| O'Byrne Cup | |
|---|---|
| Irish | Corn Uí Bhroin |
| Code | Gaelic football |
| Founded | 1954 |
| Region | Leinster (GAA) |
| Trophy | O'Byrne Cup |
| No. of teams | 11 |
| Title holders | Longford (5th title) |
| Most titles | Kildare (11 titles) |
| Sponsors | Dioralyte |
| Official website | https://leinstergaa.ie/competitions/obyrne-cup-s-f-2023/ |
The O'Byrne Cup is a Gaelic football competition organized by the Leinster GAA and first staged in 1954.
The competition is named in honour of Matt Byrne (b. 14 February 1870), a former Wicklow GAA club and county officer. By virtue of a quirk in translation, the Corn Uí Bhroin became known as the O'Byrne cup even though Matt had never used an 'O' in his surname. Byrne was a native of Baltinglass and taught at the local national school. Deeply involved in GAA activities at all levels throughout his life, he was regarded as a good footballer in his youth and an excellent handballer. He was the first secretary of the Maurice Davins' club in Baltinglass and served as a member of the Wicklow County Board for over 50 years, mostly as registrar. He represented Wicklow on Leinster and Central Councils and served as President of the Irish Handball Council from 1941-44. Byrne died on 21 September 1947.
The competition is contested by the eleven Leinster county teams (excluding Kilkenny), although Third-level College teams have taken part occasionally. The competition is, together with the Walsh Cup and Kehoe Cup, part of a Leinster GAA Series which takes place each January. The most recent O'Byrne Cup winners were Longford, who beat Dublin in the 2024 final. [1]
The O'Byrne Shield was introduced in 2006 for teams knocked out at the first-round stage of the competition. It was later abandoned in 2013 due to the introduction of group stages in the competition, but re-introduced in 2024 when the O'Byrne Cup reverted to straight knockout format. [2] [3]
In September 2024, GAA delegates voted to remove the O'Byrne Cup from the 2025 fixtures calendar on a one-year trial basis. [4]
| Team | Wins | Years won | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Kildare | 11 | 1962, 1968, 1970, 1973, 1976, 1982, 1989, 2003, 2011, 2013, 2014 |
| 2 |  Dublin | 10 | 1956, 1958, 1960, 1966, 1999, 2007, 2008, 2015, 2017, 2022 |
 Meath | 10 | 1967, 1974, 1977, 1983, 1992, 2001, 2004, 2006, 2016, 2018 | |
| 4 |  Offaly | 6 | 1954, 1961, 1981, 1993, 1997, 1998 |
| 5 |  Laois | 5 | 1978, 1987, 1991, 1994, 2005 |
 Longford | 5 | 1965, 2000, 2020, 2023, 2024 | |
| 7 |  Westmeath | 4 | 1959, 1964, 1988, 2019 |
 Louth | 4 | 1963, 1980, 1990, 2009 | |
| Wicklow | 4 | 1955, 1957, 1986, 1996 | |
| 10 |  DCU | 2 | 2010, 2012 |
| 11 |  Carlow | 1 | 2002 |
 Wexford | 1 | 1995 |
‡Wexford awarded title as Westmeath refused to play extra time.
| Team | Wins | Years won | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Laois | 3 | 2008, 2009, 2012 |
| 2 | Longford | 2 | 2006, 2007 |
| 3 | Carlow | 1 | 2010 |
| 3 | Dublin | 1 | 2011 |
| 3 | Louth | 1 | 2024 |
The Wicklow County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) or Wicklow GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Wicklow. The county board is also responsible for the Wicklow county teams.
The Leinster Council is a provincial council of the Gaelic Athletic Association sports of hurling, Gaelic football, camogie, rounders and handball in the province of Leinster. The Leinster Council has been partnered with the European County Board to help develop Gaelic Games in Europe. Leinster Council's main contribution to this goal is the provision of referees.
The 2009 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. The winners of the 2009 O'Byrne Cup were Louth.
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 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. The holders of the O'Byrne Cup were DCU. This edition of the O'Byrne Cup began on 9 January 2011.
The 2019 O'Byrne Cup was played by county teams of Leinster GAA in December 2018 and January 2019.
The 2019 Kehoe Cup was an inter-county hurling competition based mainly in the province of Leinster in which Antrim from Ulster also took part.
The 2000 O'Byrne Cup was a Gaelic football competition played by the county teams of Leinster GAA.
The 2020 O'Byrne Cup was a Gaelic football tournament played by county teams of Leinster GAA in December 2019 and January 2020.
The Longford county football team represents Longford in men's Gaelic football and is governed by Longford GAA, the county board of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The team competes in the three major annual inter-county competitions; the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, the Leinster Senior Football Championship and the National Football League.
The Wicklow county football team represents Wicklow in men's Gaelic football and is governed by Wicklow GAA, the county board of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The team competes in the three major annual inter-county competitions; the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, the Leinster Senior Football Championship and the National Football League.
The 2022 O'Byrne Cup was a Gaelic football tournament played by eleven county teams of Leinster GAA in January 2022; Kilkenny did not take part. Longford were the holders.
The 2023 O'Byrne Cup was a Gaelic football tournament played by eleven county teams of Leinster GAA in January 2023; Kilkenny did not take part. Dublin were the holders.
The 1980 O'Byrne Cup was a Gaelic football competition contested by the county teams of Leinster GAA. It was the 22nd staging of the competition that was first held in 1954, with the aim of starting a fund for injured footballers. It was reintroduced to the GAA calendar in 1980 after not being held since 1978.
The 2024 O'Byrne Cup, known for sponsorship reasons as the Dioralyte O'Byrne Cup, was a Gaelic football tournament played by eleven county teams of Leinster GAA in January 2024; Kilkenny did not take part. Longford retained the trophy after beating Dublin in the final.
The 2025 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship will be the 138th edition of the Gaelic Athletic Association's premier inter-county Gaelic football tournament. Thirty-one of the thirty-two Irish counties took part – Kilkenny did not compete, while London and New York completed the lineup with rescheduled fixtures postponed during Covid-19 in 2020.
The 1963 O'Byrne Cup was a Gaelic football tournament contested by the county teams of Leinster GAA. It was the 10th staging of the competition that was first held in 1954, with the aim of starting a fund for injured footballers.
The 1954 O'Byrne Cup was a Gaelic football tournament contested by the county teams of Leinster GAA. It was the first staging of the competition, then referred to as the Matt Byrne Memorial Cup.
The 1970 O'Byrne Cup was a Gaelic football tournament contested by the county teams of Leinster GAA. It was the first staging of the O'Byrne Cup competition.
The 1960 O'Byrne Cup was a Gaelic football tournament contested by the county teams of Leinster GAA. It was the seventh staging of the O'Byrne Cup competition.