The 1956 Railway Cup Hurling Championship was the 30th series of the inter-provincial hurling Railway Cup.[1] Three matches were played between 19 February 1956 and 17 March 1956 to decide the title. It was contested by Connacht, Leinster, Munster and Ulster.
| Date | 19 February 1956 - 17 March 1956 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Teams |  Connacht Leinster Munster Ulster | ||
| Champions | Leinster (7th title) Nick O'Donnell (captain) | ||
| Runners-up | Munster Dermot Kelly (captain) | ||
| Tournament statistics | |||
| Matches played | 3 | ||
| Goals scored | 20 (6.67 per match) | ||
| Points scored | 53 (17.67 per match) | ||
| Top scorer(s) | Nicky Rackard (3-08) | ||
| |||
Munster entered the championship as the defending champions.[2]
On 17 March 1956, Leinster won the Railway Cup after a 5-11 to 1-07 defeat of Munster in the final at Croke Park, Dublin. It was their seventh Railway Cup title overall and their first title since 1954.
Leinster's Nicky Rackard was the Railway Cup top scorer with 3-08.
Results
editSemi-finals
| 19 February 1956 Semi-final | Ulster | 2-06 - 5-13 | Munster | Casement Park, Belfast |
| D Cormican 1-2, K Armstrong 1-0, R McMullan 0-2, J Gibson 0-1, P Morgan 0-1. | C Ring 2-2, S Power 2-1, J Hartnett 1-0, J Carney 0-3, P Stakelum 0-3, J Smyth 0-2, J O'Connor 0-1, D Kelly 0-1. | Referee: C McLoughlin (Leinster) |
| 26 February 1956 Semi-final | Connacht | 2-09 - 5-07 | Leinster | Dunlo GAA Grounds, Ballinasloe |
| P Egan 1-2, B Conway 1-0, B Duffy 0-3, M Cullinane 0-2, T Kelly 0-1, J Molloy 0-1. | T Flood 2-1, L Cashin 2-0, N Rackard 1-2, S Clohessy 0-3, S Hearne 0-1. | Referee: J Fitzgerald (Limerick) |
Final
| 17 March 1956 Final | Munster | 1-07 - 5-11 | Leinster | Croke Park, Dublin |
| D Kelly 1-1, J Smyth 0-3, C Ring 0-2, S Power 0-1. | N Rackard 2-6, T Flood 1-2, L Cashin 1-1, N Wheeler 1-0, S Clohessy 0-1, McGrath 0-1. | Attendance: 46,278 Referee: J Gallagher (Galway) |
Top scorers
edit- Overall
| Rank | Player | County | Tally | Total | Matches | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nicky Rackard | Leinster | 3-08 | 17 | 2 | 8.50 |
| 2 | Tim Flood | Leinster | 3-03 | 12 | 2 | 6.00 |
| 3 | Liam Cashin | Leinster | 3-01 | 10 | 2 | 5.00 |
| Christy Ring | Munster | 2-04 | 10 | 2 | 5.00 |
- Single game
| Rank | Player | County | Tally | Total | Opposition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nicky Rackard | Leinster | 2-06 | 12 | Munster |
| 2 | Christy Ring | Munster | 2-02 | 8 | Ulster |
| 3 | Séamus Power | Munster | 2-01 | 7 | Ulster |
| Tim Flood | Leinster | 2-01 | 7 | Connacht |
Sources
edit- Donegan, Des, The Complete Handbook of Gaelic Games (DBA Publications Limited, 2005).
References
edit- ^ Neville, Conor (12 December 2016). "The fall and fall of the Railway Cup". ball.ie. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
- ^ "Munster Railway Cup-winning teams". Munster GAA website. Retrieved 27 December 2018.