The 2019 Nicky Rackard Cup is the 15th staging of the Nicky Rackard Cup hurling championship since its establishment by the Gaelic Athletic Association in 2005. It is the fourth tier of senior inter-county hurling as of 2019. The competition began on Saturday 11 May 2019 and ends on Saturday 22 June 2019.

Donegal Donegal may refer to: County Donegal, Ireland * County Donegal, a county in the Republic of Ireland, part of the province of Ulster * Donegal (town), a town in County Donegal in Ulster, Ireland * Donegal Bay, an inlet in the northwest of Ireland b ...

were the 2018 champions and were promoted to the

2019 Christy Ring Cup The 2019 Christy Ring Cup was the 15th staging of the Christy Ring Cup hurling championship since its establishment by the Gaelic Athletic Association in 2005. It is the third tierHurling tiers - 1. All-Ireland (Liam MacCarthy Cup) 2. Joe McDon ...

as a result of the restructuring of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship.

Sligo Sligo ( ; ga, Sligeach , meaning 'abounding in shells') is a coastal seaport and the county town of County Sligo, Ireland, within the western province of Connacht. With a population of approximately 20,000 in 2016, it is the List of urban areas ...

were crowned champions after defeating

Armagh Armagh ( ; ga, Ard Mhacha, , "Macha's height") is the county town of County Armagh and a city in Northern Ireland, as well as a civil parish. It is the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland – the seat of the Archbishops of Armagh, the Pri ...

in the final. Sligo's victory completed back to back championship triumphs and promotion from the fifth tier to the third by winning the

2018 Lory Meagher Cup The 2018 Lory Meagher Cup was the 10th staging of the Lory Meagher Cup, the Gaelic Athletic Association's fifth tier inter-county hurling championship. The draw for the 2018 fixtures took place on 25 October 2017. The cup begun on 19 May 2018 an ...

and the 2019 Nicky Rackard Cup.

Team changes

To Championship

Relegated from the

Christy Ring Cup The Christy Ring Cup () is an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association. Originally introduced as a second-tier competition, it is currently the third tier overall in the inter-county hurling championship system. Eac ...

* Mayo Promoted from the Lory Meagher Cup *

From Championship

Promoted to the

Relegated to the Lory Meagher Cup * Leitrim

Competition format

In 2018 the Nicky Rackard Cup changed to an initial stage of one group of four teams and one group of three teams. Previously it was a double elimination tournament. In 2019 the group stage returned to two groups of four teams. The top two teams in the two groups advance to the knockout semi-finals. The winners of the 2019 Nicky Rackard Cup are promoted to the 2020 Christy Ring Cup. One team will be relegated from the 2019 Christy Ring Cup to the 2020 Nicky Rackard Cup. The bottom teams from each group playoff in a relegation match with the losers playing in the 2020 Lory Meagher Cup. They are replaced by the winners of the

2019 Lory Meagher Cup The 2019 Lory Meagher Cup is the 11th staging of the Lory Meagher Cup, the Gaelic Athletic Association's fifth tier inter-county hurling championship. The draw for the 2019 fixtures took place on 24 October 2018. Team changes To Championsh ...

Teams

8 teams competed in the 2019 Nicky Rackard Cup Leinster (2):

Longford Longford () is the county town of County Longford in Ireland. It has a population of 10,008 according to the 2016 census. It is the biggest town in the county and about one third of the county's population lives there. Longford lies at the meet ...

Louth Louth may refer to: Australia *Hundred of Louth, a cadastral unit in South Australia * Louth, New South Wales, a town *Louth Bay, a bay in South Australia **Louth Bay, South Australia, a town and locality Canada * Louth, Ontario Ireland * County ...

Connacht (2): Mayo,

Ulster (3):

Monaghan Monaghan ( ; ) is the county town of County Monaghan, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It also provides the name of its Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish and Monaghan (barony), barony. The population of the town as of the 2016 census was 7 ...

, Tyrone Britain (1): Warwickshire

Group stage

Group 1

Group 1 Table

Group 1 Rounds 1 to 3

=Group 1 Round 1

=Group 1 Round 2

=Group 1 Round 3

Group 2

Group 2 Table

Group 2 Rounds 1 to 3

= Group 2 Round 1

=Group 2 Round 2

=Group 2 Round 3

Knockout stage

Bracket

Semi-finals

The Group 1 winners play the Group 2 runners-up and the Group 2 winners play the Group 1 runners-up.

Final

The semi-final winners met in the Nicky Rackard Cup final at Croke Park with the winners being promoted to the

for 2020. Armagh will remain in the Nicky Rackard Cup. Silgo are promoted and will now play in the

2020 Christy Ring Cup The 2020 Christy Ring Cup was the 16th staging of the Christy Ring Cup hurling championship since its establishment by the Gaelic Athletic Association in 2005. It is the third tier of hurling as of 2020. London were scheduled to compete in the ...

Relegation playoff

The bottom teams in each group meet in a relegation playoff.

remain in the

2020 Nicky Rackard Cup The 2020 Nicky Rackard Cup is the 16th staging of the Nicky Rackard Cup hurling championship since its establishment by the Gaelic Athletic Association in 2005. It is the fourth tier hurling as of 2020. Warwickshire were supposed to compete in ...

and

are relegated to the

2020 Lory Meagher Cup The 2020 Lory Meagher Cup is the 12th staging of the Lory Meagher Cup, the Gaelic Athletic Association's fifth tier inter-county hurling championship. This year's cup was contested between Cavan, Fermanagh and Louth. Lancashire were supposed to ...

References

{{GAA 2019 , state=expanded Nicky Rackard Cup Nicky Rackard Cup