Treaty hoping to claim first Munster SHC six in a row Jack Lynch (front right) leads the Cork team that faced Kilkenny in the 1939 All-Ireland SHC final Just as the Starship Enterprise sought to go where “no man has gone before” in the TV science fiction series Star Trek, Limerick are aiming to go where no Munster hurling team has gone before in today’s provincial final. In the storied history of the Munster hurling championship, no team has managed to win six provincial titles on the spin. Cork was the first superpower in Munster, winning four provincial titles, including the first hat-trick in the 1890s.
In the next decade, they went close to achieving the six in a row – securing six in seven years from 1901 to 1907. But they missed out in 1906 when Tipperary beat them in the provincial decider. The Rebels did another four in a row between 1926 and 1929 – they beat Clare in three of the finals.
The next superpower to emerge in Munster hurling was the Mick Mackey-inspired Limerick in the 1930s. They won four titles on the spin between 1933 and 1936 and two All-Irelands. The Munster championship trophy is named after the Ahane legend.
Cork dominated again during World War II when future Taoiseach Jack Lynch and the legendary Christy Ring were among the star players. Ironically, an outbreak of foot and mouth disease caused more disruption to hurling than the worldwide hostilities. The Rebels won five provincial titles in six seasons.
Even though they won the Liam Mac.