The Christy Ring Cup is an annual hurling

Hurling

Hurling is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic origin, administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association, and played with sticks called hurleys and a ball called a sliotar. Hurling is the national game of Ireland. The game has prehistoric origins, has been played for at least 3,000 years, and...

 competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association

Gaelic Athletic Association

The Gaelic Athletic Association is an amateur Irish and international cultural and sporting organisation focused primarily on promoting Gaelic games, which include the traditional Irish sports of hurling, camogie, Gaelic football, handball and rounders...

 since 2005 for middle-ranking hurling teams in 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...

.

The series of games are played during the summer

Summer

Summer is the warmest of the four temperate seasons, between spring and autumn. At the summer solstice, the days are longest and the nights are shortest, with day-length decreasing as the season progresses after the solstice...

 months with the Christy Ring Cup final being played in July

July

July is the seventh month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian Calendars and one of seven months with the length of 31 days. It is, on average, the warmest month in most of the Northern hemisphere and the coldest month in much of the Southern hemisphere...

 in 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. The prize for the winning team is the Christy Ring Cup, named after Christy Ring

Christy Ring

Nicholas Christopher Michael Ring , better known as Christy Ring, was a famous Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with the Glen Rovers club from 1941 until 1967 and was a member of the Cork senior inter-county team from 1939 until 1963. Ring is widely regarded as one of the greatest hurlers in...

 of Cork, regarded as one the greatest hurlers of all-time.

The Christy Ring Cup currently consists of several stages. In the present format, it begins in early May with the first round of the competition. The winners and losers of these games are then divided into two groups where another series of games are played. Following this, four teams emerge to contest the knock-out phase of the competition via two lone quarter-finals.

Eight teams currently participate in the championship, the most dominant teams coming from the province of Leinster, Westmeath and Carlow. At least one of these teams have appeared in all six Christy Ring Cup finals, while Westmeath with three have the most titles.

2005-2007

The ten participating counties of the Christy Ring Cup were divided into two groups of five and play in a round-robin

Round-robin

The term round-robin was originally used to describe a document signed by multiple parties in a circle to make it more difficult to determine the order in which it was signed, thus preventing a ringleader from being identified...

 format, guaranteeing at least four games each. The eventual group winners and runners-up qualified for the knock-out semi-finals of the competition.

The bottom two teams of both groups were involved in a four-way relegation play-off with the eventual loser being relegated to the Nicky Rackard Cup

Nicky Rackard Cup

The Nicky Rackard Cup is a competition for the Tier 3 hurling teams of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship. The tournament is organised by the [Gaelic Athletic Association]] and is played during the summer months with the final being played in Croke Park, Dublin...

.

The prize for the winners of the final was promotion to the 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....

.

2008

The twelve participating counties of the Christy Ring Cup were divided into four groups of three and play in a round-robin

Round-robin

The term round-robin was originally used to describe a document signed by multiple parties in a circle to make it more difficult to determine the order in which it was signed, thus preventing a ringleader from being identified...

 format, guaranteeing at least two games each. The eventual group winners and runners-up qualified for the knock-out quarter-finals of the competition.

The bottom team in each group went into the relegation play-offs. The eventual losers were relegated to the Nicky Rackard Cup.

2009-2010

The Christy Ring Cup has a double elimination format - each of the eight teams will play at least two games before being eliminated from the competition.

• The eight teams play four Round 1 matches.
  • The winners in Round 1 advance to Round 2A.
  • The losers in Round 1 go into to Round 2B.
• There are two Round 2A matches.
  • The winners in Round 2A advance to the semi-finals.
  • The losers in Round 2A go into to the quarter-finals.
• There are two Round 2B matches.
  • The winners in Round 2B advance to the quarter-finals.
  • The losers in Round 2B go into the relegation playoff.
    • The losers of the relegation playoff are relegated to the Nicky Rackard Cup
      Nicky Rackard Cup
      The Nicky Rackard Cup is a competition for the Tier 3 hurling teams of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship. The tournament is organised by the [Gaelic Athletic Association]] and is played during the summer months with the final being played in Croke Park, Dublin...
      
       for 2011.
• There are two quarter-final matches between the Round 2A losers and Round 2B winners.
  • The winners of the quarter-finals advance to the semi-finals.
  • The losers of the quarter-finals are eliminated.
• There are two semi-final matches between the Round 2A winners and the quarter-final winners.
  • The winners of the semi-finals advance to the final.
  • The losers of the semi-finals are eliminated.
• The winners of the final win the Christy Ring Cup for 2010 and are promoted to the Liam McCarthy Cup
  Liam McCarthy Cup
  The MacCarthy Perpetual Challenge Cup is a trophy awarded annually by the Gaelic Athletic Association to the hurling team that wins the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship.-The trophy:...
  
   for 2011.

Past winners

Year	Winner	Score	Runner-up	Score	Venue	Winning Captain	Losing Captain
2005 Details Christy Ring Cup 2005 The Christy Ring Cup 2005 began on Saturday, June 4, 2005. 2005 was the first time this new element of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship was introduced. It was devised by the Hurling Development Committee to encourage some of the so-called "weaker" hurling counties and to give them the...	Westmeath Westmeath GAA The Westmeath County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Westmeath GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Westmeath...	1-23 (26)	Down Down GAA The Down County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Down GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Down...	2-18 (24)	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	John Shaw John Shaw (hurler) John Shaw is an Irish sportsperson. He plays hurling with his local club Raharney and has been a member of the Westmeath senior inter-county team since 2000.-References:-Teams:...	Simon Wilson
2006 Details Christy Ring Cup 2006 The Christy Ring Cup 2006 began on Saturday, June 3, 2006.Down shocked Antrim on opening day, but the Glensmen came back to win their next three games by a combined 77 points. In Group B, Kildare won all their games while Carlow scraped the runner-up spot...	Antrim Antrim GAA The Antrim County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Antrim GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Antrim. The county board is also responsible for the Antrim inter-county teams...	5-13 (28)	Carlow Carlow GAA The Carlow County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Carlow GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Carlow and the Carlow inter-county teams.-Gaelic football:...	1-07 (10)	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	Karl McKeegan Karl McKeegan Karl McKeegan is the former captain of Antrim's hurling team. He currently plays for Ruairi Og Cushendall. He was captain of the Antrim team that won the 2006 Christy Ring Cup.-External links:**...	Robbie Foley
2007 Details Christy Ring Cup 2007 The Christy Ring Cup 2007 began on Saturday, June 9, 2007.-Format:10 counties are contesting the 2007 competition for the Christy Ring Cup — the prize for the winners of Tier Two of the Guinness All-Ireland Hurling Championship...	Westmeath Westmeath GAA The Westmeath County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Westmeath GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Westmeath...	2-15 (21)	Kildare Kildare GAA For more information see Kildare Senior Club Football Championship or Kildare Senior Club Hurling Championship.The Kildare County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association , or Kildare GAA, is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Kildare...	0-13 (13)	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	Darren McCormack	Colm Buggy
2008 Details Christy Ring Cup 2008 The 2008 Christy Ring Cup was the 4th annual second tier hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association. Carlow beat Westmeath in the final after extra time...	Carlow Carlow GAA The Carlow County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Carlow GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Carlow and the Carlow inter-county teams.-Gaelic football:...	3-22 (31)	Westmeath Westmeath GAA The Westmeath County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Westmeath GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Westmeath...	4-16 (28)	O'Connor Park O'Connor Park O'Connor Park is a Gaelic Athletic Association stadium in Tullamore, County Offaly, Ireland. It is one of the principal grounds of the Offaly GAA Gaelic football and hurling teams. The ground was opened in 1934. and currently has a capacity of 20,000.... , Tullamore Tullamore Tullamore is a town in County Offaly, in the midlands of Ireland. It is Offaly's county town and the centre of the district.Tullamore is an important commercial and industrial centre in the region. Major international employers in the town include 'Tyco Healthcare' and 'Boston Scientific'. In...	Edward Coady	Brendan Murtagh Brendan Murtagh Brendan Murtagh is an Irish sportsperson. He plays hurling with his local club Clonkill and has been a member of the Westmeath senior inter-county team since 2001.-References:-Teams:...
2009 Details Christy Ring Cup 2009 The 2009 Christy Ring Cup is the 5th annual second-tier hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association. Eight county teams participate in the competition...	Carlow Carlow GAA The Carlow County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Carlow GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Carlow and the Carlow inter-county teams.-Gaelic football:...	1-15 (18)	Down Down GAA The Down County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Down GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Down...	0-14 (14)	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	Mark Brennan	Graham Clarke Graham Clarke (hurler) Graham Clarke is an Irish sportsperson. He plays hurling with his local club Ballygalget and has been a member of the Down senior inter-county team since 1993.-Club:...
2010 Details Christy Ring Cup 2010 The 2010 Christy Ring Cup is the sixth staging of Ireland's second-tier hurling competition. Carlow are the current champions, however, they will not get the chance to defend their title due to their promotion to the GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship...	Westmeath Westmeath GAA The Westmeath County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Westmeath GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Westmeath...	2-16 (22)	Kerry Kerry GAA The Kerry County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Kerry...	1-18 (21)	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	Andrew Mitchell Andrew Mitchell (hurler) Andrew Mitchell is an Irish sportsperson. He plays hurling with his local club Clonkill and has been a member of the Westmeath senior inter-county team since 2000.-References:-Teams:...	Colin Harris
2011 Details Christy Ring Cup 2010 The 2010 Christy Ring Cup is the sixth staging of Ireland's second-tier hurling competition. Carlow are the current champions, however, they will not get the chance to defend their title due to their promotion to the GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship...	Kerry Kerry GAA The Kerry County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Kerry...	2-21 (27)	Wicklow Wicklow GAA The Wicklow County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Wicklow GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Wicklow...	2-08 (14)	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	Mikey Boyle Mikey Boyle Mikey Boyle is a hurler who plays with Ballyduff and Kerry. His family are a famous Hurling and Football family in North Kerry and he has played both Football and Hurling with Kerry. He played Minor and Vocational Schools football with Kerry. He has played at all level with Kerry in hurling. He...	Johnathan O'Neill