For Kilkenny, three is the recurrently magic number

History often repeats itself in the GAA. Spectacularly, three years ago in the winter football championship the same four counties, Dublin, Cavan, Mayo and Tipperary as had qualified for the 1920 All-Ireland semi-finals, did so again and for the first time in the intervening century.

This Sunday’s All-Ireland hurling final sees Kilkenny back in the final of a year ending in -3 for the eighth time in the 12 decades since they starting winning titles.

Allowing that this is a random process, it is still remarkable and the highest incidence of such an occurrence for a hurling county in any year of a decade. Even the years ending in -3 that haven’t yielded All-Ireland profile have involved Kilkenny in historic achievements for counties that have defeated them.

Kilkenny completed their first three-in-a-row in 1913, in an historic final – just after the GAA had ordained that teams should reduce to 15-a-side from 17. At a time when All-Irelands were contested by clubs, the county was represented by Mooncoin and defeated Tipperary’s Toomevara.

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It could even be argued that the 1922 All-Ireland success belongs in the column as the final wasn’t played until the following year due to the disturbances of the revolutionary period.

In August 1923, Kilkenny again beat Tipperary to win the 1922 All-Ireland and become the first Leinster county to be presented with the MacCarthy Cup. It would also pass into history for another 50 years as the last time Tipperary lost the fixture.

Ten years later, Kilkenny became involved in a rivalry with Limerick that would see the counties meet in four All-Ireland finals in eight years. In 1933, Kilkenny won narrowly, John Dunne of Mooncoin the scorer of the late, crucial goal in front of 50,000 spectators.

Upsets followed in the coming decades. Kilkenny lost to Antrim for the only time in championship history in the 1943 semi-final.

“Antrim’s success over Galway was regarded as a fluke,” according to Séamus King’s History of Hurling and Kilkenny were expected to achieve victory. When the result of the game, 3-3 to 1-6, came over the radio on Sunday night it created a sensation and qualified the Northerners for their first All-Ireland.”

Another semi-final defeat this time by Galway in 1953 wasn’t historic, as the Connacht county had won quite a few matches in then 1920s but it ended a period of frustration for the county in matches against Kilkenny.

“What was it about the Kilkenny jersey that seemed to mesmerise Galway even when they had the upper hand,” wrote Breandán Ó hEithir in ‘Over the Bar’ with more than a touch of contemporary resonance.

The All-Ireland of 1963 was attended by Princess Grace of Monaco, who hopefully was impressed to see 10 goals scored for the last time until the 80-minute finals of the 1970s and never again since, as Kilkenny beat Waterford 4-17 to 6-8.

There will be a great deal of focus on the 50th anniversary of the 1973 final this weekend, which is the only All-Ireland final in a year, ending in -3 that Kilkenny have lost.

In the three decades that followed, Kilkenny completed back-to-back titles in 1983, ‘93 and 2003, defeating Cork, Galway and Cork respectively.

Even 2013 had history in that they lost to Dublin in the Leinster championship for the first in 71 years and later to Cork in the All-Ireland quarter-final.

Kilkenny by 3

1913: All-Ireland champions, beat Tipperary

1923: Won 1922 All-Ireland final, beat Tipperary

1933: All-Ireland champions. Beat Limerick

1943: Lost to Antrim, All-Ireland semi-final

1953: Lost to Galway, All-Ireland semi-final

1963: All-Ireland champions, beat Waterford

1973: All-Ireland finalists, lost to Limerick

1983: All-Ireland champions, beat Cork

1993: All-Ireland champions, beat Galway

2003: All-Ireland champions, beat Cork

2013: Lost to Cork, All-Ireland quarter-final

Lost in Leinster semi-final to Dublin

2023: ?

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