| Year: | 1978 |
| Dates: | 30 April – 3 September 1978 |
| Teams: | 15 |
| Munster: | Cork |
| Leinster: | Kilkenny |
| Matches: | 14 |
| Poty: | John Horgan |
| Team: | Cork |
| Titles: | 24th |
| Captain: | Charlie McCarthy |
| Manager: | Fr. Bertie Troy |
| Team2: | Kilkenny |
| Captain2: | Ger Henderson |
| Manager2: | Fr. Tommy Maher |
| Totalgoals: | 64 (4.5 per game) |
| Totalpoints: | 340 (24.2 per game) |
| Topscorer: | Liam O'Brien (1-23) |
| Previous: | 1977 |
| Next: | 1979 |
The 1978 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship was the 92nd staging of the All-Ireland hurling championship since its establishment by the Gaelic Athletic Association in 1887. The championship began on 30 April 1978 and ended on 3 September 1978.
Cork entered the championship as defending champions.
On 3 September 1978, Cork won the championship following a 1–15 to 2–8 defeat of Kilkenny in the All-Ireland final.[1] This was their 24th All-Ireland title, their third championship in succession.
Kilkenny's Liam "Chunky" O'Brien was the championship's top scorer with 1-23. Cork's John Horgan was the choice for Hurler of the Year.
| Team | Colours | Most recent success | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All-Ireland | Provincial | League | |||
| Antrim | Saffron and white | 1946 | |||
| Clare | Saffron and blue | 1914 | 1932 | 1977-78 | |
| Cork | Red and white | 1977 | 1977 | 1973-74 | |
| Dublin | Navy and blue | 1938 | 1961 | 1938-39 | |
| Galway | Maroon and white | 1923 | 1922 | 1974-75 | |
| Kerry | Green and gold | 1891 | 1891 | ||
| Kildare | White | ||||
| Kilkenny | Black and amber | 1975 | 1975 | 1975-76 | |
| Laois | Blue and white | 1915 | 1915 | ||
| Limerick | Green and white | 1973 | 1974 | 1970-71 | |
| Offaly | Green, white and gold | ||||
| Tipperary | Blue and gold | 1971 | 1971 | 1967-68 | |
| Waterford | Blue and white | 1959 | 1963 | 1962-63 | |
| Westmeath | Maroon and white | ||||
| Wexford | Purple and gold | 1968 | 1977 | 1972-73 | |
First round
Quarter-final
Semi-finals
Final
Quarter-finals
Semi-finals
Final
| Rank | Player | County | Tally | Total | Matches | Average | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liam O'Brien | Kilkenny | 1-23 | 26 | 4 | 6.50 | |
| 2 | Ned Buggy | Wexford | 1-15 | 18 | 2 | 9.00 | |
| 3 | Billy Fitzpatrick | Kilkenny | 2-10 | 16 | 4 | 4.0 | |
| 4 | Colm Honan | Clare | 0-15 | 15 | 2 | 7.50 | |
| 5 | Charlie McCarthy | Cork | 0-14 | 14 | 3 | 4.66 | |
| 6 | Willie Fitzmaurice | Limerick | 4-0 | 12 | 2 | 6.00 | |
| Joe Connolly | Galway | 3-3 | 12 | 2 | 6.00 | ||
| 8 | Seánie Kinsella | Wexford | 3-2 | 11 | 2 | 5.50 |
| Rank | Player | County | Tally | Total | Opposition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liam O'Brien | Kilkenny | 0-11 | 11 | Offaly |
| 2 | Joe Connolly | Galway | 3-1 | 10 | Antrim |
| Randall McDonnell | Antrim | 3-1 | 10 | Galway | |
| Seánie Kinsella | Wexford | 3-1 | 10 | Dublin | |
| Ned Buggy | Wexford | 1-7 | 10 | Kilkenny | |
| Frank Keenan | Laois | 1-7 | 10 | Dublin | |
| 7 | Willie Fitzmaurice | Limerick | 3-0 | 9 | Clare |
| Colm Honan | Clare | 0-9 | 9 | Limerick | |
| 9 | Ned Buggy | Wexford | 0-8 | 8 | Dublin |
| 10 | Mick Ryan | Westmeath | 2-1 | 7 | Laois |
| Matt Ruth | Kilkenny | 2-1 | 7 | Galway | |
| Mossie Walsh | Waterford | 0-7 | 7 | Kerry | |
| Charlie McCarthy | Cork | 0-7 | 7 | Kilkenny |
The following matches were broadcast live on television in Ireland on RTÉ.
| Round | RTÉ | |
|---|---|---|
| All-Ireland semi-final | Kilkenny vs Galway | |
| All-Ireland final | Cork vs Kilkenny |