Inter-colleges hurling competitions had been played since 1918, with the
Leinster Championship and
Dr Harty Cup both being formed that year. A similar competition had been running in
Connacht since 1938. Participation in these competitions was limited to
voluntary secondary schools. Similarly, an annual
inter-provincial competition between Connacht, Leinster and Munster had been taking place, with the best college players from the respective provinces being picked to form the teams. It wasn't until 1944 that the Leinster and Munster champions faced each other to decide the All-Ireland champions.
St Flannan's College beat
St Kieran's College by 5–05 to 3–03 to claim the inaugural title. It was the first of a record-setting four successive All-Ireland titles for St Flannan's College. St Kieran's College became the second team to win the All-Ireland title, however, the championship was suspended following their victory over
St Colman's College in 1948. The championship was reintroduced in 1957, with representatives from the Connacht Championship being allowed to contest the All-Ireland series for the first time. Representatives from the
Ulster Championship were allowed to contest the All-Ireland series for the first time in 1964, however, their participation was shortlived. The Croke Cup has seen a keen rivalry develop between St Flannan's College and St Kieran's College. By 1999, both colleges had won 13 All-Ireland titles. In spite of this, other colleges have enjoyed multiple successes at various times throughout the history of the competition. The
North Monastery,
St Finbarr's College and St Colman's College brought 10 All-Ireland titles to
County Cork between 1960 and 1977.
St Peter's College, Wexford won four All-Ireland titles from six All-Ireland finals appearances between 1960 and 1973, while
Limerick CBS claimed two victories from four consecutive finals appearances between 1964 and 1967.
County Tipperary wrote their name into the All-Ireland roll of honour when Templemore CBS claimed the title in 1978, while
St Brendan's Community School from
County Offaly won their sole Croke Cup in 1986. The Leinster-Munster stranglehold on the competition was broken in 1995 when
St. Raphael's College became the first college from
County Galway to claim the All-Ireland title. The turn of the century has seen St Kieran's College dominate by winning 11 titles between 2000 and 2023. Amalgamated teams have also enjoyed successes during this period, with Dublin colleges claiming the title in 2006 and
Dungarvan colleges winning in 2013. Amalgamated teams were later precluded from participating in the All-Ireland series, however,
vocational schools were permitted to field teams in the competition after a merger with the
All-Ireland VS SAHC in 2014. By that stage, the championship had undergone a further expansion when the introduction of a "back door system" in 2005 allowed the defeated
Leinster and
Munster finalists entry into the All-Ireland series for the first time. The "back door system" was extended to the Connacht runners-up in 2014. The Croke Cup was suspended mid-championship in 2020 and not held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. ==Current format==