All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championship
| GAA Hurling All-Ireland Under-21 Championship | |
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Current season or competition: 2016 All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championship
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| Irish | Craobh Iomána Fé-21 na hÉireann |
| Founded | 1964 |
| Region | Ireland (GAA) |
| Trophy | The James Nowlan Cup |
| Title holders | Waterford (2nd title) |
| Most titles | Cork and Kilkenny (11 titles) |
| Sponsors | Bord Gáis Energy |
| TV partner(s) | TG4 |
| Official website | http://www.bgeu21.ie/ |
The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Under-21 Championship is an annual championship of hurling for male players under the age of 21 and is organized by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). The championship has been awarded every year since the first tournament in 1964.
The games are played in the summer months with the final normally being played in September. The championship has always been played on a straight knockout basis. In the present format, it begins in May with provincial championships held in Leinster, Munster and Ulster, with the three respective champions contesting the subsequent All-Ireland semi-finals with Galway.
Cork and Kilkenny are the most successful teams with eleven titles each, followed by Galway with ten titles and Tipperary with nine. The title has been won by eight different teams, six of which have won the title more than once.
Waterford are the current holders.
Leinster, Munster and Ulster each organise a provincial under-21 championship. Connacht do not organise a provincial championship and are represented by Galway. The three provincial champions and Galway enter the All-Ireland semi-finals.
In September 2016 the GAA established a new trophy named The James Nowlan Cup to be presented to the All-Ireland under-21 hurling champions.
The old trophy, the Cross of Cashel, was retired after the 2015 final having been introduced in 1967.
The All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championship began in 1964 in response to a Congress motion put forward by the Kerry County Board for the introduction of a new championship grade. It was the fifth All-Ireland championship to be created after the senior, junior, minor and intermediate grades.
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