Refereed by Jeremiah Fitzgerald (Rathkeale, Limerick) The 1959 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship was the 73rd staging of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, the Gaelic Athletic Association's premier inter-county hurling tournament. The championship began on 12 April 1959 and ended on 4 October 1959. The championship was won by Waterford who secured the title following a 3–12 to 1–10 defeat of Kilkenny in the All-Ireland final. This was their second All-Ireland title, their first in eleven championship seasons. It remains their last All-Ireland triumph. Tipperary were the defending champions but were defeated by Waterford in the Munster semi-final.

Provincial changes

Due to a lack of competition in their own province, the Galway County Board proposed a regrading to junior status in January 1958. This led to a wider debate regarding the structure of the championship. The abolition of the provincial system and the introduction of an open draw was rejected. Galway put forward their own proposal for the creation of a new "province" consisting of Galway, Clare, Laois, Offaly and Westmeath, however, this was also rejected. The possibility of starting the National Hurling League in April in an effort to give Galway some game time before the start of the championship was also discussed. At a meeting of the Munster Council on 10 January 1959 it was decided to invite Galway to participate in all grades of hurling in Munster on a temporary basis. This decision was later ratified at the GAA Congress.

Results

Leinster Senior Hurling Championship

First round Second round Semi-finals Final

Munster Senior Hurling Championship

First round Semi-finals Final

All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship

Finals

Championship statistics

Top scorers

Miscellaneous

Player facts

Debutantes

The following players made their début in the 1959 championship:

Sources