The 1976 All-Ireland Junior Hurling Championship was the 55th staging of the All-Ireland Junior Championship since its establishment by the Gaelic Athletic Association in 1912. Derry began the competition as defending champions, having defeated Louth in the 1975 final. Louth defeated Mayo in the 1976 final to claim the county's first All-Ireland Junior Hurling Championship title.
Format Connacht was the only province to stage a junior hurling championship in 1976, which was won by Leitrim. This was a standalone competition which had no bearing on the All-Ireland series. Instead, the winners of the respective 'A' and 'B' sections of the 1976 National Hurling League Division 3 would go forward to contest the All-Ireland final.
Louth secured a place in the final by beating Derry in the Division 3B play-off. Mayo topped Division 3A to automatically qualify for the decider.
All-Ireland final Louth led by eleven points at half-time (4-06 to 1-04) and stretched their lead to fourteen early in the second period. Despite a Mayo resurgence, they held on to win by a five-point margin.
Match details
GK1 Pat Hartnett (Naomh Moninne)RCB2 Jim McGuinness (Naomh Moninne)FB3 Joe Delaney (Naomh Moninne)LCB4 Seán Walsh (Naomh Colmcille)RHB5 Damien Callan (Naomh Moninne)CHB6 Peadar Fahy (Naomh Colmcille) (c)LHB7 Liam McKillion (Naomh Moninne)MF8 Aidan Byrne (Naomh Moninne)MF9 Leslie Toal (Naomh Moninne)RHF10 Seán McEneaney (Naomh Moninne)CHF11 Tom Rice (Naomh Colmcille)LHF12 Patsy Murphy (Naomh Moninne)RCF13 Tony Melia (Naomh Colmcille)FF14 Tadhg Lowry (Wolfe Tones)LCF15 Seán Mulkearns (Wolfe Tones)Substitutes: 16 Mick McGarry (Naomh Moninne) for Byrne 17 Dan Hegarty (Naomh Moninne) for McKillion GK1 M. NolanRCB2 M. RobinsonFB3 M. KeaneLCB4 E. FreemanRHB5 M. WalshCHB6 D. DelaneyLHB7 M. O'MolloyMF8 T. HenryMF9 M. MurphyRHF10 J. HenryCHF11 S. O'KeeffeLHF12 V. HenryRCF13 M. ConnollyFF14 M. HigginsLCF15 M. KennySubstitutes: 16 P. Clarke for Walsh 17 J. Clarke for Delaney
References