| Year: | 2006 |
| Dates: | 14 May – 3 September 2006 |
| Teams: | 12 |
| Munster: | Cork |
| Leinster: | Kilkenny |
| Ulster: | Antrim |
| Matches: | 29 |
| Poty: | Henry Shefflin |
| Team: | Kilkenny |
| Titles: | 29th |
| Captain: | Jackie Tyrrell |
| Manager: | Brian Cody |
| Team2: | Cork |
| Captain2: | Pat Mulcahy |
| Manager2: | John Allen |
| Topscorer: | Henry Shefflin (2-47) |
| Previous: | 2005 |
| Next: | 2007 |
The 2006 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship was the 120th staging of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, the Gaelic Athletic Association's premier inter-county hurling tournament, since its establishment in 1887. The draw for the provincial fixtures took place on 12 November 2005.[1] The championship began on 14 May 2006 and ended on 3 September 2006
Cork entered the championship as defending champions.[2]
On 3 September 2006, Kilkenny won the championship after a 1–16 to 1–13 defeat of Cork in the All-Ireland final at Croke Park.[3] This was their 29th All-Ireland title overall and their first title since 2003.[4]
Kilkenny's Henry Shefflin was the championship's top scorer with 2-47.
Promoted from the Christy Ring Cup
Relegated to the Christy Ring Cup
Twelve counties will compete in the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship: one team in the Connacht Senior Hurling Championship, six teams in the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship and five teams in the Munster Senior Hurling Championship.
| County | Last provincial title | Last championship title | Position in 2005 Championship | Appearance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clare | 1998 | 1997 | Semi-finals | ||
| Cork | 2005 | 2005 | Champions | ||
| Dublin | 1961 | 1938 | Qualifier Group B | ||
| Galway | 1999 | 1988 | Runners-up | ||
| Kilkenny | 2005 | 2003 | Semi-finals | ||
| Laois | 1949 | 1915 | Qualifier Group A | ||
| Limerick | 1996 | 1973 | Quarter-finals | ||
| Offaly | 1995 | 1998 | Qualifier Group B | ||
| Tipperary | 2001 | 2001 | Quarter-finals | ||
| Waterford | 2004 | 1959 | Quarter-finals | ||
| Westmeath | — | — | Champions (Christy Ring Cup) | ||
| Wexford | 2004 | 1996 | Quarter-finals |
Twelve teams participated in hurling's top tier in 2006.
For the first time since 1983, the Ulster champions were not represented in the wider All-Ireland series of games. Antrim, in spite of being Ulster champions in 2005, subsequently lost all of their All-Ireland qualifier games and were relegated to the Christy Ring Cup after being beaten by Offaly and Laois in the relegation play-offs.[5]
| Team | Colours | Manager(s) | Captain(s) | Sponsor | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clare | Anthony Daly | Seánie McMahon | Pat O'Donnell | ||
| Cork | John Allen | Pat Mulcahy | O2 | ||
| Dublin | Tommy Naughton | Philip Brennan | Arnotts | ||
| Galway | Liam Donoghue | Conor Hayes | Supermacs | ||
| Kilkenny | Brian Cody | Jackie Tyrrell | Avonmore | ||
| Laois | Dinny Cahill | Patrick Mullaney | The Heritage | ||
| Limerick | Joe McKenna Richie Bennis | T. J. Ryan Damien Reale | Sporting Limerick | ||
| Offaly | John McIntyre | Brendan Murphy | Carroll Cuisine | ||
| Tipperary | Babs Keating | Ger O'Grady | Enfer | ||
| Waterford | Justin McCarthy | Paul Flynn | Essence | ||
| Westmeath | Séamus Qualter | John Shaw | Greville Arms Hotel | ||
| Wexford | Séamus Murphy | Keith Rossiter | Wexford Cheddar |
See main article: Leinster Senior Hurling Championship.
See main article: Munster Senior Hurling Championship.
See main article: Ulster Senior Hurling Championship.
See main article: 2006 Christy Ring Cup.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | SF | SA | Diff | Pts | Qualification | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Down | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 8-76 | 2-43 | 51 | 8 | Advance to Knockout Stage | |
| 2 | Antrim | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 15-70 | 2-48 | 61 | 6 | ||
| 3 | London | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 7-45 | 4-59 | -5 | 4 | ||
| 4 | Meath | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2-65 | 10-50 | -9 | 2 | ||
| 5 | Roscommon | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2-35 | 16-91 | -98 | 0 | Advance to relegation playoff |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | SF | SA | Diff | Pts | Qualification | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kildare | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 9-62 | 7-43 | 25 | 8 | Advance to Knockout Stage | |
| 2 | Carlow | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7-55 | 8-37 | 15 | 5 | ||
| 3 | Mayo | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4-34 | 7-48 | -23 | 4 | ||
| 4 | Wicklow | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6-45 | 9-41 | -5 | 3 | ||
| 5 | Kerry | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 7-34 | 2-61 | -12 | 0 | Advance to relegation playoff |
See main article: 2006 Nicky Rackard Cup.
See main article: All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship qualifiers.
| Pos | width=165 | Team | width=20 | Pld | width=20 | W | width=20 | D | width=20 | L | width=35 | F | width=35 | A | width=20 | Diff | width=20 | Pts | width=377 | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Waterford | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6-64 | 4-47 | 23 | 6 | Advance to All-Ireland Quarter-Finals | ||||||||||
| 2 | Galway | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 12-59 | 3-44 | 42 | 4 | |||||||||||
| 3 | Laois | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5-41 | 11-44 | -21 | 2 | |||||||||||
| 4 | Westmeath | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3-29 | 8-58 | -44 | 0 | Advance to Relegation Playoff |
| Pos | width=165 | Team | width=20 | Pld | width=20 | W | width=20 | D | width=20 | L | width=35 | F | width=35 | A | width=20 | Diff | width=20 | Pts | width=377 | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clare | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8-57 | 2-35 | 40 | 6 | Advance to All-Ireland Quarter-Finals | ||||||||||
| 2 | Limerick | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4-55 | 5-53 | -1 | 4 | |||||||||||
| 3 | Offaly | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4-45 | 4-61 | -16 | 2 | |||||||||||
| 4 | Dublin | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2-46 | 7-54 | -23 | 0 | Advance to Relegation Playoff |
See main article: 2006 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship final.
| Rank | Player | County | Tally | Total | Matches | Average | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Henry Shefflin | Kilkenny | 2-47 | 53 | 5 | 10.60 | |
| 2 | Eoin Kelly | Tipperary | 3-38 | 47 | 4 | 11.75 | |
| 3 | James Young | Laois | 1-33 | 36 | 4 | 9.00 | |
| 4 | Niall Gilligan | Clare | 3-26 | 35 | 6 | 5.83 | |
| 5 | David Curtin | Dublin | 0-34 | 34 | 5 | 6.80 | |
| 6 | Joe Deane | Cork | 0-32 | 32 | 5 | 6.40 | |
| 7 | Andrew Mitchell | Westmeath | 0-30 | 30 | 6 | 5.00 | |
| 8 | Dave Bennett | Waterford | 0-27 | 27 | 5 | 5.40 | |
| 9 | Ger Farragher | Galway | 1-22 | 25 | 4 | 6.25 | |
| 10 | Brian Carroll | Offaly | 0-24 | 24 | 5 | 4.80 |
| Rank | Player | County | Tally | Total | Opposition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Henry Shefflin | Kilkenny | 1-13 | 16 | Clare |
| James Young | Laois | 1-13 | 16 | Westmeath | |
| 2 | Eoin Kelly | Tipperary | 2-09 | 15 | Waterford |
| 3 | Alan Kerins | Galway | 4-02 | 14 | Laois |
| Eoin Kelly | Tipperary | 0-14 | 14 | Limerick | |
| 4 | Niall Gilligan | Clare | 2-05 | 11 | Dublin |
| Henry Shefflin | Kilkenny | 0-11 | 11 | Galway | |
| 5 | Derek Quinn | Clare | 1-07 | 10 | Offaly |
| Barry Foley | Limerick | 1-07 | 10 | Offaly | |
| Henry Shefflin | Kilkenny | 1-07 | 10 | Wexford |