| 1981 Cork Senior Hurling Championship | |
| Dates: | 10 May – 13 September 1981 |
| Teams: | 17 |
| Champions: | St. Finbarr's |
| Count: | 21 |
| Champions Captain: | Dónal O'Grady |
| Champions Manager: | Gerald McCarthy |
| Runners-Up: | Glen Rovers |
| Runners-Up Captain: | Teddy O'Brien |
| Runners-Up Manager: | Jerry O'Sullivan |
| Matches: | 16 |
| Goals: | 68 |
| Points: | 305 |
| Top Scorer: | Christy Ryan (6-05) |
| Previous Year: | 1980 |
| Previous Tournament: | 1980 Cork Senior Hurling Championship |
| Next Year: | 1982 |
| Next Tournament: | 1982 Cork Senior Hurling Championship |
The 1981 Cork Senior Hurling Championship was the 93rd staging of the Cork Senior Hurling Championship since its establishment by the Cork County Board in 1887. The championship began on 10 May 1981 and ended on 13 September 1981.
St. Finbarr's entered the championship as the defending champions.
The final was played on 13 September 1981 at Páirc Uí Chaoimh in Cork, between St. Finbarr's and Glen Rovers, in what was their second successive meeting in the final. St. Finbarr's won the match by 1–12 to 1–09 to claim their 21st championship title overall and a second successive title.[1] [2]
Christy Ryan was the championship's top scorer with 6-05.
At the County Convention on 25 January 1981, it was decided to end the three-year experiment of playing the championship on a league basis in the preliminary rounds and reverted to an open, seeded draw.[3] The four semi-finalists from the 1980 championship (Midleton, Blackrock, St. Finbarr's and Glen Rovers) were the four seeded teams and were separated in the quarter-final stage.
Promoted from the Cork Intermediate Hurling Championship
First round
Second round
Quarter-finals
Semi-finals
Final
| Rank | Player | Club | Tally | Total | Matches | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Christy Ryan | St. Finbarr's | 6-05 | 23 | 4 | 5.75 |
| 2 | Éamonn O'Donoghue | Blackrock | 4-04 | 16 | 3 | 5.33 |
| 3 | Pat Horgan | Glen Rovers | 1-12 | 15 | 4 | 3.75 |
| Paddy Ring | Glen Rovers | 1-12 | 15 | 4 | 3.75 | |
| 5 | Ray Cummins | Blackrock | 4-02 | 14 | 3 | 4.66 |
| Charlie McCarthy | St. Finbarr's | 1-11 | 14 | 4 | 3.50 | |
| Bertie Óg Murphy | Sarsfields | 1-11 | 14 | 4 | 3.50 | |
| John Fenton | Midleton | 0-14 | 14 | 3 | 4.66 | |
| 9 | Kevin Hennessy | Midleton | 3-04 | 13 | 3 | 4.33 |
| Tom O'Neill | Glen Rovers | 3-04 | 13 | 4 | 3.25 |