| Year: | 1939 |
| Dates: | 7 May – 3 September 1939 |
| Teams: | 13 |
| Munster: | Cork |
| Leinster: | Kilkenny |
| Matches: | 12 |
| Team: | Kilkenny |
| Titles: | 12th |
| Captain: | Jimmy Walsh |
| Team2: | Cork |
| Captain2: | Jack Lynch |
| Totalgoals: | 91 (7.58 per game) |
| Totalpoints: | 116 (9.66 per game) |
| Topscorer: | Jim Langton (1-20) |
| Previous: | 1938 |
| Next: | 1940 |
The 1939 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship was the 53rd staging of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship since its establishment by the Gaelic Athletic Association in 1887. The championship began on 7 May 1939 and ended on 3 September 1939.
Dublin entered the championship as the defending champions, however, they were beaten by Kilkenny in the Leinster final.
The All-Ireland final was played on 3 September 1939 at Croke Park in Dublin, between Kilkenny and Cork, in what was their first meeting in a final in nine years. Kilkenny won the match by 2–07 to 3–03 to claim their 12th championship title overall and a first title since 1935. The 1939 All-Ireland final remains one of the most iconic of all time.[1] Played on the day that Britain declared war on Germany, the climax of the match took place during a terrific thunderstorm and earned the sobriquet of the "thunder and lightning final".[2] [3]
Kilkenny's Jim Langton was the championship's top scorer with 1-20.
A total of thirteen teams contested the championship, including all of the teams from the 1938 championship. Wexford re-entered the championship after a one-year absence.
| Team | Colours | Most recent success | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All-Ireland | Provincial | League | |||
| Clare | Saffron and blue | 1914 | 1932 | ||
| Cork | Red and white | 1931 | 1931 | 1929-30 | |
| Dublin | Navy and blue | 1938 | 1938 | 1938-39 | |
| Galway | Maroon and white | 1923 | 1922 | 1930-31 | |
| Kilkenny | Black and amber | 1935 | 1937 | 1932-33 | |
| Laois | Blue and white | 1915 | 1915 | ||
| Limerick | Green and white | 1936 | 1936 | 1937-38 | |
| Meath | Green and gold | ||||
| Offaly | Green, white and gold | ||||
| Tipperary | Blue and gold | 1937 | 1937 | 1927-28 | |
| Waterford | Blue and white | 1938 | |||
| Westmeath | Maroon and white | ||||
| Wexford | Purple and gold | 1910 | 1918 | ||
First round
Second round
Wexford received a bye in this round.
Semi-finals
Final
First round
Semi-finals
Final
Semi-final
Final
| Rank | Player | Club | Tally | Total | Matches | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jim Langton | Kilkenny | 1-20 | 23 | 4 | 5.75 |
| 2 | Ted O'Sullivan | Cork | 7-01 | 22 | 3 | 7.33 |
| 3 | Paddy McMahon | Limerick | 6-00 | 18 | 3 | 6.00 |
| 4 | Willie Delaney | Laois | 5-01 | 16 | 2 | 8.00 |
| 5 | K. Whelan | Wexford | 5-00 | 15 | 2 | 7.50 |
| 6 | Paddy McSweeney | Dublin | 4-00 | 12 | 2 | 6.00 |
| Mick Brophy | Dublin | 4-00 | 12 | 2 | 6.00 | |
| Paddy Norton | Laois | 4-00 | 12 | 2 | 6.00 | |
| Jack Lynch | Cork | 2-06 | 12 | 3 | 4.00 | |
| 10 | Mick Falvey | Meath | 3-01 | 10 | 2 | 5.00 |
| Bill Loughnane | Dublin | 3-01 | 10 | 2 | 5.00 | |
| P. Farrell | Meath | 3-01 | 10 | 2 | 5.00 |
| Rank | Player | Club | Tally | Total | Opposition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Willie Delaney | Laois | 4-01 | 13 | Meath |
| 2 | Paddy Norton | Laois | 4-00 | 12 | Meath |
| K. Whelan | Wexford | 4-00 | 12 | Offaly | |
| 4 | Mick Falvey | Meath | 3-01 | 10 | Westmeath |
| Bill Loughnane | Dublin | 3-01 | 10 | Wexford | |
| 6 | Paddy McSweeney | Dublin | 3-00 | 9 | Kilkenny |
| Ted O'Sullivan | Cork | 3-00 | 9 | Waterford | |
| Paddy McMahon | Limerick | 3-00 | 9 | Clare | |
| Mick Brophy | Dublin | 3-00 | 9 | Wexford | |
| 10 | Timmy Fitzpatrick | Laois | 2-02 | 8 | Meath |
| Jim Langton | Kilkenny | 0-08 | 8 | Galway |