| Year: | 1979 |
| Dates: | 27 May – 2 September 1979 |
| Teams: | 11 |
| Munster: | Cork |
| Leinster: | Kilkenny |
| Matches: | 10 |
| Poty: | Ger Henderson |
| Team: | Kilkenny |
| Titles: | 21st |
| Captain: | Ger Fennelly |
| Manager: | Pat Henderson Eddie Keher |
| Team2: | Galway |
| Captain2: | Joe McDonagh |
| Manager2: | Michael "Babs" Keating |
| Totalgoals: | 43 (4.3 per game) |
| Totalpoints: | 271 (27.1 per game) |
| Topscorer: | Éamonn Cregan (2-17) |
| Previous: | 1978 |
| Next: | 1980 |
The 1979 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship was the 93rd staging of the All-Ireland hurling championship since its establishment by the Gaelic Athletic Association in 1887. The championship began on 27 May 1979 and ended on 2 September 1978.
Cork entered the championship as defending champions, however, they were beaten by Galway in the All-Ireland semi-final.[1] Kilkenny won the title after defeating Galway by 2–12 to 1–8 in the final.
A total of eleven teams contested the championship, one of the fewest participants in years. Only four team contested the Leinster series of games. Kildare, Laois and Westmeath withdrew from the provincial campaign, however, Laois did qualify for the All-Ireland series by winning the All-Ireland Senior B Hurling Championship. They did this at Antrim's expense. Kerry withdrew from the Munster championship.
| Team | Colours | Most recent success | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All-Ireland | Provincial | League | |||
| Clare | Saffron and blue | 1914 | 1932 | 1977–78 | |
| Cork | Red and white | 1978 | 1978 | 1973–74 | |
| Dublin | Navy and blue | 1938 | 1961 | 1938–39 | |
| Galway | Maroon and white | 1923 | 1922 | 1974–75 | |
| Kilkenny | Black and amber | 1975 | 1978 | 1975–76 | |
| Laois | Blue and white | 1915 | 1949 | ||
| Limerick | Green and white | 1973 | 1974 | 1970–71 | |
| Offaly | Green, white and gold | ||||
| Tipperary | Blue and gold | 1971 | 1971 | 1978–79 | |
| Waterford | Blue and white | 1959 | 1963 | 1962–63 | |
| Wexford | Purple and gold | 1968 | 1977 | 1972–73 | |
See main article: 1979 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final.
| Rank | Player | County | Tally | Total | Matches | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Éamonn Cregan | Limerick | 2–17 | 23 | 3 | 7.66 |
| 2 | Ned Buggy | Wexford | 1–16 | 19 | 2 | 9.50 |
| 3 | Mick Brennan | Kilkenny | 2–12 | 18 | 3 | 6.00 |
| 4 | Joe McKenna | Limerick | 4-5 | 17 | 3 | 5.66 |
| 5 | Charlie McCarthy | Cork | 1–12 | 15 | 3 | 5.00 |
| Liam O'Brien | Kilkenny | 1–12 | 15 | 3 | 5.00 | |
| P. J. Molloy | Galway | 1–12 | 15 | 3 | 5.00 | |
| 8 | Mick Crotty | Kilkenny | 2-5 | 11 | 3 | 3.66 |
| Matt Ruth | Kilkenny | 2-5 | 11 | 3 | 3.66 | |
| 10 | Mick Holden | Dublin | 2-3 | 9 | 1 | 9.00 |
| Ray Cummins | Cork | 2-3 | 9 | 3 | 3.00 |
| Rank | Player | County | Tally | Total | Opposition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Éamonn Moroney | Clare | 2–4 | 10 | Waterford |
| Joe McKenna | Clare | 2–4 | 10 | Kilkenny | |
| Liam 'Chunky' O'Brien | Clare | 1–7 | 10 | Kilkenny | |
| Ned Buggy | Wexford | 0–10 | 10 | Offaly | |
| 5 | Mick Holden | Dublin | 2–3 | 9 | Kilkenny |
| P. J. Molloy | Galway | 1–6 | 9 | Cork | |
| Ned Buggy | Wexford | 1–6 | 9 | Kilkenny | |
| 8 | Éamonn Cregan | Limerick | 0–8 | 8 | Clare |
| Mick 'Cloney' Brennan | Kilkenny | 0–8 | 8 | Wexford | |
| 10 | Mick Crotty | Kilkenny | 1–4 | 7 | Dublin |
| Joe McKenna | Limerick | 1–4 | 7 | Waterford | |
| Matt Ruth | Kilkenny | 1–4 | 7 | Wexford | |
| Charlie McCarthy | Cork | 1–4 | 7 | Limerick |
The following matches were broadcast live on television in Ireland on RTÉ.
| Round | RTÉ | |
|---|---|---|
| All-Ireland semi-final | Cork vs Galway | |
| All-Ireland final | Kilkenny vs Galway |