1974 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship
# 1974 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship

The All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship of 1974 was the 88th staging of Ireland's premier hurling knock-out competition. Kilkenny won the championship, beating Limerick 3-19 to 1-13 in the final at Croke Park, Dublin.

## The championship

### Format

Munster Championship

First round: (1 match) This is a single match between the first two teams drawn from the province of Munster. One team is eliminated at this stage while the winners advance to the semi-finals.

Semi-finals: (2 matches) The winner of the first round joins the other three Munster teams to make up the semi-final pairings. Two teams are eliminated at this stage while the winners advance to the final.

Final: (1 match) The winner of the two semi-finals contest this game. One team is eliminated at this stage while the winners advance to the All-Ireland final.

Leinster Championship

First round: (1 match) This is a single match between the first two teams drawn from the province of Leinster. One team is eliminated at this stage while the winners advance to the semi-finals.

Semi-finals: (2 matches) The winner of the first round joins the other three Leinster teams to make up the semi-final pairings. Two teams are eliminated at this stage while the winners advance to the final.

Final: (1 match) The winners of the two semi-finals contest this game. One team is eliminated at this stage while the winners advance to the All-Ireland semi-final.

All-Ireland Championship

Preliminary round: (1 match) This is a single match between Galway and the winners of the All-Ireland 'B' championship. One team is eliminated at this stage while the winners advance to the quarter-final.

Quarter-final: (1 match) This is a single match between London and the winners of the preliminary round. One team is eliminated at this stage while the winners advance to the semi-final.

Semi-final: (1 match) This is a single match between the Leinster champions and the winners of the quarter-final. One team is eliminated at this stage while the winners advance to the final.

Final: (1 match) The winners of the semi-final and the Munster champions contest this game.

## Fixtures

### All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship

| Kilkenny | Limerick |
| - | - |

## Championship statistics

### Miscellaneous

* In the Munster final Clare's Seán Stack scores a remarkable own goal for Limerick.
* The All-Ireland 'B' champions were allowed to participate in the All-Ireland series for the first time. Kildare are the first team to benefit from this new format.
* In the All-Ireland quarter-final between Galway and London, brothers Michael and John Connolly line out for opposing teams.
* In the All-Ireland semi-final Kilkenny scored 2-32, it was one of the first times any team put more than thirty points over the bar.
* The All-Ireland final between Kilkenny and Limerick was attended by the Soviet Union ambassador to Ireland.

## Top scorers

### Season

| Rank | Player | County | Tally | Total | Matches | Average |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Eddie Keher | Kilkenny | 5-35 | 50 | 4 | 12.50 |
| 2 | Richie Bennis | Limerick | 3-19 | 28 | 3 | 9.33 |
| 3 | Pat Delaney | Kilkenny | 5-03 | 18 | 4 | 4.50 |
| 4 | John Connolly | Galway | 2-11 | 17 | 3 | 5.66 |
| 5 | Kieran Purcell | Kilkenny | 2-09 | 15 | 4 | 3.75 |
| 5 | P. J. Molloy | Galway | 0-15 | 15 | 3 | 5.00 |
| 6 | Tom Byrne | Wexford | 1-11 | 14 | 2 | 7.00 |
| 6 | Colm Honan | Clare | 0-14 | 14 | 2 | 7.00 |
| 7 | Mick Brennan | Kilkenny | 1-09 | 12 | 4 | 3.00 |
| 8 | John Kirwan | Waterford | 3-02 | 11 | 2 | 5.50 |
| 8 | Liam O'Donoghue | Limerick | 2-05 | 11 | 3 | 3.66 |

### Single game

| Rank | Player | County | Tally | Total | Opposition |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Richie Bennis | Limerick | 2-08 | 14 | Clare |
| 1 | Eddie Keher | Kilkenny | 1-11 | 14 | Limerick |
| 3 | Eddie Keher | Kilkenny | 0-13 | 13 | Galway |
| 4 | Eddie Keher | Kilkenny | 2-06 | 12 | Wexford |
| 5 | Eddie Keher | Kilkenny | 2-05 | 11 | Offaly |
| 5 | Tom Byrne | Wexford | 1-08 | 11 | Kilkenny |
| 7 | John Kirwan | Waterford | 3-01 | 10 | Limerick |
| 7 | John Connolly | Galway | 2-04 | 10 | London |
| 9 | Seánie Kinsella | Wexford | 1-06 | 9 | Laois |
| 9 | Richie Bennis | Limerick | 1-06 | 9 | Waterford |
