The 1980 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship was the 94th staging of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, the Gaelic Athletic Association's premier inter-county hurling tournament. The draw for the 1980 fixtures took place in September 1979. The championship began on 25 May 1980 and ended on 7 September 1980.
Kilkenny were the defending champions but were defeated by Offaly in the Leinster final. Laois re-entered the Leinster Championship, having won the All-Ireland Senior B Hurling Championship the previous year.
On 7 September 1980, Galway won the championship following a 2–15 to 3–9 defeat of Limerick in the All-Ireland final. This was their second All-Ireland title, their first in fifty-seven championship seasons.
Limerick's Éamonn Cregan was the championship's top scorer with 5–18. Galway's Joe Connolly was the choice for Texaco Hurler of the Year.
Format
After a series of disappointing Munster finals in previous years, the Munster Council took the risk of a repetition and decided to stick with an open draw for the 1980 championship. Similarly, the Leinster Council decided to abandon their policy of seeding Kilkenny and Wexford on opposite sides of the draw in favour of an open draw.
Team changes
To Championship Promoted from the All-Ireland Senior B Hurling Championship
Kildare
From Championship Relegated to the All-Ireland Senior B Hurling Championship
None
Teams
General information Twelve counties will compete in the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship: six teams in the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship, five teams in the Munster Senior Hurling Championship and one team from the All-Ireland Senior B Hurling Championship. CountyLast provincial titleLast championship titlePosition in 1979 ChampionshipCurrent championship Clare19321914Semi-finals (Munster Senior Hurling Championship) Munster Senior Hurling Championship Cork19791978Semi-finalsMunster Senior Hurling Championship Dublin19611938Semi-finals (Leinster Senior Hurling Championship)Leinster Senior Hurling Championship Galway19221923Runners-upLeinster Senior Hurling Championship Kildare——Semi-finals (All-Ireland Senior B Hurling Championship) All-Ireland Senior B Hurling Championship Kilkenny19791979ChampionsLeinster Senior Hurling Championship Laois19491915Quarter-finalsLeinster Senior Hurling Championship Limerick19741973Runners-up (Munster Senior Hurling Championship) Munster Senior Hurling Championship Offaly——Semi-finals (Leinster Senior Hurling Championship)Leinster Senior Hurling Championship Tipperary19711971Semi-finals (Munster Senior Hurling Championship) Munster Senior Hurling Championship Waterford19631959Quarter-finals (Munster Senior Hurling Championship) Munster Senior Hurling Championship Wexford19771968Runners-up (Leinster Senior Hurling Championship)Leinster Senior Hurling Championship
Provincial championships Leinster Senior Hurling Championship
Quarter-final
Semi-finals
Final
Munster Senior Hurling Championship
Quarter-final
Semi-finals
Final
All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship
All-Ireland quarter-finals
All-Ireland semi-finals
All-Ireland Final
Championship statistics Miscellaneous
For the first time since 1969 the Leinster final sees a pairing other than Kilkenny and Wexford. The Leinster final sees Offaly defeat Kilkenny to take their very first provincial title. Limerick's victory in the Munster final foils Cork's hopes of an unprecedented sixth provincial title in-a-row. In the All-Ireland semi-final between Galway and Offaly the referee, J. J. Landers, signalled the end of the game with 52 seconds of normal time yet to be played and at least another half a minute of 'lost' time to be added on. Offaly were in the middle of a comeback at that stage, after cutting Galway's lead from nine points to just two. The game is also the first-ever championship meeting between these two sides. Galway's victory over Limerick in the championship decider is their first All-Ireland title since 1923.
Scoring statistics
Top scorers overall
Rank Player County Tally Total Matches Average1Éamonn CreganLimerick5–1833311.002Billy FitzpatrickKilkenny2–1622211.003Johnny FlahertyOffaly3–112045.004Joe ConnollyGalway3–101936.335Mark CorriganOffaly2–101644.00Pádraig HoranOffaly0–161635.337Matt RuthKilkenny4-021427.00Bernie FordeGalway2-081434.669John ConnollyGalway3-041334.33John FentonCork0–131326.50
Top scorers in a single game
Rank Player County Tally Total Opposition1Joe ConnollyGalway3–0514KildareBilly FitzpatrickKilkenny1–1114Wexford3Éamonn CreganLimerick2–0713Galway4Éamonn CreganLimerick2–0511Clare5Matt RuthKilkenny3–0110Offaly6Éamonn CreganLimerick1–069Cork7Noel RyanClare2–028WaterfordBernie FordeGalway1–058LimerickBilly FitzpatrickKilkenny1–058OffalyJohnny FlahertyOffaly1–058Laois
Broadcasting
The following matches were broadcast live on television in Ireland on RTÉ.
Round RTÉ All-Ireland semi-final Galway vs Offaly All-Ireland finalLimerick vs Galway
Sources
Corry, Eoghan, The GAA Book of Lists (Hodder Headline Ireland, 2005). Donegan, Des, The Complete Handbook of Gaelic Games (DBA Publications Limited, 2005).
References