The 2019 Nicky Rackard Cup is the 15th staging of the

Nicky Rackard Cup The Nicky Rackard Cup (; often referred to as the Rackard Cup) is an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association. The cup forms the fourth-tier of Hurling for senior county teams (the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Champi ...

hurling championship since its establishment by the

Gaelic Athletic Association The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sports, amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include the traditional Irish sports o ...

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 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 ( ; , 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 20,608 in 2022, it is the county's largest urban centre (constituting 2 ...

were crowned champions after defeating

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

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 tenth edition of the Lory Meagher Cup since its establishment by the Gaelic Athletic Association in 2009 and is the fifth-tier of Hurling for senior county teams (the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship is t ...

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. The cup forms the third-tier of Hurling for senior county teams (the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship is the first-tier trophy). It is ...

* Mayo Promoted from the

Lory Meagher Cup The Lory Meagher Cup (; often referred to as the Meagher Cup) is an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association. The cup forms the fifth-tier of hurling for senior county teams (the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Champio ...

From Championship

Promoted to the

* Donegal Relegated to the

* 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 was the eleventh edition of the Lory Meagher Cup since its establishment by the Gaelic Athletic Association in 2009 Lory Meagher Cup, 2009 and is the fifth-tier of Hurling for senior county teams (the All-Ireland Senior ...

Teams

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

Longford Longford () is the county town of County Longford in Ireland. It had a population of 10,952 at the 2022 census. It is the biggest town in the county and about one third of the county's population lives there. Longford lies at the meeting of ...

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 * Cou ...

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), Monaghan barony. The population of the town as of the 2022 cen ...

, 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 was the twelfth edition of the Lory Meagher Cup since its establishment by the Gaelic Athletic Association in 2009 Lory Meagher Cup, 2009 and is the fifth-tier of Hurling for senior county teams (the All-Ireland Senior ...

References

{{GAA 2019 , state=expanded

Nicky Rackard Cup