| Year: | 1996 |
| Dates: | 5 May – 1 September 1996 |
| Teams: | 21 |
| Connacht: | Galway |
| Munster: | Limerick |
| Leinster: | Wexford |
| Ulster: | Antrim |
| Matches: | 22 |
| Poty: | Larry O'Gorman Martin Storey |
| Team: | Wexford |
| Titles: | 6th |
| Captain: | Martin Storey |
| Manager: | Liam Griffin |
| Team2: | Limerick |
| Captain2: | Ciarán Carey |
| Manager2: | Tom Ryan |
| Topscorer: | Gary Kirby (1-35) |
| Previous: | 1995 |
| Next: | 1997 |
The All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship of 1996 (known for sponsorship reasons as the Guinness Hurling Championship 1996) was the 110th staging of Ireland's premier hurling knock-out competition. Wexford won the championship, beating Limerick 1–13 to 0–14 in the final at Croke Park, Dublin.
Promoted from the All-Ireland Senior B Hurling Championship
Entered Championship
Regraded to the All-Ireland Senior B Hurling Championship
| Province | Team | Colours | Sponsor | Captain | Manager | Most recent success | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All-Ireland | Provincial | League | |||||||
| Leinster | Carlow | Red, green and yellow | Moling Morrissey | ||||||
| Dublin | Navy and blue | Arnotts | Jimmy Gray | 1938 | 1961 | 1938-39 | |||
| Kilkenny | Black and amber | Avonmore | Michael Phelan | Nickey Brennan | 1993 | 1993 | 1994-95 | ||
| Laois | Blue and white | Esso Ultron | Michael "Babs" Keating | 1915 | 1949 | ||||
| Meath | Green and gold | Kepak | John Davis | ||||||
| Offaly | Green, white and gold | Carroll Meats | Shane McGuckin | Éamonn Cregan | 1995 | 1994 | 1990-91 | ||
| Westmeath | Maroon and white | Bennett Construction | Georgie Leahy | ||||||
| Wexford | Purple and gold | Wexford Creamery | Martin Storey | Liam Griffin | 1996 | 2019 | 1973 | ||
| Munster | Clare | Saffron and blue | Pat O'Donnell | Anthony Daly | Ger Loughnane | 1995 | 1995 | 1977-78 | |
| Cork | Red and white | Barry's Tea | Mark Mullins | Jimmy Barry-Murphy | 1990 | 1992 | 1992-93 | ||
| Kerry | Green and yellow | Kerry Group | John Meyler | 1891 | 1891 | ||||
| Limerick | Green and white | Shaws | Ciarán Carey | Tom Ryan | 1973 | 1994 | 1991-92 | ||
| Tipperary | Blue and gold | Finches | Michael Cleary | Tom Fogarty | 1991 | 1993 | 1993-94 | ||
| Waterford | White and blue | Tedcastles Oil | Fergal Hartley | Tony Mansfield | 1959 | 1963 | 1962-63 | ||
| Connacht | Galway | Maroon and white | Supermac's | Michael Coleman | Mattie Murphy | 1988 | 1995 | 1995-96 | |
| Roscommon | Blue and yellow | 747 Travel | Michael Kelly | ||||||
| Ulster | Antrim | Saffron and white | Matbro | Dominic McKinley | 1994 | ||||
| Down | Red and black | No sponsor | Paddy Braniff Brian Gilmore Gerard Lennon | 1995 | |||||
| Derry | |||||||||
| Britain | London | ||||||||
| North America | New York | ||||||||
Final: (1 match) This is a lone match between the two competing Connacht teams. One team is eliminated at this stage, while the winners advance to the All-Ireland quarter-final where the play the winners of the All-Ireland preliminary round.
Preliminary round 1: (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 preliminary round 2.
Preliminary round 2: (1 match) The winner of the preliminary round 1 game joins another Leinster team to contest this game. One team is eliminated at this stage, while the winners advance to the quarter-finals.
Quarter-finals: (2 matches) The winner of the preliminary round 2 game joins three other Leinster teams to make up the two quarter-final pairings. Two teams are eliminated at this stage, while two teams advance to the Leinster semi-finals.
Semi-finals: (2 matches) The winners of the two quarter-finals join two other Leinster teams to make up the semi-final pairings. Two teams are eliminated at this stage, while two teams advance to the Leinster 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.
Quarter-final: (2 matches) These are two lone matches between the first four teams drawn from the province of Munster. Two teams are eliminated at this stage, while two teams advance to the semi-finals.
Semi-finals: (2 matches) The winners of the two quarter-finals join the other two Munster teams to make up the semi-final pairings. Two teams are eliminated at this stage, while two teams 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.
Final: (1 match) This is a lone match between the two competing Ulster teams. One team is eliminated at this stage, while the winners advance to the All-Ireland semi-final where the play the Munster champions.
Preliminary round 1: (1 match) This is a single match between the overseas teams of New York and London. One team is eliminated at this stage, while the winners advance to the preliminary round 2.
Preliminary round 2: (1 match) This is a single match between the winners of the preliminary round 1 and the All-Ireland 'B' champions. One team is eliminated at this stage, while the winners advance to the All-Ireland quarter-final.
Quarter-final: (1 match) This is a single match between the winners of the preliminary round 2 game and the Connacht champions. One team is eliminated at this stage, while the winners advance to the All-Ireland semi-final.
Semi-finals: (2 matches) The Munster and Leinster champions will play the winners of the lone quarter-final and the Ulster champions. Two teams are eliminated at this stage, while the two winnerss advance to the All-Ireland final.
Final: (1 match) The two semi-final winners will contest the final.
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See main article: 1996 Munster Senior Hurling Championship Final.
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See main article: All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship.
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See main article: 1996 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final.
| Rank | Player | County | Tally | Total | Matches | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gary Kirby | Limerick | 1–35 | 38 | 6 | 6.33 |
| 2 | Francis Forde | Galway | 3–15 | 24 | 3 | 8.00 |
| 3 | Tom Dempsey | Wexford | 2–15 | 21 | 5 | 4.20 |
| 4 | Johnny Dooley | Offaly | 0–19 | 19 | 3 | 6.33 |
| Liam Cahill | Tipperary | 3–10 | 19 | 4 | 4.75 | |
| 6 | Michael Cleary | Tipperary | 0–18 | 18 | 4 | 4.50 |
| Kevin Broderick | Galway | 5–3 | 18 | 3 | 6.00 |
| Rank | Player | County | Tally | Total | Opposition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Francis Forde | Galway | 2–8 | 14 | Roscommon |
| 2 | Niall English | Carlow | 1–9 | 12 | Westmeath |
| 3 | Kevin Broderick | Galway | 3–1 | 10 | New York |
| Gary Kirby | Limerick | 1–7 | 10 | Tipperary | |
| Gary Kirby | Limerick | 0–10 | 10 | Tipperary | |
| 6 | Seán McLoughlin | Westmeath | 1–6 | 9 | Carlow |
| David Martin | Meath | 1–6 | 9 | Offaly | |
| Gary Kirby | Limerick | 0–9 | 9 | Antrim | |
| 9 | John Byrne | Carlow | 2–2 | 8 | Westmeath |
| John Troy | Offaly | 2–2 | 8 | Laois | |
| John Leahy | Tipperary | 2–2 | 8 | Kerry | |
| Tom Dempsey | Wexford | 1–5 | 8 | Offaly | |
| Paul Flynn | Waterford | 1–5 | 8 | Tipperary | |
| Francis Forde | Galway | 1–5 | 8 | New York |
The following players made their début in the 1996 championship:
| Player | Team | Date | Opposition | Game | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Derek Barrett | Cork | May 26 | Limerick | Munster quarter-final | |
| Joe Deane | Cork | May 26 | Limerick | Munster quarter-final | |
| Seán Óg Ó hAilpín | Cork | May 26 | Limerick | Munster quarter-final | |
| Ken McGrath | Waterford | June 2 | Tipperary | Munster quarter-final | |
| Kevin Flynn | Dublin | June 23 | Wexford | Leinster semi-final | |
| Ollie Canning | Galway | July 6 | Roscommon | Connacht final |
The following players played their last game in the 1996 championship:
| Player | Team | Date | Opposition | Game | Début | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jim Cashman | Cork | May 26 | Limerick | Munster quarter-final | 1986 | |
| Nicky English | Tipperary | July 14 | Limerick | Munster final | 1982 |