Tailteann Cup

Last updated

Tailteann Cup
Current season or competition:
Current event clock.svg 2024 Tailteann Cup
Irish Corn Tailteann
Code Gaelic football
Founded 2022
Region Ireland (GAA)
No. of teams17
Title holders Colours of Meath GAA.svg Meath (1st title)
First winner Colours of Westmeath.svg Westmeath
Most titles Colours of Westmeath.svg Westmeath, Colours of Meath GAA.svg Meath (1 titles)
TV partner(s) RTÉ
Official website www.gaa.ie

The Tailteann Cup is a second tier Gaelic football championship competition held annually since 2022 and organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is contested by those county teams who do not qualify for the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship and the winner is awarded the Tailteann Cup.

Contents

The name 'Tailteann' comes from the ancient Tailteann Games.

The title has been won by 2 different counties, none of whom have won the title more than once. The all-time record-holders are Meath and Westmeath, who have won the cup on 1 occasion each. Meath are the title holders, defeating Down by 2-13 to 0-14 in the 2023 final.

History

Creation

Following ongoing one-sided matches in the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship between counties of differing standards, the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) began considering the addition of a tournament for so-called weaker counties who were usually eliminated in the early stages of their respective provincial championship. At a national conference in November 2018, the GAA found broad support for the introduction of a second-tier championship and canvassed options for its potential structure and future inclusion within the annual calendar. [1] One year later at a specially convened congress, 76% of delegates formally approved of the second-tier tournament. [2] The tournament was named the Tailteann Cup in February 2020 and it was intended it would hold its inaugural season that year, [3] though its introduction was ultimately delayed until 2022 due the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Gaelic games over that period.

Second and third-tier competitions have been incorporated in hurling for several years, such as the Christy Ring Cup and Nicky Rackard Cup.

Development

In 2023 a group stage was introduced, following the success of the inaugural cup.

Team changes

19 county teams have participated in at least one edition of the Tailteann Cup. Fifteen have been ever-presents. in 2023, Limerick and Meath became the most recent counties to make their debut in the Cup

Format history

2022

The first Tailteann Cup was a knockout tournament whereby once a team was defeated they were eliminated from the championship. The pairings were drawn by location. Each match was played as a single leg.

2023–present

The Tailteann Cup has since emulated the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship format which includes a group stage and a knockout stage.

Tailteann Cup moments

Format

Up to 17 teams compete in the cup. The teams are drawn from the bottom 16 rankings from that season's National Football League, plus New York. However, if a team in this position qualifies for the final of its provincial championship, that team continues to compete in the same year's All-Ireland Senior Football Championship and does not compete in the Tailteann Cup. [4]

The teams that compete in the Tailteann Cup are split into four round-robin groups, and the top two teams from each group proceed to one of four knockout quarter-finals matches, followed by semi-finals and the final. [4] [5] The Winners of the four Quarter Final pairings qualify for the semi-finals, with pairings decided via an open draw. The final of the Tailteann Cup is currently scheduled three weeks before the All-Ireland Football Final, and is staged at Croke Park in Dublin. [6]

For the inaugural 2022 Tailteann Cup, the format was altered to a straight-knockout competition with Round 1 and the Quarter Finals organised on a geographical basis with Northern and Southern Sections. From 2023 onwards, there are scheduled to be no North/South sections. [7]

Unlike the contest for the Sam Maguire Cup, London and New York are permitted to meet each other in the contest for the Tailteann Cup.

Tailteann Cup group stage

Group stage (Sixteen teams remaining)edit

Group stage (24 matches): The 16 counties who did not qualify for the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship group stage make up the group stage teams. Teams are divided into four groups of four. The group winners advance to the quarter-finals and the group runners-up and 3 out of 4 group third placed teams advance to the preliminary quarter-finals. Five teams are eliminated at this stage while twelve teams advance to the All-Ireland knockout-stage

Tailteann Cup knockout stage

Preliminary quarter-finals (12 teams remaining)

Preliminary quarter-finals (4 matches): The second-placed teams from the group stage play the 3 best third-placed teams from the group stage and New York. Teams who met in the provincial finals are kept apart in separate preliminary quarter-finals. Four teams are eliminated at this stage while the winners advance to the quarter-finals.

Quarter-finals (Eight teams remaining)

Quarter-finals (4 matches): The winners of the preliminary quarter-finals join the first placed teams in the group stage. Teams who met in the provincial finals are kept apart in separate quarter-finals. Four teams are eliminated at this stage while the winners advance to the semi-finals.

Semi-finals (Four teams remaining)

Semi-finals (2 matches): The winners of the quarter-finals make up the semi-final pairings. Teams who met in the provincial finals are kept apart in separate semi-finals. Two teams are eliminated at this stage while the winners advance to the final.

Final

Final (1 match): The two winners of the semi-finals contest this game. Winning team are declared Tailteann Cup champions.

Teams

2024 teams

Seventeen counties will compete in the 2024 Tailteann Cup:

County Last Cup TitleLast Provincial TitleLast All-Ireland TitlePosition in 2023 Championship
Colours of Antrim.svg Antrim — 1951 —
Colours of Carlow.svg Carlow — 1944 —
Colours of Down.svg Down — 1994 1994
Colours of Fermanagh.svg Fermanagh ———
Colours of Kildare.svg Kildare — 2000 1928
Colours of Laois.svg Laois — 2003 —
Colours of Leitrim.svg Leitrim — 1994 —
Colours of Limerick.svg Limerick — 1896 1896
Colours of London.svg London ———
Colours of Longford.svg Longford — 1968 —
Colors of New York.svg New York ———
Colours of Offaly.svg Offaly — 1997 1982
Colours of Sligo.svg Sligo — 2007 —
Colours of Tipperary.svg Tipperary — 2020 1920
Colours of Waterford.svg Waterford — 1898 —
Colours of Wexford.svg Wexford — 1945 1918
Colours of Wicklow.svg Wicklow ———

Seeding

Pot 1

  • Down
  • Fermanagh
  • Kildare
  • Sligo

Pot 2

  • Antrim
  • Laois
  • Leitrim
  • Offaly

Pot 3

  • Limerick
  • Longford
  • Wexford
  • Wicklow

Pot 4

  • Carlow
  • London
  • Tipperary
  • Waterford

Preliminary quarter-final pot

  • New York

List of Tailteann Cup counties

The following teams have competed in the Tailteann Cup in at least one season.

CountyTotal yearsFirst yearMost recent yearCup TitlesLast Cup TitleMost recent finishBest Tailteann Cup finish
Colours of Antrim.svg Antrim 3 2022 2024 0—Semi-finalsSemi-finals
Colours of Carlow.svg Carlow 3 2022 2024 0—Group stageQuarter-finals
Colours of Cavan.svg Cavan 2 2022 2023 0—Quarter-finalsRunners-up
Colours of Down.svg Down 3 2022 2024 0—Runners-upRunners-up
Colours of Fermanagh.svg Fermanagh 3 2022 2024 0—Preliminary quarter-finalsQuarter-finals
Colours of Kildare.svg Kildare 1 2024 0—N/AN/A
Colours of Laois.svg Laois 3 2022 2024 0—Semi-finalsSemi-finals
Colours of Leitrim.svg Leitrim 3 2022 2024 0—Group stageQuarter-finals
Colours of Limerick.svg Limerick 2 2023 2024 0—Quarter-finalsQuarter-finals
Colours of London.svg London 3 2022 2024 0—Group stageGroup stage
Colours of Longford.svg Longford 3 2022 2024 0—Group stagePreliminary quarter-finals
Colours of Meath.svg Meath 1 2023 1 2023 ChampionsChampions
Colors of New York.svg New York 3 2022 2024 0—Preliminary quarter-finalsQuarter-finals
Colours of Offaly.svg Offaly 3 2022 2024 0—Group stageSemi-finals
Colours of Sligo.svg Sligo 2 2022 2024 0—Semi-finalsSemi-finals
Colours of Tipperary.svg Tipperary 3 2022 2024 0—Group stageGroup stage
Colours of Waterford.svg Waterford 3 2022 2024 0—Group stageGroup stage
Colours of Westmeath.svg Westmeath 1 2022 1 2022 ChampionsChampions
Colours of Wexford.svg Wexford 3 2022 2024 0—Group stageQuarter-finals
Colours of Wicklow.svg Wicklow 3 2022 2024 0—Group stageGroup stage

Participation by province

ProvinceNo.CountyNo.Years
Flag of Leinster.svg Leinster 9 Carlow 32022, 2023, 2024
Kildare 12024
Laois 32022, 2023, 2024
Longford 32022, 2023, 2024
Offaly 32022, 2023, 2024
Wexford 32022, 2023, 2024
Wicklow 32022, 2023, 2024
Westmeath 12022
Meath 12023
Flag of Ulster.svg Ulster 4 Antrim 32022, 2023, 2024
Cavan 22022, 2023
Down 32022, 2023, 2024
Fermanagh 32022, 2023, 2024
Flag of Munster.svg Munster 3 Tipperary 32022, 2023, 2024
Waterford 32022, 2023, 2024
Limerick 22023, 2024
Flag of Connacht.svg Connacht 2 Leitrim 32022, 2023, 2024
Sligo 22022, 2024
Flag of Britain.svg Britain 1 London 32022, 2023, 2024
Flag of USA.svg North America 1 New York 32022, 2023, 2024

Venues

Cup venues

Group stage, preliminary quarter-finals and quarter-finals

Fixtures in the three group stage rounds of the cup are played at the home ground of one of the two teams. Each team is guaranteed at least one home game.

Semi-finals and Final

The Tailteann Cup semi-finals and final are played at Croke Park.

2023 venues

County Location Province Stadium Capacity
Colours of Antrim.svg Antrim Belfast Ulster Corrigan Park 3,700
Colours of Carlow.svg Carlow Carlow Leinster Dr Cullen Park 21,000
Colours of Cavan.svg Cavan Cavan Ulster Breffni Park 32,000
Colours of Down.svg Down Newry Ulster Páirc Esler
Colours of Fermanagh.svg Fermanagh Enniskillen Ulster Brewster Park 20,000
Colours of Laois.svg Laois Portlaoise Leinster O'Moore Park 27,000
Colours of Leitrim.svg Leitrim Carrick-on-Shannon Connacht Páirc Seán Mac Diarmada 9,331
Colours of Limerick.svg Limerick Limerick Munster Gaelic Grounds
Colours of London.svg London South Ruislip Britain McGovern Park 3,000
Colours of Longford GAA.svg Longford Longford Leinster Pearse Park 10,000
Colours of Meath GAA.svg Meath Navan Leinster Páirc Tailteann
Colors of New York.svg New York Bronx North America Gaelic Park 2,000
Colours of Offaly.svg Offaly Tullamore Leinster O'Connor Park 20,000
Colours of Longford GAA.svg Tipperary Thurles Munster Semple Stadium 45,690
Colours of Waterford.svg Waterford Waterford Munster Fraher Field 15,000
Colours of Wexford.svg Wexford Wexford Leinster Chadwicks Wexford Park 20,000
Colours of Longford GAA.svg Wicklow Aughrim Leinster Aughrim County Ground 7,000

Managers

Winning managers

#Manager(s)Winning team(s)Titles(s)Winning years
1 Colours of Westmeath.svg Jack Cooney Westmeath 1 2022
Colours of Meath GAA.svg Colm O'Rourke Meath 1 2023

List of Finals

YearDateWinnersRunners-upVenueWinning captain(s)Winning MarginReferee
CountyScoreCountyScore
2024
2023 15 July Meath 2-13 (19) Down 0-14 (14) Croke Park Donal Keogan 5Noel Mooney (Cavan)
2022 9 July Westmeath 2-14 (20) Cavan 1-13 (16) Croke Park Kevin Maguire 4 Barry Cassidy (Derry)

Roll of honour

Performances by county

CountyTitle(s)Runners-upYears wonYears runner-up
Colours of Westmeath.svg Westmeath 10 2022 —
Colours of Meath.svg Meath 10 2023 —
Colours of Cavan.svg Cavan 01— 2022
Colours of Down.svg Down 01— 2023

Performances by province

ProvinceWinnersRunners-upTotal
Flag of Leinster.svg Leinster 202
Flag of Ulster.svg Ulster 022

Team records and statistics

Team results

Legend

For each year, the number of teams in each championship (in brackets) are shown.

Team 2022 (17) 2023 (17) 2024 (17)Years
Colours of Antrim.svg Antrim R1SF3
Colours of Carlow.svg Carlow QFQFGS3
Colours of Cavan.svg Cavan 2ndQFAI2
Colours of Down.svg Down R12nd3
Colours of Fermanagh.svg Fermanagh QFPQF3
Colours of Kildare.svg Kildare AIAI1
Colours of Laois.svg Laois R1SF3
Colours of Leitrim.svg Leitrim QFGS3
Colours of Limerick.svg Limerick AIQF2
Colours of London.svg London R1GS3
Colours of Longford.svg Longford R1PQFGS3
Colours of Meath.svg Meath AI1stAI1
Colors of New York.svg New York QFPQF3
Colours of Offaly.svg Offaly SFPQFGS3
Colours of Sligo.svg Sligo SFAI2
Colours of Tipperary.svg Tipperary R1GS3
Colours of Waterford.svg Waterford PRGSGS3
Colours of Westmeath.svg Westmeath 1stAIAI1
Colours of Wexford.svg Wexford PRQFGS3
Colours of Wicklow.svg Wicklow R1GS3

Seasons in Tailteann Cup

The number of years that each county has played in the Tailteann Cup between 2022 and 2024. A total of 20 counties have competed in at least one season of the Tailteann Cup. 14 counties have participated in the most championships. The counties in bold participate in the 2024 Tailteann Cup.

YearsCounties
3 Antrim , Carlow , Down, Fermanagh , Laois, Leitrim , London , Longford , New York , Offaly, Tipperary , Waterford , Wexford , Wicklow
2 Cavan, Limerick , Sligo
1 Kildare , Meath, Westmeath

Debut of counties

YearDebutantsTotal
2022 Colours of Antrim.svg Antrim, Colours of Carlow.svg Carlow, Colours of Cavan.svg Cavan, Colours of Down.svg Down, Colours of Fermanagh.svg Fermanagh, Colours of Laois.svg Laois, Colours of Leitrim.svg Leitrim, Colours of London.svg London, Colours of Longford.svg Longford, Colors of New York.svg New York, Colours of Offaly.svg Offaly, Colours of Sligo.svg Sligo, Colours of Tipperary.svg Tipperary, Colours of Waterford.svg Waterford, Colours of Westmeath.svg Westmeath, Colours of Wexford.svg Wexford, Colours of Wicklow.svg Wicklow 17
2023 Colours of Limerick.svg Limerick, Colours of Meath.svg Meath 2
2024 Colours of Kildare.svg Kildare 1
Total20

All time table

Legend

Colours
Currently competing in the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
Currently competing in the Tailteann Cup

After 19 May 2024.

#TeamPldWDLPointsP.P.G.
1 Colours of Down.svg Down 10703141.400
2 Colours of Meath.svg Meath 6600122.000
= Colours of Cavan.svg Cavan 8602121.500
= Colours of Antrim.svg Antrim 8602121.500
5 Colours of Fermanagh.svg Fermanagh 841391.125
= Colours of Carlow.svg Carlow 941491.000
= Colours of Laois.svg Laois 933391.000
= Colours of Offaly.svg Offaly 1041590.900
9 Colours of Westmeath.svg Westmeath 440082.000
= Colours of Sligo.svg Sligo 540181.600
11 Colours of Limerick.svg Limerick 630361.000
= Colours of Leitrim.svg Leitrim 730460.857
13 Colours of Wexford.svg Wexford 821550.625
14 Colours of Kildare.svg Kildare 220042.000
= Colours of Wicklow.svg Wicklow 720540.571
16 Colours of London.svg London 611430.500
17 Colours of Tipperary.svg Tipperary 610520.333
= Colours of Longford.svg Longford 710620.286
19 Colors of New York.svg New York 200200.000
= Colours of Waterford.svg Waterford 600600.000

By decade

The most successful team of each decade, judged by number of Tailteann Cup titles, is as follows:

Match records

Other records

Finishing positions

Unbeaten sides

Beaten sides

On one occasion a team was defeated twice but have remained in the knockout championship:

Final success rate

Only two counties have appeared in the final, being victorious on all occasions:

On the opposite end of the scale, only two counties has appeared in the final, losing on each occasion:

Consecutive participations

14 counties have the record number of consecutive participations in the Tailteann Cup, taking part in the all 3 seasons.

Winning other trophies

Although not an officially recognised achievement, no teams have ever achieved the distinction of winning the Tailteann Cup and their respective Division in the National Football League.

Biggest wins

Scoring Events

Successful defending

Defending champions are promoted and a number of teams survived the first year of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship. These are:

Gaps

  • Longest gaps between successive cup titles:
    • 0 years: N/A
  • Longest gaps between successive Tailteann Cup final appearances:
    • 0 years: N/A
  • Longest gap between successive championship appearances
    • 0 years: N/A

Active gaps

Provinces

  • On 0 occasions has the Tailteann Cup final involved two teams from the same province.
  • The province providing the highest number of different winning teams is Leinster, with two:
  • Province success rates
    • Leinster 17% (2 out of 12 counties)
    • Connacht 0% (0 out of 5 counties)
    • Munster 0% (0 out of 6 counties)
    • Ulster 0% (0 out of 9 counties)

Longest undefeated run

The record for the longest unbeaten run stands at 6 games held by Colours of Meath.svg Meath (2023-).

Miscellaneous

Player records

Player of the year

YearPlayerCounty
2023 Colours of Meath.svg Mathew Costello Meath
2022 Colours of Westmeath.svg Ronan O'Toole Westmeath

Top scorer

Overall

YearPlayerCountyTallyTotalMatchesAverage
2024
2023 Colours of Down.svg Pat Havern Down 1–343775.3
2022 Colours of Westmeath.svg John Heslin Westmeath 1–252847.0

Final

YearPlayerCountyTallyTotalOpposition
2024
2023 Colours of Meath.svg Jack O'Connor Meath 1–025 Down
2022 Colours of Westmeath.svg Ronan O'Toole Westmeath 0–055 Cavan

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "Second Tier Championship format to be discussed in January". gaa.ie. 24 November 2018.
  2. ↑ Sean Moran (19 October 2019). "Tier 2 football championship gets green light at special congress". The Irish Times.
  3. ↑ Kevin O'Brien (29 February 2020). "Tier 2 football championship to be called the Tailteann Cup". the42.ie.
  4. 1 2 "All-Ireland football championship to be revamped in 2023 as Green Proposal passes Congress". the42.ie. 26 February 2022.
  5. ↑ "GAA publish Master Fixtures Schedule for 2022". gaa.ie. 21 December 2021.
  6. ↑ "Tailteann Cup decider won't feature on All-Ireland undercard". RTE Sport. 22 December 2021.
  7. ↑ Ciarán Murphy (10 March 2022). "Ciarán Murphy: Priorities unclear until the GAA gives the Tailteann Cup some love". The Irish Times.
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