The Derry county hurling team represents Derry GAA, the county board of the Gaelic Athletic Association, in the Gaelic sport of hurling. The team competes in the Christy Ring Cup and the National Hurling League.
Derry's home ground is Celtic Park, Derry. The team's manager is Johnny McGarvey.
The team last won the Ulster Senior Championship in 2001, but has never won the All-Ireland Senior Championship.
History Derry was a hotbed of early hurling activity, with the city's St Patrick's club winning the Ulster Senior Hurling Championship in 1902–03; county teams mainly drawn from the city won the 1906 championship by a walkover, and the contested 1909 final. However, soon afterwards football become the dominant sport in the county, and hurling activity declined, especially in the city where association football clubs were active.
It was the 1970s before Derry claimed any more major hurling honours. The county won two Ulster Junior Championships in 1974 and 1975, as well as the 1975 All-Ireland Junior Championship. The county also won the Ulster Minor Championship twice during the decade in 1973/4? and 1979, before going on to win the next four at the start of the 1980s (1980, 1981, 1982 and 1983); giving the county five consecutive Ulster Minor titles. Derry also won another Ulster Junior (1984) and All-Ireland Junior Championship (1982), with Rory Stevenson still holding a record of his own, as the youngest person ever to play in a Final in Croke Park, that year (1982), playing for Kevin Lynch's Hurling Club Under 14 All-Ireland Féile na nGael winning team.
The 1990s started with Derry claiming back-to-back Ulster Minor titles in 1990 and 1991. The Under 21 side won two more Ulster Under 21 Championships in 1993 and 1997. Derry won the All-Ireland 'B' Senior Hurling Championship in 1996 and the Ulster Intermediate Championship the following year.
In 2000 Derry won its first Ulster Senior Hurling Championship in 92 years, and successfully defended it the following year. The county also won the Ulster Minor Championship in 2001. The Seniors won the Nicky Rackard Cup in 2006. Derry Under 21s claimed back-to-back Ulster Under 21 titles in 2007 and 2008. See 2008 Derry county hurling team season for information from then. The seniors won the Nicky Rackard Cup again in 2017. In 2023 and 2024, Derry U-20s won back to back All Ireland U-20B and Ulster U-20 Championships. Then in 2026, Derry won a second All Ireland U-20B Championship followed by a Christy Ring title for the first time in their history.
Panel
Management team Manager: Johnny McGarvey
Selectors: Gavan Duffy, Terence Gray, Paul McDermott, Dara Curley
Goalkeeping Coach: Gareth O'Kane
S&C/Physio: Oisin Quinn, Ann Boylan, Kerry Quinn
Managerial history Kevin McNaughton 1997–2001
Dominic McKinley (Antrim) 2001–2004
Seán McCloskey 2004–2006
Gabriel O'Kane 2006–2008
Brian McGilligan 2008–2010
James O'Kane 2010–2011
Ger Rogan 2012–2014
Tom McLean 2015–2016
Colm McGurk 2017–2018
John McEvoy (Laois) 2019–2020
Dominic McKinley and Cormac Donnelly (Antrim) 2021–2022
Johnny McGarvey 2023–
Players
Notable players
Awards Champion 15:
Derry has 22, as of 2025. 18 different players have won, as of 2025. 2005: Gregory Biggs 2007: Michael Conway 2008: Stephen Henry 2009: Sean McCullagh 2010: Kevin Hinphey 2011: Oisin McCloskey 2012: Alan Grant 2013: Paddy Kelly 2014: Aaron Kelly 2015: Conor Quinn,Sean McCullagh, Ruairi Convery 2016: Oisin McCloskey2nd 2018: Cian Waldron, Cormac O'Doherty 2019: Sé McGuigan 2021: Cormac O'Doherty2nd 2022: Mark Craig 2023: Richie Mullan, Cormac O'Doherty3rd 2024: Mark Craig2nd 2025: Ruairí Ó Mianáin, Eamon Conway
Honours Official honours, with additions noted. National All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Semi-finalists (1): 1902 Quarter-finalists (2): 2000, 2001 Preliminary quarter-finalists (1): 1996 National Hurling League Division 2B Winners (2): 2022, 2024 All-Ireland Senior B Hurling Championship Winners (1): 1996 All-Ireland Junior Hurling Championship Winners (2): 1975, 1982 Runners-up (2): 1974, 1979 Christy Ring Cup Winners (1): 2026 Runners-up (5): 2015, 2021, 2023, 2024, 2025 Nicky Rackard Cup Winners (2): 2006, 2017
Provincial Ulster Senior Hurling Championship Winners (4): 1902, 1908, 2000, 2001 Runners-up (8): 1901, 1907, 1931, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2012, 2014 Ulster Intermediate Hurling Championship Winners (1): 1997 Ulster Junior Hurling Championship Winners (3): 1974, 1975, 1984 Ulster Senior Shield Winners (1): 2017 Ulster Under-21 Hurling Championship Winners (7): 1986, 1987, 1993, 1997, 2007, 2008, 2017 Ulster Minor Hurling Championship Winners (9): 1974, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1990, 1991, 2001
Head-to-head record
Head-to-head Championship record Every championship result since 2015. Includes results from the Ulster Senior Hurling Championship.
As of 1 June 2026. County TeamPldWDLFirst MeetingLast MeetingProvince Antrim10010%2016Ulster Armagh2200100%20172018Ulster Donegal4400100%20152026Ulster Down730443%20152020Ulster Kerry320166%2026Munster Kildare40040%20182024Leinster London750271%20152025Britain Longford1100100%2017Leinster Louth1100100%2017Leinster Mayo420250%20152023Connacht Meath50140%2026Leinster Monaghan2200100%20172017Ulster Offaly20020%20202021Leinster Roscommon320166%20162026Connacht Sligo5500100%20202024Connacht Tyrone431075%2025Ulster Wicklow740357%20162026Leinster Counties Derry has never played in the championship since 2015 ProvinceNo.CountiesConnacht2Galway, LeitrimLeinster6Carlow, Dublin, Kilkenny, Laois, Westmeath, WexfordMunster5Clare, Cork, Limerick, Tipperary, Waterford Ulster2Cavan, FermanaghBritain2Lancashire, Warwickshire
References
External links