Here’s the dates, venues and live tv coverage of all the Guinness Senior Hurling Championship games this year.
The Ulster championship starts this weekend but it’s not part of the All-Ireland series, with only Antrim competing for the Liam McCarthy cup.

LEINSTER
May 27: Quarter-final: Offaly v Laois, Tullamore
June 9: Semi-final: Dublin v Wexford, Nowlan Park
June 10 (4pm): Semi-final: Kilkenny v Offaly or Laois, Portlaoise (Live on RTE TV)
July 1 (4pm): Final: Croke Park (Live on RTE TV)

MUNSTER
May 27 (2pm): Quarter-final: Clare v Cork, Thurles (Live on RTE TV)
June 10 (2pm): Semi-final: Limerick v Tipperary, Gaelic Grounds (Live on RTE TV)
June 17 (4pm): Semi-final: Waterford v Cork or Clare, Thurles (Live on RTE TV)
July 8 (4pm): Final (Venue to be decided) (Live on RTE TV)

ALL-IRELAND QUALIFIERS
June 30: Round 1
July 7: Round 2
July 14: Round 3

ALL-IRELAND STAGES
July 22: Quarter-finals (2) (Live on RTE TV)
July 29: Quarter-finals (2) (Live on RTE TV)

August 5: Semi-final, Croke Park (Live on RTE TV)
August 12: Semi-final, Croke Park (Live on RTE TV)

September 2: Final, Croke Park (Live on RTE TV)

Saturday May 12th
Playoff for 2008 Division 1 place
Laois v Limerick (Nenagh, 7pm)

Sunday May 13th
Ulster Senior Hurling Championship
Antrim v London (Casement Park, 2pm)
Armagh v Derry (Casement Park, 3.45pm)

The confusion over the make-up of next year’s league division 1 continues. Laois and Limerick are due to playoff for the last remaining spot on Saturday evening in Nenagh but Offaly are furiously contesting the fact there will be only 9 teams instead of 10. The matter is due to be officially resolved at a central council meeting on Saturday which of course in typical GAA officialdom style is completely ludicrous because it’s the same day as the playoff game.

The choice of 9 teams rather than 10 is a bizarre one. A 9 team league takes as long to play as a 10 team one. 1 team will be sitting idle each week and this will be particularly stupid on the final weekend when a team will have no say in the final shake down.

Offaly are definitely unlucky to find themselves relegated. They had a much better league than Limerick, picking up more points and beating the eventual champions Waterford but somehow they had a disaster in the play-off game.

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