Ulster Senior Hurling Championship
| Ulster GAA Hurling Senior Championship | |
|---|---|
Current season or competition: 2017 Ulster Senior Hurling Championship
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| Irish | Craobh Iomána Uladh |
| Founded | 1900 |
| Region | Ulster (GAA) |
| Trophy | Liam Harvey Cup |
| No. of teams | 4 |
| Title holders | Antrim (57th title) |
| Most titles | Antrim (57 titles) |
| TV partner(s) | TG4, RTÉ, BBC Northern Ireland |
| Motto | Nothing beats being there |
| Official website | Official website |
The Ulster Senior Hurling Championship is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Ulster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is one of the three provincial hurling tournaments in Ireland and the most prestigious inter-county hurling competition in Ulster. The championship has been awarded every year since 1901.
The final, usually held on the second Sunday in July, serves as the culmination of a series of games played during the summer months, and the results determine which county's team receives the Liam Harvey Cup. The championship has always been played on a straight knockout basis whereby once a team loses they are eliminated from the championship.
The Ulster Championship was formerly an integral part of the wider GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship. In 2005 Antrim entered the All-Ireland competition directly.
In 2016, a two-tier format began. Four teams compete in the Ulster Senior Hurling Championship, and four in the Ulster Senior Hurling Shield.
The title has been won at least once by five Ulster counties, all of which have won the title more than once. The all-time record-holders Antrim, who have won the competition 57 times. Antrim are also the current champions.
While the Munster Hurling Championship and the Leinster Hurling Championship are generally held in very high regard, and have produced the vast majority of recent All-Ireland Hurling Champions, the Ulster Championship has not been regarded historically as of a similar standard, and the Ulster champions have entered the All-Ireland Hurling Championship at an earlier round than the Munster and Leinster champions.
This is due to a number of factors, one of which is the dominance of Gaelic football in eight of the nine counties of Ulster. An Ulster team has never won the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, although Antrim were finalists in 1943 and 1989. Antrim have dominated the Ulster Championship throughout its existence, winning the title 55 times to date.
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