1969 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final
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| Event | 1969 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship | ||||||
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| Date | 7 September 1969 | ||||||
| Venue | Croke Park, Dublin | ||||||
| Referee | Seán O'Connor (Limerick) | ||||||
| Attendance | 66,844 | ||||||
The 1969 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final was the 82nd All-Ireland Final and the culmination of the 1969 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, an inter-county hurling tournament for the top teams in Ireland. The match was held at Croke Park, Dublin. The match was contested by 1966 winners Cork and 1967 winners Kilkenny, and it was refereed by Seán O'Connor from Limerick.
The All-Ireland final was the eleventh meeting of Cork and Kilkenny in a championship decider. Kilkenny held the balance of power in all previous meetings between the two, having recorded six All-Ireland victories to Cork's five. Cork, however, also defeated Kilkenny in the 1903 All-Ireland 'home' final before putting London to the sword in the 'proper' final. Both sides last met in the All-Ireland final of 1966 when Cork recorded their first championship victory over Kilkenny in twenty years. Kilkenny enjoyed a reasonably successful period in the mid-sixties, claiming championship titles in 1963 and 1967, while being runners-up in 1964 and 1966. Cork's sole All-Ireland title of the decade came in 1966, a full twelve years after their previous All-Ireland triumph.
Cork's triumph in 1966 allowed them to claim their 20th All-Ireland title, leaving them one behind Tipperary in the all-time roll of honour. A victory for Cork on this occasion would put them level with Tipp, while a victory for Kilkenny would give them their 17th All-Ireland title and would narrow the gap between them and the other two big teams in hurling's trinity.
Limerick's Seán O'Connor was named as the referee for the 1969 All-Ireland final on 2 September 1969. His only experience in a national senior decider was the Oireachtas final between Kilkenny and Clare in 1967. Thirty-four-year-old O'Connor, an aircraft mechanic with Aer Lingus, won recognition for his efficient refereeing in National Hurling League and provincial championship games over the previous couple of seasons. He entered the short-list for All-Ireland honours following his handling of the Munster final. O'Connor was an inter-county hurler in his own right with Limerick in the late 1950s and early 1960s and was a dual county medalist with his club Claughaun.
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