Tailteann Cup | |
---|---|
Current season or competition: 2024 Tailteann Cup | |
Irish | Corn Tailteann |
Code | Gaelic football |
Founded | 2022 |
Region | Ireland (GAA) |
No. of teams | 17 |
Title holders | Down (1st title) |
Most titles | Westmeath, Meath, Down (1 titles) |
TV partner(s) | RTÉ |
Official website | www |
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.
The name 'Tailteann' comes from the ancient Tailteann Games.
The title has been won by 3 different counties, none of whom have won the title more than once. The all-time record-holders are Down, Meath and Westmeath, who have won the cup on 1 occasion each. Down are the title holders, defeating Laois by 0-14 to 2-06 in the 2024 final.
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.
In 2023 a group stage was introduced, following the success of the inaugural cup.
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
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.
The Tailteann Cup has since emulated the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship format which includes a group stage and a knockout stage.
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.
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
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 (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 (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 (1 match): The two winners of the semi-finals contest this game. Winning team are declared Tailteann Cup champions.
Seventeen counties will compete in the 2024 Tailteann Cup:
County | Last Cup Title | Last Provincial Title | Last All-Ireland Title | Position in 2023 Championship |
---|---|---|---|---|
Antrim | — | 1951 | — | |
Carlow | — | 1944 | — | |
Down | — | 1994 | 1994 | |
Fermanagh | — | — | — | |
Kildare | — | 2000 | 1928 | |
Laois | — | 2003 | — | |
Leitrim | — | 1994 | — | |
Limerick | — | 1896 | 1896 | |
London | — | — | — | |
Longford | — | 1968 | — | |
New York | — | — | — | |
Offaly | — | 1997 | 1982 | |
Sligo | — | 2007 | — | |
Tipperary | — | 2020 | 1920 | |
Waterford | — | 1898 | — | |
Wexford | — | 1945 | 1918 | |
Wicklow | — | — | — |
The following teams have competed in the Tailteann Cup in at least one season.
County | Appearances | Debut | Most recent | Cup Titles | Last Cup Title | Best Tailteann Cup result |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Antrim | 3 | 2022 | 2024 | 0 | — | Semi-finals |
Carlow | 3 | 2022 | 2024 | 0 | — | Quarter-finals |
Cavan | 2 | 2022 | 2023 | 0 | — | Runners-up |
Down | 3 | 2022 | 2024 | 1 | 2024 | Champions |
Fermanagh | 3 | 2022 | 2024 | 0 | — | Quarter-finals |
Kildare | 1 | 2024 | 0 | — | Quarter-finals | |
Laois | 3 | 2022 | 2024 | 0 | — | Runners-up |
Leitrim | 3 | 2022 | 2024 | 0 | — | Quarter-finals |
Limerick | 2 | 2023 | 2024 | 0 | — | Quarter-finals |
London | 3 | 2022 | 2024 | 0 | — | Preliminary quarter-finals |
Longford | 3 | 2022 | 2024 | 0 | — | Preliminary quarter-finals |
Meath | 1 | 2023 | 1 | 2023 | Champions | |
New York | 3 | 2022 | 2024 | 0 | — | Quarter-finals |
Offaly | 3 | 2022 | 2024 | 0 | — | Semi-finals |
Sligo | 2 | 2022 | 2024 | 0 | — | Semi-finals |
Tipperary | 3 | 2022 | 2024 | 0 | — | Preliminary quarter-finals |
Waterford | 3 | 2022 | 2024 | 0 | — | Group stage |
Westmeath | 1 | 2022 | 1 | 2022 | Champions | |
Wexford | 3 | 2022 | 2024 | 0 | — | Quarter-finals |
Wicklow | 3 | 2022 | 2024 | 0 | — | Quarter-finals |
Province | No. | County | No. | Years |
---|---|---|---|---|
Leinster | 9 | Carlow | 3 | 2022, 2023, 2024 |
Kildare | 1 | 2024 | ||
Laois | 3 | 2022, 2023, 2024 | ||
Longford | 3 | 2022, 2023, 2024 | ||
Offaly | 3 | 2022, 2023, 2024 | ||
Wexford | 3 | 2022, 2023, 2024 | ||
Wicklow | 3 | 2022, 2023, 2024 | ||
Westmeath | 1 | 2022 | ||
Meath | 1 | 2023 | ||
Ulster | 4 | Antrim | 3 | 2022, 2023, 2024 |
Cavan | 2 | 2022, 2023 | ||
Down | 3 | 2022, 2023, 2024 | ||
Fermanagh | 3 | 2022, 2023, 2024 | ||
Munster | 3 | Tipperary | 3 | 2022, 2023, 2024 |
Waterford | 3 | 2022, 2023, 2024 | ||
Limerick | 2 | 2023, 2024 | ||
Connacht | 2 | Leitrim | 3 | 2022, 2023, 2024 |
Sligo | 2 | 2022, 2024 | ||
Britain | 1 | London | 3 | 2022, 2023, 2024 |
North America | 1 | New York | 3 | 2022, 2023, 2024 |
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.
The Tailteann Cup semi-finals and final are played at Croke Park.
# | Manager(s) | Winning team(s) | Titles(s) | Winning years |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Jack Cooney | Westmeath | 1 | 2022 |
Colm O'Rourke | Meath | 1 | 2023 | |
Conor Laverty | Down | 1 | 2024 |
Year | Date | Winners | Runners-up | Venue | Winning captain(s) | Winning Margin | Referee | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
County | Score | County | Score | ||||||
2024 | 13 July | Down | 0-14 (14) | Laois | 2-06 (12) | Croke Park | Pierce Laverty | 2 | Brendan Griffin (Kerry) |
2023 | 15 July | Meath | 2-13 (19) | Down | 0-14 (14) | Croke Park | Donal Keogan | 5 | Noel Mooney (Cavan) |
2022 | 9 July | Westmeath | 2-14 (20) | Cavan | 1-13 (16) | Croke Park | Kevin Maguire | 4 | Barry Cassidy (Derry) |
County | Title(s) | Runners-up | Years won | Years runner-up |
---|---|---|---|---|
Down | 1 | 1 | 2024 | 2023 |
Westmeath | 1 | 0 | 2022 | — |
Meath | 1 | 0 | 2023 | — |
Cavan | 0 | 1 | — | 2022 |
Laois | 0 | 1 | — | 2024 |
Province | Winners | Runners-up | Total |
---|---|---|---|
Leinster | 2 | 1 | 3 |
Ulster | 1 | 2 | 3 |
For each year, the number of teams in each championship (in brackets) are shown.
Team | 2022 (17) | 2023 (17) | 2024 (17) | Years |
---|---|---|---|---|
Antrim | R1 | SF | SF | 3 |
Carlow | QF | QF | GS | 3 |
Cavan | 2nd | QF | AI | 2 |
Down | R1 | 2nd | 1st | 3 |
Fermanagh | QF | PQF | QF | 3 |
Kildare | AI | AI | QF | 1 |
Laois | R1 | SF | 2nd | 3 |
Leitrim | QF | GS | PQF | 3 |
Limerick | AI | QF | QF | 2 |
London | R1 | GS | PQF | 3 |
Longford | R1 | PQF | GS | 3 |
Meath | AI | 1st | AI | 1 |
New York | QF | PQF | PQF | 3 |
Offaly | SF | PQF | GS | 3 |
Sligo | SF | AI | SF | 2 |
Tipperary | R1 | GS | PQF | 3 |
Waterford | PR | GS | GS | 3 |
Westmeath | 1st | AI | AI | 1 |
Wexford | PR | QF | GS | 3 |
Wicklow | R1 | GS | QF | 3 |
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.
Years | Counties |
---|---|
3 | Antrim , Carlow , Down, Fermanagh , Laois, Leitrim , London , Longford , New York , Offaly, Tipperary , Waterford , Wexford , Wicklow |
2 | Cavan, Limerick , Sligo |
1 | Kildare , Meath, Westmeath |
Year | Debutants | Total |
---|---|---|
2022 | Antrim, Carlow, Cavan, Down, Fermanagh, Laois, Leitrim, London, Longford, New York, Offaly, Sligo, Tipperary, Waterford, Westmeath, Wexford, Wicklow | 17 |
2023 | Limerick, Meath | 2 |
2024 | Kildare | 1 |
Total | 20 |
Legend
Colours |
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Currently competing in the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship |
Currently competing in the Tailteann Cup |
after 2024 final
# | Team | Pld | W | D | L | Points | P.P.G. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Down | 14 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 22 | 1.571 |
2 | Antrim | 12 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 17 | 1.417 |
3 | Laois | 14 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 15 | 1.071 |
4 | Meath | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 2.000 |
= | Cavan | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 1.500 |
6 | Sligo | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 1.375 |
= | Fermanagh | 10 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 11 | 1.100 |
8 | Limerick | 9 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 1.111 |
9 | Carlow | 10 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 9 | 0.900 |
= | Offaly | 11 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 9 | 0.818 |
11 | Westmeath | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2.000 |
= | Wicklow | 10 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 8 | 0.800 |
13 | Kildare | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 1.500 |
= | Leitrim | 9 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 0.667 |
15 | Wexford | 9 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 0.555 |
16 | Tipperary | 8 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 0.500 |
17 | London | 8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 0.375 |
18 | Waterford | 7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 0.286 |
= | Longford | 8 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 0.250 |
20 | New York | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0.000 |
The most successful team of each decade, judged by number of Tailteann Cup titles, is as follows:
On four occasions a team was defeated twice but have remained in the knockout championship:
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:
14 counties have the record number of consecutive participations in the Tailteann Cup, taking part in the all 3 seasons.
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.
Defending champions are promoted and a number of teams survived the first year of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship. These are:
Pairing | Meetings | Last meeting |
---|---|---|
Cavan v Westmeath | 1 | 2022 |
Down v Meath | 1 | 2023 |
Down v Laois | 1 | 2024 |
The record for the longest unbeaten run stands at 6 games held by Meath (2023-) and Down (2024-)
Year | Player | County |
---|---|---|
2023 | Mathew Costello | Meath |
2022 | Ronan O'Toole | Westmeath |
Year | Player | County | Tally | Total | Matches | Average |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2024 | ||||||
2023 | Pat Havern | Down | 1–34 | 37 | 7 | 5.3 |
2022 | John Heslin | Westmeath | 1–25 | 28 | 4 | 7.0 |
Year | Player | County | Tally | Total | Opposition |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2024 | |||||
2023 | Jack O'Connor | Meath | 1–02 | 5 | Down |
2022 | Ronan O'Toole | Westmeath | 0–05 | 5 | Cavan |
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