| Year: | 1973 |
| Dates: | 13 May – 2 September 1973 |
| Munster: | Limerick |
| Leinster: | Kilkenny |
| Poty: | Éamonn Grimes |
| Team: | Limerick |
| Titles: | 7th |
| Captain: | Éamonn Grimes |
| Team2: | Kilkenny |
| Captain2: | Pat Delaney |
| Topscorer: | Richie Bennis (2-25) |
| Previous: | 1972 |
| Next: | 1974 |
The All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship 1973 was the 87th series of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, Ireland's premier hurling knock-out competition. Limerick won the championship, beating Kilkenny 1-21 to 1-14 in the final at Croke Park, Dublin.
The All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship of 1973 was run on a provincial basis as usual. It was a knockout tournament with pairings drawn at random in the respective provinces - there were no seeds.
Each match was played as a single leg. If a match was drawn there was a replay. If both sides were still level at the end of that game another replay had to take place.
Munster Championship
Quarter-final: (1 match) This was a single match between the first two teams drawn from the province of Munster.
Semi-finals: (2 matches) The winner of the lone quarter-final joined the other three Munster teams to make up the semi-final pairings.
Final: (1 match) The winner of the two semi-finals contested this game.
Leinster Championship
First Round: (1 match) This was a single match between two of the 'weaker' teams drawn from the province of Leinster.
Quarter-finals: (2 matches) The winner of the first-round game joined three other Leinster teams to make up the two quarter-final pairings.
Semi-finals: (2 matches) The winners of the two quarter-finals joined Kilkenny and Wexford, who received a bye to this stage, to make up the semi-final pairings.
Final: (1 match) The winner of the two semi-finals contested this game.
All-Ireland Championship
Quarter-final: (1 match) This was a single match between London and Galway, two teams who faced no competition in their respective provinces.
Semi-final: (1 matches) The winner of the lone quarter-final joined the Munster champions to make up the semi-final pairing.
Final: (1 match) The winner of the lone semi-final contested this game with the Leinster champions receiving a bye into the final.
See also: 1973 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final.
| Rank | Player | County | Tally | Total | Matches | Average | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Richie Bennis | Limerick | 2-25 | 31 | 4 | 7.75 | |
| 2 | Francis Loughnane | Tipperary | 3-19 | 28 | 3 | 9.33 | |
| 3 | Barney Moylan | Offaly | 3-18 | 27 | 4 | 6.75 | |
| 4 | Eddie Keher | Kilkenny | 0-21 | 21 | 2 | 10.50 | |
| 5 | Tom Byrne | Wexford | 2-12 | 18 | 2 | 9.00 | |
| 6 | George Lanham | Laois | 2-10 | 16 | 2 | 8.00 | |
| Pat Quigley | Dublin | 0-16 | 16 | 2 | 8.00 | ||
| 8 | Éamonn Cregan | Limerick | 4-3 | 15 | 4 | 3.75 | |
| 9 | Pat Delaney | Kilkenny | 3-5 | 14 | 3 | 4.66 | |
| 10 | Mick Brennan | Kilkenny | 2-7 | 13 | 3 | 4.33 |
| Rank | Player | County | Tally | Total | Opposition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Francis Loughnane | Tipperary | 2-10 | 16 | Limerick |
| 2 | Tom Byrne | Wexford | 2-6 | 12 | Kilkenny |
| George Lanham | Laois | 2-6 | 12 | Offaly | |
| 4 | Eddie Keher | Kilkenny | 0-11 | 11 | Wexford |
| 5 | Barney Moylan | Offaly | 2-4 | 10 | Laois |
| Richie Bennis | Limerick | 1-7 | 10 | London | |
| Richie Bennis | Limerick | 0-10 | 10 | Kilkenny | |
| Eddie Keher | Kilkenny | 0-10 | 10 | Dublin | |
| Pat Quigley | Dublin | 0-10 | 10 | Westmeath | |
| 10 | Johnny Walsh | Kildare | 2-2 | 8 | Offaly |
| Pat Delaney | Kilkenny | 2-2 | 8 | Offaly | |
| Richie Bennis | Limerick | 1-5 | 8 | Tipperary | |
| Francis Loughnane | Tipperary | 0-8 | 8 | Waterford | |
| Gerald McCarthy | Cork | 0-8 | 8 | Tipperary |
The following players made their début in the 1973 championship:
| Player | Team | Date | Opposition | Game | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jimmy Crampton | Tipperary | May 20 | Waterford | Munster quarter-final | |
| Mick Culligan | Clare | June 24 | Limerick | Munster semi-final | |
| Seán Hehir | Clare | June 24 | Limerick | Munster semi-final | |
| Séamus Horgan | Limerick | June 24 | Clare | Munster semi-final | |
| Ger Loughnane | Clare | June 24 | Limerick | Munster semi-final | |
| Michael O'Connor | Clare | June 24 | Limerick | Munster semi-final | |
| Noel Ryan | Clare | June 24 | Limerick | Munster semi-final | |
| Tim Ryan | Clare | June 24 | Limerick | Munster semi-final | |
| Joe McKenna | Limerick | June 24 | Clare | Munster semi-final | |
| John Buckley | Cork | July 1 | Tipperary | Munster semi-final | |
| Noel Dunne | Cork | July 1 | Tipperary | Munster semi-final | |
| Pat Moylan | Cork | July 1 | Tipperary | Munster semi-final | |
| Tom Ryan | Limerick | July 29 | Tipperary | Munster final | |
| Brian Cody | Kilkenny | September 2 | Limerick | All-Ireland final |
The following players played their last game in the 1973 championship:
| Player | Team | Last Game | Date | Opposition | Début | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jimmy Doyle | Tipperary | Munster quarter-final | May 20 | Waterford | 1957 | |
| Mick Culligan | Clare | Munster semi-final | June 24 | Limerick | 1973 | |
| Mick Kilmartin | Clare | Munster semi-final | June 24 | Limerick | 1971 | |
| Michael O'Connor | Clare | Munster semi-final | June 24 | Limerick | 1973 | |
| Tim Ryan | Clare | Munster semi-final | June 24 | Limerick | 1973 | |
| Jimmy Crampton | Tipperary | July 29 | Munster final | Waterford | 1973 | |
| Len Gaynor | Tipperary | July 29 | Munster final | Waterford | 1973 | |
| Christy Jacob | Wexford | Leinster final | August 5 | Kilkenny | 1966 | |
| Éamonn Morrissey | Kilkenny | Leinster final | August 5 | Wexford | 1972 | |
| Martin Coogan | Kilkenny | All-Ireland final | September 2 | Limerick | 1961 | |
| John Kinsella | Kilkenny | All-Ireland final | September 2 | Limerick | 1967 |