The All-Ireland Senior B Hurling Championship was a hurling competition held annually between 1974 and 2004 and organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It was contested by those county teams which were knocked out in the first round of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, with the winner awarded the championship.
The series of games began every year immediately after the completion of the National Hurling League, with the All-Ireland final being played in June or July, initially in Croke Park, Dublin, but later in provincial venues around the country and in Britain. The championship was abolished in 2004, with the teams involved later playing in, first, the Christy Ring Cup, and since 2018, the Joe McDonagh Cup.
The title was won by 11 different teams, 6 of which won the title more than once. The all-time record-holder is London, which won the competition 5 times. The history of the championship was bookended by victories for Kildare, winner of the first title in 1974 and the last in 2004.
Following ongoing one-sided matches in the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship between counties of differing standards, the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) began considering the addition of a tournament for those county teams that were eliminated in the early stages of their respective provincial championship. The GAA found broad support for the introduction of this additional championship and canvassed options for its potential structure and future inclusion within the annual calendar. The championship was branded the Senior B championship and its inaugural season was 1974.
Second and third-tier competitions have already been incorporated in hurling for several years, such as the Intermediate and Junior championships.
The championship remained knockout but the number of participating teams increased.
12 county teams have participated in at least one edition of the championship.
The championship was open to all hurling teams who did not take part in the proper All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship. It was a knock-out competition whereby once a team lost they were eliminated from the championship.
The championship was suspended after the completion of the 2004 All-Ireland Senior B Hurling Championship. Three counties competed in 2004:
The Senior B winners qualified back into the subsequent All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship at the quarter-final stage. The Senior B champions played a provincial winner (or ) at this stage.
Legend
For each year, the number of counties (in brackets) are shown.