1887–1979: First All-Ireland SHC title and 'curse' Galway finished as runner-up in the first edition of the
All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship (SHC), losing to
Tipperary in the
1887 final. The team did not reach another final in the competition until the
1923 championship. In the
1923 final, Galway defeated
Limerick, to become All-Ireland SHC champions for the first time. Galway advanced to the final on four more occasions during that decade (
1924,
1925,
1928 and
1929) but lost each game. Galway finished as All-Ireland SHC runner-up on three occasions in the 1950s (
1953,
1955 and
1958), and by then it had been 35 years since the team's only title win. Like other counties with a history of success that preceded a lengthy period without title wins (
Mayo in football and
Clare in hurling), Galway's hurling team became the subject of rumours of a curse. In 1969
Connacht reached the final of the interprovincial
Railway Cup for the first time in ten years with a team consisting mainly of Galway players; Connacht held
Munster to a draw before losing the
replay, and this boosted the game in the county. However, Galway's following All-Ireland SHC campaign ended with a loss to
London in the
1969 championship. The following year Connacht lost at home to
Ulster in the preliminary round of the 1970 Railway Cup, running up a total of 20 wides. By the time Galway's hurlers were heavily defeated in the
1975 and
1979 All-Ireland SHC finals, "the curse" had become part of folklore.
1980–1988: Second, third and fourth All-Ireland SHC titles Galway GAA club
Castlegar won the
1979–80 All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship, while Connacht defeated Munster in that year's Railway Cup final.
Cyril Farrell was Galway's senior county hurling team
manager for the
1980 championship. Due to the lack of competition for Galway in Connacht, the team's first match of the season came against
Kildare in the All-Ireland SHC quarter-final, a game which Galway won comfortably by a scoreline of 5–15 to 1–11. From there the team progressed to an All-Ireland SHC semi-final against
Leinster Senior Hurling Championship (SHC) winner
Offaly. Galway secured a two-point win over Offaly, by a scoreline of 4–9 to 3–10. Thus Galway qualified for the
1980 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final, where the opponent was Limerick. A close game, in which five goals were scored, finished in Galway's favour by a scoreline of 2–15 to 3–9.
Joe Connolly, the team captain, became the first Galway man to lift the
Liam MacCarthy Cup since
Mick Kenny in 1923. As the defending champion, the Galway team played its first game in the
1981 All-Ireland SHC, a quarter-final against
Antrim, on 19 July, winning by a scoreline of 6–23 to 3–11. The team progressed to an All-Ireland SHC semi-final against Limerick, opponent from the previous year's final. That game finished level at 1–08 to 0–11, with Galway the goal-scoring team. Galway emerged from the replay as five-point winners, qualifying for the deciding match of the competition on a final scoreline of 4–16 to 2–17. Galway played Leinster SHC winner Offaly, whom it had defeated in the 1980 All-Ireland SHC semi-final, in the
1981 final. Galway did not retain the title, losing by a scoreline of 2–12 to 0–15 (a three-point defeat). Galway defeated
Cork in the
1985 All-Ireland SHC to qualify for
the final. Again the opponent was Offaly, again Galway lost the game, by a scoreline of 2–11 to 1–12 on this occasion. Galway finished as runner-up again in the
1986 final, losing to Cork in that game. Still managed by Farrell, Galway defeated Tipperary by a scoreline of 3–20 to 2–17 in the
1987 All-Ireland SHC semi-final to advance to
a third consecutive final. Captained by
Conor Hayes and inspired by a young
Joe Cooney (who scored five points), Galway defeated
Kilkenny by a scoreline of 1–12 to 0–09. Cooney, aged 22, was named Hurler of the Year. Galway opened the defence of its title against London on 16 July, winning the
1988 All-Ireland SHC quarter-final by a scoreline of 4–30 to 2–08. Offaly was the opponent in the All-Ireland SHC semi-final, a team that had given Galway repeated difficulty; Galway, though, emerged as the winner on this occasion, by a scoreline of 3–18 to 3–11. Galway defeated Tipperary by a scoreline of 1–15 to 0–14 in the
1988 final, winning a fourth All-Ireland SHC title. This was also the first time Galway had retained the title it had won the previous year.
1989–2011: Decline Galway narrowly lost to Tipperary in a controversial
1989 All-Ireland SHC semi-final. Cork defeated Galway in the
1990 All-Ireland SHC Final, while Kilkenny defeated the team in the
1993 All-Ireland SHC Final. For the
2009 All-Ireland SHC, Galway began a trial period of three years participation in the
Leinster SHC. Galway won the
2010 National Hurling League (NHL), its ninth title, with a 2–22 to 1–17 win against Cork at
Semple Stadium in May that year. Galway opened its 2010 Leinster SHC campaign with a quarter-final against
Wexford, winning the game by 11 points. Galway advanced to the Leinster SHC semi-final to play Offaly. On 20 June, Offaly and Galway drew, 3–16 and 2–19 apiece. Six days later, Galway defeated Offaly in the replay, thus progressing to a first Leinster SHC Final. Kilkenny won its 20th consecutive championship game, defeating Galway by a scoreline of 1–19 to 1–12 in the Leinster SHC final. Despite the loss, Galway received an automatic
2010 All-Ireland SHC quarter-final berth. In that game Galway met Tipperary, losing by a scoreline of 3–17 to 3–16. In the
2010 All-Ireland SHC Final, Tipperary defeated a Kilkenny team that was seeking its fifth consecutive championship title. Galway won four of its first five matches in the
2011 National Hurling League, including a victory over Kilkenny, but lost the last two games. A Leinster SHC quarter-final win against
Westmeath was followed by a Leinster SHC semi-final against
Dublin; though
Joe Canning scored an early goal for Galway, his team lost. In two qualifying matches, Galway easily knocked out
Clare and Cork, sending the team through to a
2011 All-Ireland SHC quarter-final and a game against the
Munster Senior Hurling Championship (SHC) runner-up,
Waterford. Waterford had two weeks earlier lost to Tipperary by seven goals. Waterford, however, defeated Galway by a scoreline of 2–23 to 2–13, a ten-point difference.
2011–2015: Cunningham era, revival in action for Galway in the team's
2015 National Hurling League victory over
All-Ireland SHC title holder
Kilkenny Anthony Cunningham, who had recently led the Galway under-21 team to an
All-Ireland title, was appointed manager of the senior team.
Mattie Coleman and
Tom Helebert were picked to help Cunningham. Galway barely saved its Division 1 status in the
2012 National Hurling League, requiring a replay in a
relegation play-off match against Dublin. Galway defeated Westmeath and Offaly in the 2012 Leinster SHC, advancing to the competition's final. In an unexpected result, Galway defeated Kilkenny to win the Bob O'Keefe Cup for the first time. A 2012 Leinster SHC winners' medal was later sold on
eBay for €570. Galway met Cork in an All-Ireland SHC semi-final, eventually winning that game after a slow first half. The
2012 All-Ireland SHC Final paired Galway with Kilkenny again.
Joe Canning scored a goal for Galway in the tenth minute and his team led by five points at half-time: 1–9 to 0–7. Kilkenny recovered, however, and, late in the game, a
Henry Shefflin point taken from the penalty spot separated the sides. Then, with 30 seconds left,
Davy Glennon was fouled and Joe Canning scored for Galway from the free, sending the All-Ireland SHC Final to a replay for the first time in 53 years. Kilkenny easily won the replay, by a final scoreline of 3–22 to 3–11.
2015–2019: First Donoghue era and fifth All-Ireland SHC title 2019–2024: Outside managers, O'Neill and Shefflin 2024–: Return of Donoghue ==Panel==