# O'Byrne Cup

The O'Byrne Cup is a Gaelic football competition organized by the Leinster GAA and first staged in 1954.

## History

The competition is named in honour of Matt Byrne (b. 14 February 1870), a former Wicklow GAA club and county officer. By virtue of a quirk in translation, the Corn Uí Bhroin became known as the O'Byrne cup even though Matt had never used an 'O' in his surname. Byrne was a native of Baltinglass and taught at the local national school. Deeply involved in GAA activities at all levels throughout his life, he was regarded as a good footballer in his youth and an excellent handballer. He was the first secretary of the Maurice Davins' club in Baltinglass and served as a member of the Wicklow County Board for over 50 years, mostly as registrar. He represented Wicklow on Leinster and Central Councils and served as President of the Irish Handball Council from 1941-44. Byrne died on 21 September 1947.
The competition is contested by the eleven Leinster county teams (excluding Kilkenny), although Third-level College teams have taken part occasionally. The competition is, together with the Walsh Cup and Kehoe Cup, part of a Leinster GAA Series which takes place each January. The most recent O'Byrne Cup winners were Longford, who beat Dublin in the 2024 final.
The O'Byrne Shield was introduced in 2006 for teams knocked out at the first-round stage of the competition. It was later abandoned in 2013 due to the introduction of group stages in the competition, but re-introduced in 2024 when the O'Byrne Cup reverted to straight knockout format.

## Recent developments

In September 2024, GAA delegates voted to remove the O'Byrne Cup from the 2025 fixtures calendar on a one-year trial basis.

## Top winners

| | Team | Wins | Years won |
| 1 | Kildare | 11 | 1962, 1968, 1970, 1973, 1976, 1982, 1989, 2003, 2011, 2013, 2014 |
| 2 | Dublin | 10 | 1956, 1958, 1960, 1966, 1999, 2007, 2008, 2015, 2017, 2022 |
| 2 | Meath | 10 | 1967, 1974, 1977, 1983, 1992, 2001, 2004, 2006, 2016, 2018 |
| 4 | Offaly | 6 | 1954, 1961, 1981, 1993, 1997, 1998 |
| 5 | Laois | 5 | 1978, 1987, 1991, 1994, 2005 |
| 5 | Longford | 5 | 1965, 2000, 2020, 2023, 2024 |
| 7 | Westmeath | 4 | 1959, 1964, 1988, 2019 |
| 7 | Louth | 4 | 1963, 1980, 1990, 2009 |
| 7 | Wicklow | 4 | 1955, 1957, 1986, 1996 |
| 10 | DCU | 2 | 2010, 2012 |
| 11 | Carlow | 1 | 2002 |
| 11 | Wexford | 1 | 1995 |

## List of finals

| Year | Winners | Score | Runners-up | Score | Venue |
| 2024 | Longford | 1-15 | Dublin | 0-09 | O'Moore Park |
| 2023 | Longford | 3-13 | Louth | 0-12 | Pearse Park |
| 2022 | Dublin | 1-13 | Laois | 0-11 | Dr. Cullen Park |
| 2021 | No Competition | No Competition | No Competition | No Competition | No Competition |
| 2020 | Longford | 1-12 | Offaly | 0-11 | O'Connor Park |
| 2019 | Westmeath | 1-12 | Dublin | 0-10 | Parnell Park |
| 2018 | Meath | 4-13 | Westmeath | 1-13 | Cusack Park |
| 2017 | Dublin | 2-16 | Louth | 1-10 | Gaelic Grounds |
| 2016 | Meath | 1-17 | Longford | 1-11 | Páirc Tailteann |
| 2015 | Dublin | 0-24 | Kildare | 0-19 | St Conleth's Park |
| 2014 | Kildare | 1-10 | Meath | 0-09 | St Conleth's Park |
| 2013 | Kildare | 1-16 | Dublin | 0-17 | Parnell Park |
| 2012 | DCU | 3-07 | Kildare | 1-12 | O'Moore Park |
| 2011 | Kildare | 3-09 | Louth | 2-09 | St Conleth's Park |
| 2010 | DCU | 1-15 | Louth | 0-17 | Gaelic Grounds |
| 2009 | Louth | 1-17 | DCU | 1-10 | Gaelic Grounds |
| 2008 | Dublin | 2-12 | Longford | 1-14 | Parnell Park |
| 2007 | Dublin | 1-18 | Laois | 2-13 | O'Moore Park |
| 2006 | Meath | 3-14 | Offaly | 0-14 | Páirc Tailteann |
| 2005 | Laois | 0-17 | Westmeath | 0-12 | Cusack Park |
| 2004 | Meath | 2-06 | Westmeath | 0-11 | Cusack Park |
| 2003 | Kildare | 0-12 | Longford | 1-06 | Pearse Park |
| 2002 | Carlow | 2-10 | Wicklow | 0-08 | Dr. Cullen Park |
| 2001 | Meath | 1-11 | Westmeath | 0-11 | Cusack Park |
| 2000 | Longford | 2-06 | Westmeath | 0-07 | Cusack Park |
| 1999 | Dublin | 1-16 | Louth | 1-10 | Parnell Park |
| 1998 | Offaly | 4-07 | Louth | 2-07 | Gaelic Grounds |
| 1997 | Offaly | 4-13 | Wexford | 0-05 | O'Connor Park |
| 1996 | Wicklow | 0-12 | Wexford | 1-07 | Aughrim |
| 1995 | ‡ Wexford | 0-09 | Westmeath | 1-06 | Wexford Park |
| 1994 | Laois | 3-09 | Meath | 1-11 | O'Moore Park |
| 1993 | Offaly | 1-10 | Meath | 0-07 | Páirc Tailteann |
| 1992 | Meath | 1-11 | Wexford | 0-07 | Páirc Uí Shíocháin, Gorey |
| 1991 | Laois | 0-13 | Wicklow | 0-10 | O'Moore Park |
| 1990 | Louth | 2-04 | Kildare | 1-06 | Gaelic Grounds |
| 1989 | Kildare | 2-08 | Meath | 0-09 | St Conleth's Park |
| 1988 | Westmeath | 0-09, 0-13 (R) | Laois | 2-03, 2-05 (R) | O'Moore Park |
| 1987 | Laois | 1-08 | Wexford | 0-09 | Bellefield, Enniscorthy |
| 1986 | Wicklow | 1-07 | Westmeath | 0-06 | Cusack Park |
| 1985 | No Competition | No Competition | No Competition | No Competition | No Competition |
| 1984 | No Competition | No Competition | No Competition | No Competition | No Competition |
| 1983 | Meath | 1-11 | Longford | 1-09 | Pearse Park |
| 1982 | Kildare | 2-08 | Wicklow | 1-05 | St Conleth's Park |
| 1981 | Offaly | 1-12 | Dublin | 0-11 | Parnell Park |
| 1980 | Louth | 0-08 | Dublin | 1-04 | St Brigid's Park |
| 1979 | No Competition | No Competition | No Competition | No Competition | No Competition |
| 1978 | Laois | 3-07 | Carlow | 1-08 | Dr. Cullen Park |
| 1977 | Meath | 2-09 | Offaly | 0-09 | Páirc Tailteann |
| 1976 | Kildare | 1-09 | Wexford | 0-09 | Wexford Park |
| 1975 | No Competition | No Competition | No Competition | No Competition | No Competition |
| 1974 | Meath | 1-09 | Dublin | 2-05 | Páirc Tailteann |
| 1973 | Kildare | 3-11 | Dublin | 1-04 | Fr. Brennan Park, Naas |
| 1972 | No Competition | No Competition | No Competition | No Competition | No Competition |
| 1971 | No Competition | No Competition | No Competition | No Competition | No Competition |
| 1970 | Kildare | 2-08 | Louth | 0-08 | Gaelic Grounds |
| 1969 | No Competition | No Competition | No Competition | No Competition | No Competition |
| 1968 | Kildare | 2-07 | Westmeath | 1-06 | St Conleth's Park |
| 1967 | Meath | 0-10 | Dublin | 1-05 | Páirc Tailteann |
| 1966 | Dublin | 1-05 | Offaly | 0-06 | St Brendan's Park, Birr |
| 1965 | Longford | 1-09 | Kildare | 1-06 | Pearse Park |
| 1964 | Westmeath | 1-09 | Carlow | 1-05 | O'Connor Park |
| 1963 | Louth | 1-10 | Longford | 0-10 | Gaelic Grounds |
| 1962 | Kildare | 2-06 | Louth | 1-07 | Croke Park |
| 1961 | Offaly | 1-09 | Longford | 0-06 | O'Connor Park |
| 1960 | Dublin | 2-06, 1-11 (R) | Louth | 1-09, 0-07 (R) | Croke Park |
| 1959 | Westmeath | 1-05 | Kildare | 1-04 | Cusack Park |
| 1958 | Dublin | 1-06, 2-09 (R) | Meath | 1-06, 2-08 (R) | Páirc Tailteann |
| 1957 | Wicklow | 2-09 | Kildare | 0-10 | Blessington |
| 1956 | Dublin | 1-10 | Kildare | 1-03 | St Conleth's Park |
| 1955 | Wicklow | 1-06 | Westmeath | 0-07 | St Conleth's Park |
| 1954 | Offaly | 0-10 | Louth | 1-05 | Croke Park |
‡ Wexford awarded title as Westmeath refused to play extra time.

## O'Byrne Shield
### Top winners

| | Team | Wins | Years won |
| 1 | Laois | 3 | 2008, 2009, 2012 |
| 2 | Longford | 2 | 2006, 2007 |
| 3 | Carlow | 1 | 2010 |
| 3 | Dublin | 1 | 2011 |
| 3 | Louth | 1 | 2024 |