1971 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final
| Event | 1971 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship | ||||||
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| Date | 5 September 1971 | ||||||
| Venue | Croke Park, Dublin | ||||||
| Referee | Frank Murphy (Cork) | ||||||
| Attendance | 61,393 | ||||||
The 1971 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final was the 84th All-Ireland final and the culmination of the 1971 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, an inter-county hurling tournament for the top teams in Ireland. The match took place on 5 September 1971, at Croke Park, Dublin. The match was contested by 1969 winners Kilkenny and 1968 runners-up Tipperary, and it was refereed by Frank Murphy from Cork.
The All-Ireland final was the thirteenth meeting of Kilkenny and Tipperary in a championship decider. Tipperary held the balance of power in all previous meetings between the two, having recorded seven All-Ireland victories to Kilkenny's five. Both sides last met in the All-Ireland final of 1967 when Kilkenny recorded their first championship victory over their nearest neighbours since 1922. Both Tipperary and Kilkenny had dominated hurling throughout the sixties, with Tipp winning All-Ireland titles in 1961, 1962, 1964 and 1965, and Kilkenny claiming the championship in 1963, 1967 and 1969. Moreover, Tipperary had lost back-to-back All-Ireland finals in 1967 and 1968. The thought of losing a third championship decider on-the-trot proved a great motivation.
In 1970 Cork triumphed over Wexford in the All-Ireland final to claim their 21st and draw level with Tipperary at the top of hurling's roll of honour. A victory for Tipp would put them one title ahead yet again, while a victory for Kilkenny would give them their 18th All-Ireland title and would narrow the gap between them and the other two big teams in hurling's trinity.
Cork-based referee Frank Murphy was named as the referee for the 1971 All-Ireland final on 30 August 1971. His only experience in a national senior final was the National Hurling League final between Tipperary and Limerick the previous May. Twenty-seven-year-old Murphy, a former teacher and now a regional manager in Cork for an American publishing company, has been refereeing for ten years, having started his career in the Blackrock street leagues. He is currently the secretary of the Blackrock club and its representative on the Cork County Board. He has officiated at county finals all over the southern province but became prominent on the inter-county scene in 1970 when he officiated in two Munster championship matches. Earlier in 1971 Murphy was appointed to the Central Council refereeing panel and, following a competent display in the league decider, took charge of the Munster decider between Tipperary and Limerick.
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