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Tailteann Cup

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Tailteann Cup
Current season or competition:
2024 Tailteann Cup
IrishCorn Tailteann
CodeGaelic football
Founded2022
RegionIreland (GAA)
No. of teams17
Title holders Down (1st title)
Most titles Westmeath, Meath, Down (1 titles)
TV partner(s)RTÉ
Official websitewww.gaa.ie

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.

History

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Creation

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For the history of the second-tier competition that existed before 2022, see Tommy Murphy Cup.

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.

Development

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In 2023 a group stage was introduced, following the success of the inaugural cup.

Team changes

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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

Format history

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2022

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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.

2023–present

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The Tailteann Cup has since emulated the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship format which includes a group stage and a knockout stage.

Tailteann Cup moments

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  • Westmeath 2-14 - 1-13 Cavan (1 July 2022): Westmeath won the inaugural Tailteann Cup, defeating Cavan in Croke Park.
  • Down 8-16 - 2-12 Laois (25 June 2023): This semi-final meeting was the biggest ever Tailteann Cup winning margin in the cups history.

Format

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Down (in red jerseys) take on Laois during the 2024 final

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.

Tailteann Cup group stage

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Group stage (Sixteen teams remaining)edit

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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

Tailteann Cup knockout stage

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Preliminary quarter-finals (12 teams remaining)

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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 (Eight teams remaining)

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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 (Four teams remaining)

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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

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Final (1 match): The two winners of the semi-finals contest this game. Winning team are declared Tailteann Cup champions.

Teams

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2024 teams

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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 — — —

List of Tailteann Cup counties

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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

Participation by province

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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

Venues

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Cup venues

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Group stage, preliminary quarter-finals and quarter-finals

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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.

Semi-finals and Final

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The Tailteann Cup semi-finals and final are played at Croke Park.

2023 venues

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County Location Province Stadium Capacity
Antrim Belfast Ulster Corrigan Park 3,700
Carlow Carlow Leinster Dr Cullen Park 21,000
Cavan Cavan Ulster Breffni Park 32,000
Down Newry Ulster Páirc Esler
Fermanagh Enniskillen Ulster Brewster Park 20,000
Laois Portlaoise Leinster O'Moore Park 27,000
Leitrim Carrick-on-Shannon Connacht Páirc Seán Mac Diarmada 9,331
Limerick Limerick Munster Gaelic Grounds
London South Ruislip Britain McGovern Park 3,000
Longford Longford Leinster Pearse Park 10,000
Meath Navan Leinster Páirc Tailteann
New York Bronx North America Gaelic Park 2,000
Offaly Tullamore Leinster O'Connor Park 20,000
Tipperary Thurles Munster Semple Stadium 45,690
Waterford Waterford Munster Fraher Field 15,000
Wexford Wexford Leinster Chadwicks Wexford Park 20,000
Wicklow Aughrim Leinster Aughrim County Ground 7,000

Managers

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Winning managers

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# 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

List of Finals

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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)

Roll of honour

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Performances by county

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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

Performances by province

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Province Winners Runners-up Total
Leinster 2 1 3
Ulster 1 2 3

Team records and statistics

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Main article: Tailteann Cup records and statistics

Team results

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Legend

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  • 1st – Champions
  • 2nd – Runners-up
  • 3rd – Semi-Final
  • PR/R1/GS/PQF/QF – Preliminary Round/Round 1/Group Stage/Preliminary Quarter-Final/Quarter-Final
  • AI – All-Ireland Senior Football Championship

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

Seasons in Tailteann Cup

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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

Debut of counties

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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

All time table

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Legend

Colours
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

By decade

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The most successful team of each decade, judged by number of Tailteann Cup titles, is as follows:

Match records

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Other records

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Finishing positions

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Unbeaten sides

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Beaten sides

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On four occasions a team was defeated twice but have remained in the knockout championship:

  • Longford (2023) were beaten by Carlow and Limerick but still qualified for the knockout stage.
  • Tipperary (2024) were beaten by Sligo and Antrim but still qualified for the knockout stage.
  • Wicklow (2024) were beaten by Fermanagh and Laois but still qualified for the knockout stage.
  • London (2024) were beaten by Down and Limerick but still qualified for the knockout stage.

Final success rate

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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:

Consecutive participations

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14 counties have the record number of consecutive participations in the Tailteann Cup, taking part in the all 3 seasons.

Winning other trophies

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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.

Biggest wins

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  • The most one sided finals:
  • The most one sided matches:
    • 22 points – 2024: Waterford 0-06 - 5-15 Kildare
    • 22 points – 2023: Down 8-16 - 2-12 Laois
    • 20 points – 2024: Kildare 3-25 - 1-11 Longford
    • 18 points – 2023: Tipperary 0-06 - 2-18 Down
    • 17 points – 2023: Meath 2-23 - 0-12 Wexford
    • 17 points – 2024: Sligo 2-20 - 0-09 London
    • 17 points – 2024: London 0-10 - 1-24 Down
    • 16 points – 2024: Tipperary 1-12 - 3-22 Sligo
    • 15 points – 2022: Offaly 3-17 - 0-11 New York

Scoring Events

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Successful defending

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Defending champions are promoted and a number of teams survived the first year of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship. These are:

Gaps

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  • Longest gap between successive cup titles:
    • 0 years: N/A
  • Longest gap between successive Tailteann Cup final appearances:
  • Longest gap between successive championship appearances

Active gaps

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Provinces

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  • On 0 occasions has the Tailteann Cup final involved two teams from the same province.
  • The province providing the highest number of different winning teams is Leinster, with two:
  • Province success rates (of counties that have ever competed in the competition)

Tailteann Cup final pairings

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Pairing Meetings Last meeting
Cavan v Westmeath 1 2022
Down v Meath 1 2023
Down v Laois 1 2024

Longest undefeated run

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The record for the longest unbeaten run stands at 6 games held by Meath (2023-) and Down (2024-)

Miscellaneous

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Player records

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Main article: Tailteann Cup records and statistics

Player of the year

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Year Player County
2023 Mathew Costello Meath
2022 Ronan O'Toole Westmeath

Top scorer

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Overall

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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

Final

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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

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Second Tier Championship format to be discussed in January". gaa.ie. 24 November 2018.
  2. ^ Sean Moran (19 October 2019). "Tier 2 football championship gets green light at special congress". The Irish Times.
  3. ^ Kevin O'Brien (29 February 2020). "Tier 2 football championship to be called the Tailteann Cup". the42.ie.
  4. ^ a b "All-Ireland football championship to be revamped in 2023 as Green Proposal passes Congress". the42.ie. 26 February 2022.
  5. ^ "GAA publish Master Fixtures Schedule for 2022". gaa.ie. 21 December 2021.
  6. ^ "Tailteann Cup decider won't feature on All-Ireland undercard". RTE Sport. 22 December 2021.
  7. ^ Ciarán Murphy (10 March 2022). "Ciarán Murphy: Priorities unclear until the GAA gives the Tailteann Cup some love". The Irish Times.
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