The 1956 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship was the 70th staging of the All-Ireland hurling championship since its establishment by the Gaelic Athletic Association in 1887. The championship began on 22 April 1956 and ended on 23 September 1956.
Wexford were the defending champions, and retained their All-Ireland crown following a 2âÂÂ14 to 2âÂÂ8 defeat of Cork.
Teams
A total of thirteen teams contested the championship, a reduction of one on the previous championship. Wicklow withdrew and did not field a team in the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship.
Team summaries
Provincial championships
First round
Quarter-finals
Semi-finals
Final
Quarter-final
Semi-finals
Final
All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship
All-Ireland semi-finals
All-Ireland final
Championship statistics
Top scorers
Top scorers overall
Top scorers in a single game
Scoring
- Widest winning margin: 19 points
- Wexford 8âÂÂ9 â 2âÂÂ2 Laois (<small>Leinster semi-final, 10 June 1956</small>)
- Most goals in a match: 15
- Westmeath 9âÂÂ6 â 6âÂÂ1 Meath (<small>Leinster first round, 29 April 1956</small>)
- Most points in a match: 22
- Wexford 2âÂÂ14 â 2âÂÂ8 Cork (<small>All-Ireland final, 23 September 1956</small>)
- Most goals by one team in a match: 9
- Westmeath 9âÂÂ6 â 6âÂÂ1 Meath (<small>Leinster first round, 29 April 1956</small>)
- Most goals scored by a losing team: 6
- Westmeath 9âÂÂ6 â 6âÂÂ1 Meath (<small>Leinster first round, 29 April 1956</small>)
- Most points scored by a losing team: 12
- Cork 5âÂÂ9 â 2âÂÂ12 Waterford (<small>Munster quarter-final, 10 June 1956</small>)
Miscellaneous
- Wexford won a third Leinster title in-a-row. It remains the only time in their history that they went undefeated in the provincial championship for three successive campaigns.
- An outbreak of polio in Cork and the fear of a spread of the disease to Dublin due to an influx of Cork supporters lead to the postponement of the All-Ireland final until 23 September 1956.
- The attendance of 83,096 at the All-Ireland final remains an all-time record.
- Wexford retained the All-Ireland title for the only time in their history. The 2âÂÂ14 to 2âÂÂ8 victory remained their only championship defeat of Cork until July 2016 when they did it again in the round 2 Qualifiers. (CorkâÂÂWexford hurling rivalry)
Sources
- Corry, Eoghan, The GAA Book of Lists (Hodder Headline Ireland, 2005).
- Donegan, Des, The Complete Handbook of Gaelic Games (DBA Publications Limited, 2005).
- Horgan, Tim, Christy Ring: Hurling's Greatest (The Collins Press, 2007).
- Nolan, Pat, Flashbacks: A Half Century of Cork Hurling (The Collins Press, 2000).
- Sweeney, ÃÂamonn, Munster Hurling Legends (The O'Brien Press, 2002).
External links
References