The Kilkenny-Tipperary rivalry is a hurling rivalry between Irish county teams Kilkenny and Tipperary, who first played each other in 1887. It is considered to be one of the biggest rivalries in Gaelic games.
While Tipperary have the second highest number of Munster titles and Kilkenny are the standard bearers in Leinster, they are also two of the most successful teams in the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, having won 61 championship titles between them to date.
As of the completion of the 2016 season the sides have met 27 times in the hurling championship including meeting 20 times at the All Ireland final stage (Tipperary have won 11 of these finals compared to Kilkenny's 8 final wins with 1 draw).
Regarded as two of hurling's "big three", with Cork making up the trio, an All-Ireland final between Tipperary and Kilkenny, is regarded as a special occasion.
History
1887: The beginning
The first meeting between the two teams occurred on 27 October 1887, when Kilkenny hosted Tipperary at Urlingford. That All-Ireland semi-final was played on a Thursday afternoon, after both teams turned up at Clonmel the previous Sunday but were not allowed to play as other games were in progress and because the South Tipperary Board was in dispute with the Central Council. In the circumstances, the teams arranged to play on the following Thursday in Urlingford. Tullaroan objected to some of the Thurles players before the game started on the grounds that they were not from the parish. This was accepted but Thurles had no difficulty getting replacements from among their supporters. There were plenty willing to take the place of those who could not play. It was reported that Frank Moloney "refereed with much difficulty".
1895-1900: The rivalry intensifies
With Cork withdrawing from the championship and therefore passing up the opportunity to claim a fourth successive All-Ireland title, a Tipperary side represented by Tubberadora faced Kilkenny's Mooncoin in the delayed 1895 All-Ireland final on 16 March 1896. In the first decider to take place at what would later be called Croke Park, Tipperary tore into Kilkenny. Paddy Riordan is said to have scored all but one point of Tipp's total. Mick Coogan captured Kilkenny's only score of the game, as Tipperary claimed a massive 6–8 to 1–0 victory.
On 25 March 1900, Tubberadora once again represented Tipperary in an All-Ireland final showdown with Kilkenny who were represented by Threecastles. The Cats dominated for the opening twenty-three minutes, however, controversy reigned over hand-passed scores which were awarded to Kilkenny in spite of being illegal at the time. Mikey Maher of Tipperary scored a second-half hat-trick to help his side to a huge 7–13 to 3–10 victory.
For only the second time in the history of the championship, Kilkenny faced Tipperary in an All-Ireland semi-final on 29 June 1902. Tipp continued their dominance over their Leinster rivals, and claimed a 1–11 to 1–8 victory.
1909-1916: Kilkenny's first great era
After nearly twenty years of near misses, Kilkenny finally arrived at the All-Ireland table by winning their first three titles in a four-year spell between 1904 and 1907. A dispute over the Railway Shield in 1908 resulted in the team withdrawing for the championship, while there was further trouble the following year when a selection row left the team short of substitutes. On 12 December 1909 a Mooncoin selection faced Tipperary representatives Thurles in the All-Ireland decider at the Cork Athletic Grounds. Kilkenny goals proved decisive courtesy of Jimmy Kelly and a hat-trick by Bill Hennebry. A 4–6 to 0–12 victory for Kilkenny meant a first All-Ireland final defeat for Tipperary.
On 28 July 1912, Kilkenny faced Tipperary in an alternative game to the original 1911 All-Ireland final. Limerick were the Munster champions, however, a retreat in the city meant that they pulled out of the decider. Tipperary were then nominated by the Munster Council to play Kilkenny, however, they were defeated by 3–3 to 2–1.
Two years later on 2 November 1913, Kilkenny's representatives Mooncoin faced Tipperary's Toomevara in the All-Ireland decider. As well as being the first fifteen-a-side final, Kilkenny were presented with the opportunity of joining Cork and Tipperary in a list of teams to have won three successive championships. A Matt Gargan goal gave Kilkenny a 1–4 to 1–1 lead at the interval. The second half was a low-scoring affair. Tipperary added just one more point, while Sim Walton got Kilkenny's only score when he bagged a goal with twelve minutes remaining. A 2–4 to 1–2 victory gave Kilkenny their seventh All-Ireland crown in ten championship seasons.