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Event | 1939 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship | ||||||
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Date | 3 September 1939 | ||||||
Venue | Croke Park, Dublin | ||||||
Referee | J. Flaherty (Offaly) | ||||||
Attendance | 39,302 | ||||||
Weather | Thunderstorm | ||||||
The 1939 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final, also known as the Thunder and Lightning Final, was the 52nd All-Ireland Final and the culmination of the 1939 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, an inter-county hurling tournament for the top teams in Ireland. The match was held at Croke Park, Dublin, on 3 September 1939, between Kilkenny and Cork. The Munster champions narrowly lost to their Leinster opponents on a score line of 2–7 to 3-3.
It's one of seven All Ireland senior hurling finals to be won with the last score of the game (1904, 1907, 1912, 1939, 1947, 1957 & 1997). Kilkenny won all of those finals except for 1997.
Sunday, 3 September was the date of the 1939 All-Ireland senior hurling final between Cork and Kilkenny. Cork were appearing in their first championship decider since 1931 when they defeated Kilkenny after a three-game saga to take the title. Kilkenny, however, last won the All-Ireland title in 1935 and last appeared in the final in 1936 when they fell to Limerick. Two days before the final, on 1 September, Nazi Germany invaded Poland, and, when his ultimatum expired, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain broadcast Britain's declaration of war on Germany over the radio at 11.15am on 3 September, signaling the start of World War II. [1] His declaration of war came 4 hours before the final began at 3.15pm.
Players and supporters awoke to torrential rain on the morning of the game. It continued to fall until the early afternoon but subsided just before the game started. As Jack Lynch and Jimmy Walsh led their respective teams around Croke Park bright sunshine greeted the men in red and the men in black and amber.
At 3:15pm GAA President Paddy McNamee threw in the sliothar the game was on. Even with the benefit of the wind at their backs the Cork men, who were playing at Croke Park for the first time in eight years, began slowly. Within three minutes the Munster champions were 1–1 to 0–0 in arrears as Jimmy Phelan found the net for the first time in the game with an early assault on the Cork goalmouth. Cork captain Jack Lynch opened the scoring for his team, however, ‘the Rebels’ struggled until half-time when they trailed by 2–4 to 1-1.
The game had just restarted when players and spectators alike were startled by a ferocious clap of thunder. What followed was a thunderstorm of extraordinary proportions with thunder and lightning accompanying a heavy downpour. Conditions were so bad that spectators could not make out the identity of some of the players on the field. The spectators sitting in the open had to seek refuge from the elements at several stages throughout the second thirty minutes of play while the press box situated in the front row of the Cusack Stand also had to find alternative accommodation.
On the field of play the hurlers battled with the elements as well as with each other. So bad were the conditions that the dye from the players’ jerseys ran into their togs. The Cork players found their feet and came storming back into the game. Jack Lynch stood up and played a captain's role once again when he scored another goal for Cork. Kilkenny's Paddy Phelan was the star defender of the day as he repelled wave after wave of Cork attacks on goal. As the game neared its conclusion Cork's Willie Campbell lined up to take a long-range free. He sent the sliothar goal-wards, however, it fell through a number of defenders and hurleys and ended in the Kilkenny net. It was speculated that Ted O'Sullivan might have got a touch on the sliothar; however, regardless of this the sides were level with just two minutes left in the game. Most agreed that a draw was now likely and, given the conditions that the game was played in, a draw would have been appropriate. With time running out Jack Lynch missed a number of points before Paddy Phelan sent a 70-yard free in towards the Cork goalmouth. The sliothar was gobbled up by the defence and cleared, but only as far as Jimmy Kelly who sent it straight over the bar for a one-point lead. Many newspapers credited Terry Leahy with scoring the point, however, Kelly was the hero of the day. Immediately after the puck-out the referee blew the whistle and Kilkenny were the champions on a score line of 2–7 to 3-3.
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MATCH RULES
A sliotar from the game, with the inscription "Jim Langton - All-Ireland 1939", sold at auction in Kilkenny for €750 in March 2021. [2]
Nicholas Christopher Michael Ring was an Irish hurler whose league and championship career at senior level with the Cork county team spanned twenty-four years from 1939 to 1963. He established many championship records, including career appearances (65), scoring tally (33-208) and number of All-Ireland medals won (8); however, these records were subsequently bested by a number of players. Ring is widely regarded as one of the greatest hurlers in the history of the game, with many former players, commentators and fans rating him as the number one player of all time.
Patrick Phelan was an Irish hurler who played as a left wing-back for the Kilkenny senior team.
James Langton was an Irish hurler who usually played as a left wing-forward for the Kilkenny senior team.
The 1939 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship was the 53rd staging of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship since its establishment by the Gaelic Athletic Association in 1887. The championship began on 7 May 1939 and ended on 3 September 1939.
Connie "Sonny" Buckley was an Irish hurler who played as a centre-forward for the Cork senior team.
Michael John "Micka" Brennan was an Irish hurler who played as a left corner-forward for the Cork senior team.
James Phelan was an Irish hurler who played as a left corner-forward for the Kilkenny senior team.
James Edward Young was an Irish hurler and Gaelic footballer who played in various positions for the Cork senior teams.
James "Bobby" Ryng was an Irish hurler who played for the Cork senior team.
The Cork-Kilkenny rivalry is a hurling rivalry between Irish county teams Cork and Kilkenny, who first played each other in 1894. It is considered to be one of the biggest rivalries in Gaelic games. Kilkenny's home ground is Nowlan Park and Cork's home ground is Páirc Uí Chaoimh, however, all of their championship meetings have been held at neutral venues, usually Croke Park.
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The 1973 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final was the 86th All-Ireland Final and the culmination of the 1973 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, an inter-county hurling tournament for the top teams in Ireland. The match was, held at Croke Park, Dublin, on 2 September 1973, between Limerick and Kilkenny. The Leinster champions lost to their Munster opponents on a score line of 1-21 to 1-14.
The 1978 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final was the 91st All-Ireland Final and the culmination of the 1978 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, an inter-county hurling tournament for the top teams in Ireland. The match was held at Croke Park, Dublin, on 3 September 1978, between Cork and Kilkenny. The Leinster champions lost to their Munster opponents on a score line of 1-15 to 2-8.
The 1984 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final was a hurling match which took place on Sunday, 2 September 1984 at Semple Stadium in Thurles that decided the winner of the 1984 season of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship. The winners received the Liam MacCarthy Cup. The 1984 final, regarded as the Centenary Year final due to the foundation of the Gaelic Athletic Association one hundred years previously in 1884, was the culmination of the 98th season of the championship, and the 97th final overall.
The 1966 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final was the 79th All-Ireland Final and the culmination of the 1966 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, an inter-county hurling tournament for the top teams in Ireland. The match was held at Croke Park, Dublin, on 4 September 1966, between Cork and Kilkenny. The Leinster champions lost to their Munster opponents on a score line of 3–9 to 1-10.
The 1959 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final took place on 6 September 1959 at Croke Park, Dublin. It was the 72nd All-Ireland final and was contested by Waterford and Kilkenny.
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The 1947 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final was the 60th All-Ireland Final and the culmination of the 1947 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, an inter-county hurling tournament for the top teams in Ireland. The match was held at Croke Park, Dublin, on 7 September 1947, between Kilkenny and Cork. The Munster champions narrowly lost to their Leinster opponents and great rivals on a score line of 0-14 to 2-7.
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I am speaking to you from the Cabinet Room at 10, Downing Street.
This morning the British Ambassador in Berlin handed the German Government a final note stating that unless we heard from them by 11.00 a.m. that they were prepared at once to withdraw their troops from Poland, a state of war would exist between us.
I have to tell you that no such undertaking has been received, and that consequently this country is at war with Germany.
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