The All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship of 1985 was the 99th edition of Ireland's premier hurling knockout competition. The championship ran from May to September of that year, culminating with the All-Ireland final, held at Croke Park, Dublin on 1 September. The match was contested by Offaly and Galway, with Offaly taking the title by 2–11 to 1–12. It was Offaly's second-ever All-Ireland title.
Format
The All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship was run on a provincial basis as usual. All games were played on a knockout basis whereby once a team lost they were eliminated from the championship. The format for the All-Ireland series of games ran as follows: The winners of the Munster Championship advanced directly to the first All-Ireland semi-final. The winners of the Leinster Championship advanced directly to the second All-Ireland semi-final. Galway, a team who faced no competition in the Connacht Championship, entered the championship at the All-Ireland semi-final stage where they played the Munster champions. The winners of the Ulster Championship advanced directly to a lone All-Ireland quarter-final where they played the winners of the All-Ireland 'B' championship. The winners of this game advanced to the All-Ireland semi-final where they played the Leinster champions.
Team changes
To Championship Promoted from the All-Ireland Senior B Hurling Championship
London
From Championship Relegated to the All-Ireland Senior B Hurling Championship
None
Teams
General information Fourteen counties will compete in the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship: one team from the Connacht Senior Hurling Championship, six teams in the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship, five teams in the Munster Senior Hurling Championship, one team from the Ulster Senior Hurling Championship and one team from the All-Ireland Senior B Hurling Championship. CountyLast provincial titleLast championship titlePosition in 1984 championshipCurrent championship Antrim1946—Ulster Senior Hurling Championship Clare19321914Munster Senior Hurling Championship Cork19841984Munster Senior Hurling Championship Dublin19611938Leinster Senior Hurling Championship Galway19221980Connacht Senior Hurling ChampionshipKilkenny19831983Leinster Senior Hurling Championship Laois19491915Leinster Senior Hurling ChampionshipLimerick19811973Munster Senior Hurling ChampionshipLondon—1901All-Ireland Senior B Hurling Championship Offaly19841981Leinster Senior Hurling ChampionshipTipperary19711971Munster Senior Hurling ChampionshipWaterford19631959Munster Senior Hurling ChampionshipWestmeath——Leinster Senior Hurling Championship Wexford19771968Leinster Senior Hurling Championship
Provincial championships Leinster Senior Hurling Championship
Munster Senior Hurling Championship
All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship
All-Ireland quarter-finals
All-Ireland semi-finals
All-Ireland Final
Championship statistics Miscellaneous
Laois qualified for the Leinster final for the first time since 1951. In the All-Ireland semi-final, Galway defeated Cork for only the third time in the history of the championship. Previous victories for the Galway men came in the All-Ireland semi-finals of 1975 and 1979.
Top scorers Season Rank Player County Tally Total Matches Average1Paddy CorriganOffaly2–293557.002Pat ClearyOffaly7–93056.003Eugene FennellyLaois0–282839.334Mark CorriganOffaly3–172655.205John FentonCork4-132538.336Pat ClearyOffaly6-62446.007Kieran BrennanKilkenny1–202337.668Nicky EnglishTipperary4-41635.339Séamus PowerTipperary2-81434.66P. J. MolloyGalway1-111427.00
Single game Rank Player County Tally Total Opposition1Paddy CorriganOffaly1–1114Kilkenny2Kieran BrennanKilkenny1–912Westmeath3Séamus PowerTipperary2–511ClareEugene FennellyLaois0–1111Dublin5Eugene FennellyLaois0–1010Wexford6Nicky EnglishTipperary2–39CorkDessie DonnellyAntrim2–39LondonPaddy CorriganOffaly1–69KilkennyJohn FentonCork1–69TipperaryP. J. MolloyGalway1–69OffalyDenis ByrneWaterford0–99LimerickMick BurkeLondon0–99Antrim
References
Corry, Eoghan, The GAA Book of Lists (Hodder Headline Ireland, 2005). Donegan, Des, The Complete Handbook of Gaelic Games (DBA Publications Limited, 2005).
See also