For the first time ever a hurling championship took place in all of the four historic provinces of Ireland – Connacht, Leinster, Munster and Ulster. For the purposes of the all GAA competitions, Britain was designated as a fifth Irish province. As a consequence, the winners of the championship in Britain would meet the winners of the championship in Ireland to decide the All-Ireland title holders.
Semi-final: (2 matches) The four provincial representatives make up the semi-final pairings. Two teams are eliminated at this stage while the two winning teams advance to the home final.
Home final: (1 match) The winners of the two semi-finals contest this game. One team is eliminated while the winning team advances to the final.
Final: (1 match) The winners of the home final and London, who receive a bye to this stage of the championship, contest this game. The winners are declared All-Ireland champions.
The All-Ireland title went overseas for the first time when London defeated Cork in the decider. In doing so London became the sixth team to win the All-Ireland. The London team was made up of all Munster men: nine from Cork, four from Clare, two from Limerick and one each from Kerry and Tipperary.[3]