Kilkenny Intermediate Hurling Championship
The Kilkenny Intermediate Hurling Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as Michael Lyng Motors Intermediate Hurling Championship and abbreviated to the Kilkenny IHC) is an annual hurling competition organised by the Kilkenny County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association and contested by intermediate clubs in the county of Kilkenny in Ireland. It is the second tier overall in the entire Kilkenny hurling championship system.
| Kilkenny Intermediate Hurling Championship | |
|---|---|
| Current season or competition: 2023 Kilkenny Intermediate Hurling Championship | |
| Irish | Craobh Iomána Idirmhéanach Chill Chainnigh |
| Code | Hurling |
| Founded | 1929 |
| Region | Kilkenny (GAA) |
| Trophy | Hanrahan Cup |
| No. of teams | 12 |
| Title holders | Glenmore (2nd title) |
| First winner | Urlingford |
| Most titles | Conahy Shamrocks (4 titles) Mullinavat (4 titles) Clara (4 titles) |
| Sponsors | Michael Lyng Motors Hyundai |
| Official website | Official website |
The Kilkenny Intermediate Championship was introduced in 1929 as a competition that would bridge the gap between the senior grade and the junior grade. The championship was suspended for over 30 years until the 1970s when it was reinstated.
In its current format, the Kilkenny Intermediate Championship begins in September with a first round series of games comprising eight teams, while the four remaining teams receive byes to the quarter-final stage. A team's finishing position in the Kilkenny Intermediate League determines at what stage they enter the championship. Four rounds of games are played, culminating with the final match at UPMC Nowlan Park in October. The winner of the Kilkenny Intermediate Championship, as well as being presented with the Hanrahan Cup, qualifies for the subsequent Leinster Club Championship and gains automatic entry into the following year's Kilkenny Senior Championship.
The competition has been won by 29 teams. Conahy Shamrocks, Mullinavat and Clara are the most successful teams in the tournament's history, having won it four times each. Glenmore are the reigning champions, having beaten St Lachtain's by 3–19 to 2–09 in the 2021 final.