The All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship of 1956 was the 70th staging of Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

's premier hurling knock-out competition. Wexford

Wexford GAA

The Wexford County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Wexford GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Wexford. The county board is also responsible for the Wexford inter-county teams.-History:Hurling has been played in...

 won the championship, beating Cork 2-14 to 2-8 in the final at Croke Park

Croke Park

Croke Park in Dublin is the principal stadium and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association , Ireland's biggest sporting organisation...

, Dublin.

Format

The All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship was run on a provincial basis as usual. All games were played on a knockout basis whereby once a team lost they were eliminated from the championship. The format for the All-Ireland series of games ran as follows:

• The winners of the Munster Championship
  Munster Senior Hurling Championship
  The Munster GAA Hurling Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1888 for the top hurling teams in the province of Munster in Ireland....
  
   advanced directly to the All-Ireland final.
• The winners of the Leinster Championship
  Leinster Senior Hurling Championship
  The Leinster GAA Hurling Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1888 for the top hurling teams in the province of Leinster in Ireland....
  
   advanced directly to a lone All-Ireland semi-final.
• Galway
  Galway GAA
  The Galway County Boards of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Galway GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Galway. The county boards are also responsible for the Galway inter-county teams.Unlike all other counties in Ireland,...
  
  , a team who faced no competition in Connacht
  Connacht Senior Hurling Championship
  The Connacht Senior Hurling Championship was the premier "knockout" competition in the game of hurling played in the province of Connacht in Ireland. The series of games were organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association and were played during the summer months.Over the last number of years the...
  
  , entered the championship at the All-Ireland semi-final stage where they played the Leinster champions.
• There were no representatives from Ulster
  Ulster Senior Hurling Championship
  The Ulster Senior Hurling Championship is the premier intercounty "knockout" competition in the game of hurling played in the province of Ulster. The series of games are organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association and are played during the summer months. The Ulster Hurling Final is played in July...
  
   in the All-Ireland championship.

Leinster Senior Hurling Championship

Leinster Senior Hurling Championship

The Leinster GAA Hurling Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1888 for the top hurling teams in the province of Leinster in Ireland....

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Munster Senior Hurling Championship

Munster Senior Hurling Championship

The Munster GAA Hurling Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1888 for the top hurling teams in the province of Munster in Ireland....

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All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship

All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship

The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1887 for the top hurling teams in Ireland....

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Miscellaneous

• Wexford
  Wexford GAA
  The Wexford County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Wexford GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Wexford. The county board is also responsible for the Wexford inter-county teams.-History:Hurling has been played in...
  
  win a third Leinster title in-a-row, the only time they have done this.