# Galway–Kilkenny hurling rivalry

The Galway-Kilkenny rivalry is a hurling rivalry between Irish county teams Galway and Kilkenny, who first played each other in 1898. Recently it has become one of the biggest rivalries in Gaelic games. Kilkenny's home ground is Nowlan Park and Galway's home ground is Pearse Stadium, however, all of their championship meetings have been held at neutral venues.
While Kilkenny have the highest number of All-Ireland and Leinster titles, Galway were the standard bearers in Connacht before joining the Leinster championship in 2009, however, All-Ireland success for them has been sporadic. Between them the two teams have won 41 All-Ireland championships.

## History

While Kilkenny is classed as one of the "Big Three", Galway is considered an in-between county, meaning it has some good years and some bad years. Galway have always had the capability to stop the Kilkenny forces.

## Statistics

Up to date as of 2023 season
| Team | All-Ireland | Provincial | National League | Total |
| Kilkenny | 36 | 75 | 19 | 130 |
| Galway | 5 | 28 | 11 | 44 |
| Combined | 41 | 103 | 30 | 174 |

## Notable Matches

* Galway 5-18 : 4-18 Kilkenny (August 2005 Croke Park) - Lauded as the greatest game of the modern era, Galway went in as underdogs but managed to stun the hurling world by enialating Kilkenny in the opening 30 minutes leading 2-11:1-04 after 30 minutes. Kilkenny came back into it and trailed only by 2 points at the break 2-11:3-05. But 3 second-half goals by Niall Healy helped Galway to stay in front and bring them to a shocking win by 5-18:4-18.
* Kilkenny 1-19 : 1-12 Galway (July 2010 at Croke Park) - Galways first Leinster final pitted them against the mighty Kilkenny who were going for an infamous 5-In-A-Row All Irelands. Despite a strong start with Galway jumping to a 1-03:0-00 lead, Kilkenny soon got to grips and rallied to lead 0-14:1-05 at half time. Galway were unlucky not to win the second half (K 1-05:0-07 G), but never gave up and battled until the end.
* Galway 2-21 : 2-11 Kilkenny (July 2012 at Croke Park) - Kilkenny had become the Kings of hurling and were seen as unbeatable, that is until Anthony Cunninghams men took them on in the Leinster Final of 2012. Galway held Kilkeeny scoreless for 20 minutes and led at half time by 2-12:0-04. Kilkenny fought back in the second half, but it was never going to be enough as Galway finished strongly to win their first Leinster title by 2-21:2-11.
* Kilkenny 0-19 : 2-13 Galway (September 2012 at Croke Park) - The sides second meeting in the 2012 Trilogy was the All-Ireland final. Again Galway jumped into a lead 1-04:0-02 and held on to lead by 5 at the break 1-09:0-07, but sloppy defending meant they conceded 10 second half frees all converted by Henry Shefflin. Galway finished with a last-gasp free from Joe Canning to force a replay, final score Galway 2-13, Kilkenny 0-19.
* Kilkenny 3-22: 3-11 Galway (September 2012 #2 at Croke Park) - For the third match in 2012 Galway jumped into a 2-02:0-02 lead but that was the last we heard of Galway until the dying moments as Kilkenny dominated the rest of the match scoring 3-22 to win by eleven points.
* Galway 5-16 : 3-22 Kilkenny (June 2014 at O'Connor Park) - Galway came back from 10 points down with six minutes to play to force a draw. Joe Canning scored the last point of the game with the last play from out on the left near the touch-line to level the game after Henry Shefflin appeared to have won it for Kilkenny with a similar point at the other end. Kilkenny went on to win the replay the week after.

## Recent results
### Legend

* Galway win
* Kilkenny win
* Drawn match

### Senior championship

| No. | Date | Winners | Score | Runners-up | Venue | Stage |
| 1. | 30 October 1898 | Kilkenny (1) | 3-4 - 0-4 | Galway | Athlone | All-Ireland semi-final |
| 2. | 13 May 1906 | Kilkenny (2) | 2-8 - 1-7 | Galway | Athlone | All-Ireland semi-final |
| 3. | 29 September 1912 | Kilkenny (3) | 8-3 - 2-2 | Galway | Jones's Road | All-Ireland semi-final |
| 4. | 18 May 1924 | Galway (1) | 5-4 - 2-0 | Kilkenny | Croke Park | All-Ireland semi-final |
| 5. | 9 August 1925 | Galway (2) | 9-4 - 6-0 | Kilkenny | Croke Park | All-Ireland semi-final |
| 6. | 29 August 1926 | Kilkenny (4) | 6-2 - 5-1 | Galway | Croke Park | All-Ireland semi-final |
| 7. | 11 August 1929 | Galway (3) | 7-7 - 7-1 | Kilkenny | St. Brendan's Park | All-Ireland semi-final |
| 8. | 16 August 1931 | Kilkenny (5) | 7-2 - 3-1 | Galway | Croke Park | All-Ireland semi-final |
| 9. | 13 August 1933 | Kilkenny (5) | 5-10 - 3-8 | Galway | St. Brendan's Park | All-Ireland semi-final |
| 10. | 4 August 1935 | Kilkenny (6) | 6-10 - 1-8 | Galway | St. Brendan's Park | All-Ireland semi-final |
| 11. | 8 August 1937 | Kilkenny (7) | 0-8 - 0-6 | Galway | St. Brendan's Park | All-Ireland semi-final |
| 12. | 6 August 1939 | Kilkenny (8) | 1-16 - 3-1 | Galway | St. Cronan's Park | All-Ireland semi-final |
| 13. | 29 July 1945 | Kilkenny (9) | 5-3 - 2-11 | Galway | St. Brendan's Park | All-Ireland semi-final |
| 14. | 27 July 1947 | Kilkenny (10) | 2-9 - 1-11 | Galway | St. Brendan's Park | All-Ireland semi-final |
| 15. | 16 August 1953 | Galway (4) | 3-5 - 1-10 | Kilkenny | Croke Park | All-Ireland semi-final |
| 16. | 6 August 1972 | Kilkenny (11) | 5-28 - 3-7 | Galway | Croke Park | All-Ireland semi-final |
| 17. | 4 August 1974 | Kilkenny (13) | 2-32 - 3-17 | Galway | St. Brendan's Park | All-Ireland semi-final |
| 18. | 7 September 1975 | Kilkenny (14) | 2-22 - 2-10 | Galway | Croke Park | All-Ireland final |
| 19. | 6 August 1978 | Kilkenny (15) | 4-20 - 4-13 | Galway | Croke Park | All-Ireland semi-final |
| 20. | 2 September 1979 | Kilkenny (16) | 2-12 - 1-8 | Galway | Croke Park | All-Ireland final |
| 21. | 8 August 1982 | Kilkenny (17) | 2-20 - 2-10 | Galway | Croke Park | All-Ireland semi-final |
| 22. | 10 August 1986 | Galway (5) | 4-12 - 0-13 | Kilkenny | Semple Stadium | All-Ireland semi-final |
| 23. | 6 September 1987 | Galway (6) | 1-12 - 0-9 | Kilkenny | Croke Park | All-Ireland final |
| 24. | 9 August 1992 | Kilkenny (18) | 2-13 - 1-12 | Galway | Croke Park | All-Ireland semi-final |
| 25. | 5 September 1993 | Kilkenny (19) | 2-17 - 1-15 | Galway | Croke Park | All-Ireland final |
| 26. | 27 July 1997 | Kilkenny (20) | 4-15 - 3-16 | Galway | Semple Stadium | All-Ireland quarter-final |
| 27. | 13 August 2000 | Kilkenny (21) | 2-19 - 0-17 | Galway | Croke Park | All-Ireland semi-final |
| 28. | 19 August 2001 | Galway (7) | 2-15 - 1-13 | Kilkenny | Croke Park | All-Ireland semi-final |
| 29. | 10 July 2004 | Kilkenny (22) | 4-20 - 1-10 | Galway | Semple Stadium | All-Ireland qualifier |
| 30. | 21 August 2005 | Galway (8) | 5-18 - 4-18 | Kilkenny | Croke Park | All-Ireland semi-final |
| 31. | 22 July 2006 | Kilkenny (23) | 2-22 - 3-14 | Galway | Semple Stadium | All-Ireland quarter-final |
| 32. | 28 July 2007 | Kilkenny (24) | 3-22 - 1-18 | Galway | Croke Park | All-Ireland quarter-final |
| 33. | 20 June 2009 | Kilkenny (25) | 2-20 - 3-13 | Galway | O'Connor Park | Leinster semi-final |
| 34. | 4 July 2010 | Kilkenny (26) | 1-19 - 1-12 | Galway | Croke Park | Leinster final |
| 35. | 8 July 2012 | Galway (9) | 2-21 - 2-11 | Kilkenny | Croke Park | Leinster final |
| 36. | 9 September 2012 | Galway | 2-13 - 0-19 | Kilkenny | Croke Park | All-Ireland final |
| 37. | 30 September 2012 | Kilkenny (27) | 3-22 - 3-11 | Galway | Croke Park | All-Ireland final replay |
| 38. | 22 June 2014 | Kilkenny | 3-22 - 5-16 | Galway | O'Connor Park | Leinster semi-final |
| 39. | 28 June 2014 | Kilkenny (28) | 3-19 - 1-17 | Galway | O'Connor Park | Leinster semi-final replay |
| 40. | 5 July 2015 | Kilkenny (29) | 1-25 - 2-15 | Galway | Croke Park | Leinster final |
| 41. | 6 September 2015 | Kilkenny (30) | 1-22 - 1-18 | Galway | Croke Park | All-Ireland final |
| 42. | 3 July 2016 | Kilkenny (31) | 1-26 - 0-22 | Galway | Croke Park | Leinster final |
| 43. | 27 May 2018 | Galway (10) | 1-22 - 2-11 | Kilkenny | Salthill | Leinster Round Robin |
| 44. | 1 July 2018 | Galway | 0-18 - 0-18 | Kilkenny | Croke Park | Leinster final |
| 45. | 8 July 2018 | Galway (11) | 1-28 - 3-15 | Kilkenny | Croke Park | Leinster final replay |
| 46. | 9 June 2019 | Galway (12) | 2-22 - 3-20 | Kilkenny | Nowlan Park | Leinster Round Robin |
| 47. | 14 November 2020 | Kilkenny (32) | 2-20 - 0-24 | Galway | Croke Park | Leinster Final |
| 48. | 1 May 2022 | Galway (13) | 1-24 - 3-17 | Kilkenny | Pearse Stadium | Leinster Round Robin |
| 49. | 30 April 2023 | Kilkenny | 0-28 - 1-25 | Galway | Nowlan Park | Leinster Round Robin |
| 50. | 11 June 2023 | Kilkenny (33) | 4-21 - 2-26 | Galway | Croke Park | Leinster Final |
| 51. | 28 April 2024 | Galway | 2-23 - 0-29 | Kilkenny | Pearse Stadium | Leinster Round Robin |

### National League

| Date | Winners | Score | Runners-up | Venue | Stage |
| 28 March 2010 | Galway | 2-21 - 1-23 | Kilkenny | Nowlan Park | Round 5 |
| 13 March 2011 | Galway | 4-14 - 3-11 | Kilkenny | Pearse Stadium | Round 4 |
| 1 April 2012 | Kilkenny | 3-26 - 0-10 | Galway | Nowlan Park | Round 5 |
| 24 February 2013 | Galway | 3-11 - 0-17 | Kilkenny | Pearse Stadium | Round 1 |
| 21 April 2013 | Kilkenny | 1-24 - 1-17 | Galway | Semple Stadium | League semi-final |
| 9 March 2014 | Kilkenny | 2-16 - 1-16 | Galway | Nowlan Park | Round 3 |
| 20 April 2014 | Kilkenny | 1-16 - 0-15 | Galway | Gaelic Grounds | League semi-final |
| 8 March 2015 | Galway | 0-20 - 0-18 | Kilkenny | Pearse Stadium | Round 3 |
| 6 March 2016 | Kilkenny | 0-21 - 1-14 | Kilkenny | Nowlan Park | Round 3 |

## Records
### Scorelines

* Biggest championship win:
** For Galway:
*** Galway 5-4 - 2-0 Kilkenny, All-Ireland semi-final, Croke Park, 18 May 1924
*** Galway 9-4 - 6-0 Kilkenny, All-Ireland semi-final, Croke Park, 9 August 1925
** For Kilkenny: Kilkenny 5-28 - 3-7 Galway, All-Ireland semi-final, Croke Park, 6 August 1972
* Highest aggregate:
** Kilkenny 2-32 - 3-17 Galway, All-Ireland semi-final, St. Brendan's Park, 4 August 1974

### Top scorers

| Team | Player | Score | Total |
| Galway | Joe Canning | 6-56 | 74 |
| Kilkenny | Henry Shefflin | 5-110 | 125 |
* Top scorer in a single game:
** For Kilkenny:
*** 2-11 - Henry Shefflin, Kilkenny 4-20 - 1-10 Galway, All-Ireland qualifier, Semple Stadium, 11 July 2004
*** 0-17 - Eddie Keher, Kilkenny 5-28 - 3-7 Galway, All-Ireland semi-final, Croke Park, 6 August 1972
** For Galway:
*** 2-9 - Ger Farragher, Galway 5-18 - 4-18 Kilkenny, All-Ireland semi-final, Croke Park, 21 August 2005
*** 2-9 - Joe Canning, Galway 3-13 - 2-20 Kilkenny, All-Ireland semi-final, O'Connor Park, 20 June 2009