The Christy Ring Cup is an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association. Originally introduced as a second-tier competition, it is currently the third tier overall in the inter-county hurling championship system. Each year, the champions of the Christy Ring Cup are promoted to the Joe McDonagh Cup, and the lowest finishing team is relegated to the Nicky Rackard Cup. The competition is named in honour of Christy Ring, a legendary player from Cork.
The Nicky Rackard Cup is the fourth tier of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship. Each year, the champion team in the Nicky Rackard Cup is promoted to the Christy Ring Cup, and the lowest finishing team is relegated to the Lory Meagher Cup.
The 2003 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship was the 117th since its establishment in 1887. The first matches of the season were played in May 2003, and the championship ended on 14 September 2003. Kilkenny went into the 2003 championship as defending champions, having won their twenty-seventh All-Ireland title the previous year.
The 2002 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship was the 116th staging of Ireland's premier hurling knock-out competition. Kilkenny won the championship, beating Clare 2-20 to 0-19 in the final at Croke Park, Dublin.
The All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship 2008 was the 122nd since its establishment by the Gaelic Athletic Association in 1887. The first matches of the season were played on 25 May 2008, and the championship ended on 7 September 2008. Kilkenny went into the 2008 championship as defending champions, having won their thirtieth All-Ireland title the previous year.
The 2007 Christy Ring Cup began on Saturday, 9 June 2007. The Christy Ring Cup is an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 2005 for middle-ranking hurling teams in Ireland. The 2007 competition was won by Westmeath GAA.
The 2009 Nicky Rackard Cup is the 5th annual third-tier hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association. Seven county teams and one regional team participate in the competition. The teams are Fingal, Monaghan, Louth, Sligo, Meath, London, Armagh and Roscommon.
The 2009 Christy Ring Cup is the 5th annual second-tier hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association. Eight county teams participate in the competition. The teams are Carlow, Derry, Down, Kerry, Mayo, Kildare, Westmeath and Wicklow.
The 2010 Nicky Rackard Cup is the 6th annual third-tier hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association. The teams competing are Armagh, Fingal, London, Louth, Monaghan, Roscommon, Sligo and Tyrone. The 2009 champions, Meath were promoted to the Christy Ring Cup for 2010, and did not have the opportunity to defend their title. 2009 Lory Meagher Cup champions, Tyrone, were promoted to play in the Nicky Rackard Cup this year. Due to a disagreement over promotion and relegation from the All-Ireland series, no team was relegated from the 2009 Christy Ring Cup or 2009 Nicky Rackard Cup for the 2010 season.
The 2010 Lory Meagher Cup was the 2nd annual fourth-tier hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association. The teams competing were Cavan, Donegal, Fermanagh, Leitrim, Longford, South Down, and Warwickshire. The 2009 champions, Tyrone were promoted to the 2010 Nicky Rackard Cup, and did not have the opportunity to defend their title. Due to a disagreement over promotion and relegation from the All-Ireland series, no team was relegated from the 2009 Nicky Rackard Cup for the 2010 season.
The 2010 O'Byrne Cup was a Gaelic football competition played by the teams of Leinster GAA. The competition differs from the Leinster Senior Football Championship as it also features further education colleges and the winning team does not progress to another tournament at All-Ireland level. Last year's winners of the O'Byrne Cup were Louth. The O'Byrne Cup was due to begin on 6 January 2010; however, due to Arctic conditions in the Leinster region of Ireland, the Leinster council decided to postpone all games until 16 January.
The 2011 Lory Meagher Cup was the 3rd annual fourth-tier hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association. The teams competing were:
The 2011 Christy Ring Cup was the seventh season of the Christy Ring Cup since its establishment in 2005.
The 2011 Nicky Rackard Cup is the seventh season of the Nicky Rackard Cup since its establishment in 2005. A total of six teams will contest the Nicky Rackard Cup, including five sides from the 2010 Nicky Rackard Cup and one promoted team from the 2010 Lory Meagher Cup. The teams are:
The 2012 Christy Ring Cup was the eighth season of the Christy Ring Cup since its establishment in 2005.
The 2012 Nicky Rackard Cup is the eighth season of the Nicky Rackard Cup since its establishment in 2005. A total of six teams will contest the Nicky Rackard Cup, including four sides from the 2011 Nicky Rackard Cup and one promoted team from the 2011 Lory Meagher Cup and one team relegated from the 2011 Christy Ring Cup. The teams are:
The 2017 Christy Ring Cup was the 13th staging of the Christy Ring Cup hurling championship since its establishment by the Gaelic Athletic Association in 2005. The competition began on 22 April 2017 and ended on 10 June 2017.
The 2017 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship was the 130th staging of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship since its establishment by the Gaelic Athletic Association in 1887. The championship began on 23 April 2017 and ended on 3 September 2017. The draw for the championship was held on 13 October 2016 and was broadcast live on RTÉ2.
The 2018 Christy Ring Cup was the 14th staging of the Christy Ring Cup hurling championship since its establishment by the Gaelic Athletic Association in 2005. It is the third tier of senior inter-county hurling. The competition began on 12 May 2018 and ended on 23 June 2018.
The 2018 Nicky Rackard Cup was the 14th staging of the Nicky Rackard Cup hurling championship since its establishment by the Gaelic Athletic Association in 2005. It was the fourth tier of senior inter-county hurling as of 2018.
Derry 
Down 
Kerry 
Kildare 
Mayo 
Westmeath 
Wicklow 