryBlue and gold193719371927–28WaterfordBlue and white1938WestmeathMaroon and whiteWexfordPurple and gold19101918
Results Leinster Senior Hurling Championship
First round
Second round
Wexford received a bye in this round.
Semi-finals
Final
Munster Senior Hurling Championship
First round
Semi-finals
Final
All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship
Semi-final
Final
Championship statistics Scoring statistics
Top scorers overall
Rank Player Club Tally Total Matches Average1Jim LangtonKilkenny1–202345.752Ted O'SullivanCork7-012237.333Paddy McMahonLimerick6-001836.004Willie DelaneyLaois5-011628.005K. WhelanWexford5-001527.506Paddy McSweeneyDublin4-001226.00Mick BrophyDublin4-001226.00Paddy NortonLaois4-001226.00Jack LynchCork2-061234.0010Mick FalveyMeath3-011025.00Bill LoughnaneDublin3-011025.00P. FarrellMeath3-011025.00
Top scorers in a single game
Rank Player Club Tally Total Opposition1Willie DelaneyLaois4-0113Meath2Paddy NortonLaois4-0012MeathK. WhelanWexford4-0012Offaly4Mick FalveyMeath3-0110WestmeathBill LoughnaneDublin3-0110Wexford6Paddy McSweeneyDublin3-009KilkennyTed O'SullivanCork3-009WaterfordPaddy McMahonLimerick3-009ClareMick BrophyDublin3-009Wexford10Timmy FitzpatrickLaois2-028MeathJim LangtonKilkenny0-088Galway
Miscellaneous
Kilkenny's victory over Cork in the All-Ireland final was the fourth time that Kilkenny beat them by just a single point. Previous one-point wins came in 1904, 1907 and 1912. Among the attendance was the poet Louis MacNeice who was visiting Dublin.
Sources
Corry, Eoghan, The GAA Book of Lists (Hodder Headline Ireland, 2005). Donegan, Des, The Complete Handbook of Gaelic Games (DBA Publications Limited, 2005). Horgan, Tim, Christy Ring: Hurling's Greatest (The Collins Press, 2007). Nolan, Pat, Flashbacks: A Half Century of Cork Hurling (The Collins Press, 2000). Sweeney, Éamonn, Munster Hurling Legends (The O'Brien Press, 2002).
References