O'Byrne Cup
| O'Byrne Cup | |
|---|---|
Current season or competition: 2016 O'Byrne Cup | |
 | |
| Irish | Corn Uí Bhroin |
| Code | Football |
| Founded | 1954 |
| Region | Leinster (GAA) |
| Trophy | O'Byrne Cup |
| Title holders | Meath (9th title) |
| First winner | Offaly |
| Most titles | Kildare (11 titles) |
| Sponsors | Bord na Móna |
| TV partner(s) | TG4 |
| Official website | http://www.leinstergaa.ie/leinster-accident-tournaments-2012/obyrne-cup-sf-2012.325.html |
The Bord na Móna O'Byrne Cup is a Gaelic football competition organised by the Leinster GAA. The competition is named after Matt O'Byrne, a former Wicklow GAA club officer. The participants are the eleven county teams (excluding Kilkenny) and five third-level teams, which must qualify. The competition is, together with the Walsh Cup and Kehoe Cup, part of the Bord na Móna Leinster GAA Series which takes place each January.
The current O'Byrne Cup champions are Meath, who beat Longford in the 2016 final by a scoreline of 1-17 to 1-11. The O'Byrne Shield was introduced for teams knocked out of the first stage of the Cup but was later abandoned in 2013 due to the introduction of group stages in the competition.[1][2]
Top winners
| Team | Wins | Years won | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Kildare |
11 | 1962, 1968, 1970, 1973, 1976, 1982, 1989, 2003, 2011, 2013, 2014 |
| 2 |  Meath |
9 | 1967, 1974, 1977, 1983, 1992, 2001, 2004, 2006, 2016 |
| 3 |  Dublin |
8 | 1956, 1958, 1960, 1966, 1999, 2007, 2008, 2015 |
| 4 |  Offaly |
6 | 1954, 1961, 1981, 1993, 1997, 1998 |
| 5 |  Laois |
5 | 1978, 1987, 1991, 1994, 2005 |
| 6 |  Louth |
4 | 1963, 1980, 1990, 2009 |
 Wicklow |
4 | 1955, 1957, 1986, 1996 | |
| 8 |  Westmeath |
3 | 1959, 1964, 1988 |
| 9 | Longford |
2 | 1965, 2000 |
 DCU |
2 | 2010, 2012 | |
| 11 |  Carlow |
1 | 2002 |
 Wexford |
1 | 1995 |
The competition was not played in 1969, 1971, 1972, 1975, 1979, 1984 or 1985.
Previous finals
The O'Byrne Shield
The O'Byrne Shield is an inter county competition between the losers of the first round of the O'Byrne Cup. The competition began in 2006 with Longford winning in the final. The 2007 final was contested by Longford and Athlone IT and Longford won the game on a scoreline of 2-10 to 1-7, while the 2008 title was awarded to Laois after the competition was never completed. The O'Byrne Shield ended as a competition prior to the 2013 season and will no longer be played due to the group stages of the O'Byrne Cup which gives each team a minimum of 3 matches.[1]
Top winners
| Team | Winner | Winning Years | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Laois |
3 | 2008, 2009, 2012 |
| 2 | Longford |
2 | 2006, 2007 |
| 3 | Carlow |
1 | 2010 |
| 3 | Dublin |
1 | 2011 |
References
- 1 2 The Bord Na Mona O'Byrne Cup S.F. 2013
- ↑ Friday night lights on cards for Leinster championship showdowns - Independent.ie