The record of the nine was a term used in 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...

 to refer to the nine men who held the record between 1944 and 2009 for winning four consecutive 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....

 winners' medals. This occurred between 1941 and 1944 when Cork won the championship title every year. Only nine men played in all four finals, hence the record of the nine. These men were Din Joe Buckley

Din Joe Buckley

Din Joe Buckley was an Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Glen Rovers and was a member of the Cork senior inter-county team from 1940 until 1949. Buckley was the last surviving member of Cork's four-in-a-row team of the 1940s.-Early life:Din Joe Buckley was born in...

, Alan Lotty

Alan Lotty

Alan Lotty was an Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Sarsfield's and was a member of the Cork senior inter-county team from 1939 until 1949.-Club:...

, Jack Lynch

Jack Lynch

John Mary "Jack" Lynch was the Taoiseach of Ireland, serving two terms in office; from 1966 to 1973 and 1977 to 1979....

, Willie Murphy

Willie Murphy

Willie 'Long Puck' Murphy was an Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Ballincollig and was a member of the Cork senior-inter-county team from 1939 until 1949.-Nickname:...

, Paddy O'Donovan

Paddy O'Donovan

Paddy O'Donovan was an Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Glen Rovers and was a member of the Cork senior inter-county team in the 1930s and 1940s.-Club:...

, Johnny Quirke

Johnny Quirke

Johnny Quirke was an Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Blackrock and was a member of the Cork senior inter-county team from 1932 until 1946...

, 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...

, Batt Thornhill

Batt Thornhill

Batt Thornhill was an Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Buttevant and with the Cork senior inter-county team from 1939 until 1944.-Club:Thornhill played his club hurling with his local club in Buttevant...

 and Dr. Jim Young

Jim Young (hurler)

Dr. Jim Young was an Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with Glen Rovers and was a member of the Cork senior inter-county team from 1938 until 1949.-Biography:...

.

Their record stood for 65 years in spite of some close calls in the interim. In 1952 Tipperary

Tipperary GAA

The Tipperary County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or C is one of over 30 regional executive boards throughout the world. These executive boards are known as County Boards even though some no longer correspond to the area under the jurisdiction of the counties from which their names...

 had won the three previous All-Ireland titles and looked set for a fourth consecutive triumph. They were eventually defeated by Cork in the Munster final that year. In 1979 Cork had also won the three previous All-Ireland titles. Their four-in-a-row dream came to a halt in the All-Ireland semi-final following a shock defeat by 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,...

.

One of the nine, Jack Lynch was also on the Cork football team that captured the 1945 All-Ireland Football Title

All-Ireland Senior Football Championship

The All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, the premier competition in Gaelic football, is a series of games organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association and played during the summer and early autumn...

. When Cork regained the All-Ireland Hurling title in 1946 Lynch gained his sixth All-Ireland medal in successive years (5 in hurling,1 in football), a unique achievement in Gaelic games

Gaelic games

Gaelic games are sports played in Ireland under the auspices of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The two main games are Gaelic football and hurling...

.

In 2009 Kilkenny

Kilkenny GAA

The Kilkenny 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 Kilkenny. The county board has its head office and main grounds at Nowlan Park and is also responsible for Kilkenny inter-county teams...

 equalled the record when they secured their own four-in-a-row of All-Ireland titles. On that occasion Michael Kavanagh

Michael Kavanagh

Michael Kavanagh is an Irish sportsperson. He plays hurling with his local club St. Lachtain's and has a member of the Kilkenny senior inter-county team since 1998.-Biography:...

, Henry Shefflin

Henry Shefflin

Henry Shefflin is an Irish sportsperson. He plays hurling with his local club Ballyhale Shamrocks and has been a member of the Kilkenny senior inter-county team since 1999...

, Tommy Walsh

Tommy Walsh (hurler)

Tommy Walsh is an Irish hurler who currently plays as a right wing-back for the Kilkenny senior team. He joined the team during the 2002 championship and became a regular member of the starting fifteen the following year....

, Jackie Tyrrell

Jackie Tyrrell

Jackie Tyrrell is an Irish hurler who played as a left corner-back for the Kilkenny senior team.Tyrrell made his first appearance for the team during the 2005 championship and immediately became the first-choice left corner-back...

, Derek Lyng

Derek Lyng

Derek Lyng is an Irish sportsperson. He plays hurling with his local club called Emeralds and was a member of the Kilkenny senior inter-county team from 2001 to 2010.-Club:...

, Eoin Larkin

Eoin Larkin

Eoin Larkin is an Irish sportsperson. He plays hurling with his local club James Stephens and has been a member of the Kilkenny senior inter-county team since 2005...

, Eddie Brennan

Eddie Brennan

Eddie Brennan is an Irish sportsperson. He plays hurling with his local club Graigue-Ballycallan and has been a member of the Kilkenny senior inter-county team since 2000.-Biography:...

, Aidan Fogarty

Aidan Fogarty

Aidan Fogarty is an Irish sportsperson. He plays hurling with his local club Emeralds and with the Kilkenny senior inter-county team.-Club:...

 and Martin Comerford

Martin Comerford

Martin Comerford is an Irish sportsperson. He plays hurling with his local club O'Loughlin Gaels and was a member of the Kilkenny senior inter-county team from 2002 until 2010.-References:-Teams:...

joined a unique club of hurlers who won four consecutive All-Ireland titles.