1989–90 National Hurling League

The 1989-90 season was the 59th completed season of the National Hurling League, the top league for inter-county hurling teams, since its establishment in 1925. The fixtures were announced on 19 September 1989. The season began on 14 October 1989 and concluded on 6 May 1990.

Division 1

National Hurling League Division 1

Season	1989-90
Champions	Kilkenny 8th National League title Captain: Kevin Fennelly Manager: Dermot Healy
Relegated	Antrim Galway
Matches played	35
Top goalscorer	D. J. Carey (1-52)
Biggest home win	Limerick 5-12 - 1-6 Antrim (26 November 1989)
Biggest away win	Cork 6-16 - 2-10 Antrim (18 February 1990)
Highest scoring	Cork 6-16 - 2-10 Antrim (18 February 1990)
← 1988-89 1990-91 →

Galway came into the season as defending champions of the 1988-89 season. Dublin and Cork entered Division 1 as the two promoted teams.

On 6 May 1990, Kilkenny won the title after an 0-18 to 0-9 win over New York. It was their first league title since 1986 and their eighth National League title overall.

Antrim were the first team to be relegated after losing all of their group stage games, while Galway suffered the same fate after losing to Wexford in the final round of the group stage.

Kilkenny's D. J. Carey finished the season as top scorer with 1-52.

Table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	Pts	Notes
1	Cork	7	5	1	1	11
2	Kilkenny	7	4	2	1	10	Division 1 champions
3	Dublin	7	5	0	2	10
4	Wexford	7	5	0	2	10
5	Limerick	7	3	0	4	6
6	Tipperary	7	2	1	4	5
7	Galway	7	2	0	5	4	Relegated to Division 2
8	Antrim	7	0	0	7	0	Relegated to Division 2

Group stage

Cork v Galway

14 October 1989 Round 1	Cork	1-12 - 0-13	Galway	Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Cork
	K Hennessy 1-3, T McCarthy 0-2, K McGuckin 0-2, J Cashman 0-1, G O'Connell 0-1, K Kingston 0-1, P O'Connor 0-1, J Fitzgibbon 0-1.		G Burke 0-7, A Cunningham 0-2, P Killilea 0-2, P Dolan 0-1, P Malone 0-1.	Referee: J Moore (Waterford)

Limerick v Wexford

15 October 1989 Round 1	Limerick	1-11 - 2-10	Wexford	Gaelic Grounds, Limerick
	G Kirby 0-5, S Fitzgibbon 1-0, C Carey 0-1, P Mulqueen 0-1, D Nash 0-1, G Hegarty 0-1, P Davoren 0-1, M Galligan 0-1.		B Byrne 1-1, M Morrissey 1-0, M Storey 0-3, J Houlihan 0-2, E Sinnott 0-1, G Flood 0-1, G O'Connor 0-1, L O'Gorman 0-1.	Referee: W Horgan (Cork)

Antrim v Kilkenny

15 October 1989 Round 1	Antrim	2-8 - 0-20	Kilkenny	Casement Park, Belfast
	C Barr 1-0, B Donnelly 1-0, O McFetridge 0-3, G Holden 0-1, D Armstrong 0-1, T McNaughton 0-1, P McKillen 0-1, A McCarry 0-1.		DJ Carey 0-10, L Ryan 0-3, A Ronan 0-3, A Prendergast 0-2, R Power 0-1, E Morrison 0-1.	Referee: P Delaney (Laois)

Dublin v Tipperary

15 October 1989 Round 1	Dublin	1-10 - 1-9	Tipperary	Croke Park, Dublin
	A Doyle 1-0, B McMahon 0-3, MJ Ryan 0-3, K Hetherton 0-2, R Boland 0-1, J Lyng 0-1.		M Cleary 0-5, Cormac Bonnar 1-0, A Ryan 0-1, P Everard 0-1, J Cormack 0-1, P McGrath 0-1.	Referee: P Long (Kilkenny)

Galway v Dublin

29 October 1989 Round 2	Galway	1-15 - 2-16	Dublin	Pearse Stadium, Galway
	J Cooney 0-7, É Ryan 1-1, T Monaghan 0-3, M Kenny 0-3, M McGrath 0-1.		MJ Ryan 1-2, R Boland 1-0, B McMahon 0-3, J Murphy 0-3, K Hetherton 0-3, S McDermott 0-3, S Dalton 0-2.	Referee: G Ryan (Tipperary)

Tipperary v Cork

29 October 1989 Round 2	Tipperary	0-15 - 5-8	Cork	Semple Stadium, Thurles
	J Leahy 0-5, J Madden 0-2, D Ryan 0-2, A Ryan 0-2, M Cleary 0-2, Cormac Bonnar 0-1, D Carr 0-1.		K Hennessy 3-1, J Fitzgibbon 2-1, K McGuckin 0-3, T O'Sullivan 0-2, J Buckley 0-1.	Referee: P Delaney (Laois)

Wexford v Antrim

29 October 1989 Round 2	Wexford	2-10 - 3-6	Antrim	Wexford Park, Wexford
	J Houlihan 1-5, T Dempsey 1-0, J O'Connor 0-3, L O'Gorman 0-2.		G Holden 1-3, T McNaughton 1-0, D Armstrong 1-0, S Calwell 0-2, C Murphy 0-1.	Referee: J Moore (Waterford)

Kilkenny v Limerick

29 October 1989 Round 2	Kilkenny	2-17 - 2-11	Limerick	Nowlan Park, Kilkenny
	É Morrissey 1-2, L McCarthy 1-2, DJ Carey 0-4, R Power 0-2, T O'Keeffe 0-2, M Cleere 0-2, T Murphy 0-2, L Ryan 0-1.		G Kirby 2-2, D O'Neill 0-3, G Hegarty 0-2, M Reale 0-1, M Holohan 0-1, T Kenny 0-1, L O'Connor 0-1.	Referee: W Horgan (Cork)

Kilkenny v Dublin

12 November 1989 Round 3	Kilkenny	0-11 - 1-9	Dublin	John Locke Park, Callan
	DJ Carey 0-5, J McDonald 0-1, A Ronan 0-1, Morrissey 0-1, M Cleere 0-1, R Power 0-1, T Murphy 0-1.		K Hetherton 1-1, MJ Ryan 0-4, S McDermott 0-3, B McMahon 0-1.	Referee: W Horgan (Cork)

Antrim v Tipperary

12 November 1989 Round 3	Antrim	1-11 - 0-15	Tipperary	Casement Park, Belfast
	B Donnelly 1-2, A Carry 0-5, J Close 0-2, C Murphy 0-1, S McKillop 0-1.		M Cleary 0-8, A Buckley 0-3, D Ryan 0-1, C Stakelum 0-1, D Carr 0-1, P Everard 0-1.

Cork v Wexford

12 November 1989 Round 3	Cork	2-13 - 0-15	Wexford	Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Cork
	K Hennessy 0-6, T McCarthy 1-1, J Fitzgibbon 1-0, T O'Sullivan 0-3, G Fitzgerald 0-2, D Quirke 0-1.		J O'Connor 0-3, M Storey 0-3, J Houlihan 0-3, M Morrissey 0-2, R Coleman 0-1, T Dempsey 0-1, L O'Gorman 0-1, G O'Connor 0-1.	Referee: W Barrett (Tipperary)

Galway v Limerick

12 November 1989 Round 3	Galway	1-22 - 1-11	Limerick	Dunlo GAA Grounds, Ballinasloe
	J Cooney 0-10, S Dolan 1-1, Michael McGrath 0-4, É Ryan 0-4, G Burke 0-1, M Kenny 0-1, A Cunningham 0-1.		G Kirby 0-6, G Hegarty 1-0, M Nelligan 0-2, S Fitzgibbon 0-1, D Fitzgerald 0-1, C Carey 0-1.	Referee: P Delaney (Laois)

Tipperary v Galway

26 November 1989 Round 4	Tipperary	1-14 - 0-11	Galway	Semple Stadium, Thurles
	M Cleary 0-6, Cormac Bonnar 1-0, J Leahy 0-3, D Carr 0-2, N English 0-1, B Ryan 0-1, J Hayes 0-1.		J Cooney 0-9, É Ryan 0-1, S Dolan 0-1.

Dublin v Cork

26 November 1989 Round 4	Dublin	2-10 - 2-8	Cork	Croke Park, Dublin
	MJ Ryan 1-3, B McMahon 1-0, S Dalton 0-3, D Finn 0-2, S Kearns 0-1, J Lyng 0-1.		T Mulcahy 1-1, K Hennessy 1-0, D Quirke 0-3, T O'Sullivan 0-3, A O'Sullivan 0-1.	Referee: J Denton (Wexford)

Wexford v Kilkenny

26 November 1989 Round 4	Wexford	0-11 - 1-11	Kilkenny	Wexford Park, Wexford
	M Storey 0-4, J Houlihan 0-4, M Morrissey 0-1, S Wickham 0-1, J O'Connor 0-1.		É Morrissey 0-5, J McDonald 1-0, M Cleere 0-2, J Power 0-1, L McCarthy 0-1, L Ryan 0-1, R Power 0-1.	Referee: W Barrett (Tipperary)

Limerick v Antrim

26 November 1989 Round 4	Limerick	5-12 - 1-6	Antrim	Gaelic Grounds, Limerick
	S Fitzgibbon 2-1, T Kenny 1-2, G Hegarty 0-4, L O'Connor 1-0, G Kirby 1-0, P Davoren 0-3, O O'Connor 0-1, M Houlihan 0-1.		A McCarry 1-0, C Barr 0-2, S Cauldwell 0-2, J Close 0-1, D Armstrong 0-1.	Referee: P Long (Kilkenny)

Kilkenny v Galway

18 February 1990 Round 5	Kilkenny	5-12 - 0-10	Galway	Nowlan Park, Kilkenny
	É Morrissey 2-2, J McDonald 2-0, G Heffernan 1-2, DJ Carey 0-4, R Power 0-2, L Ryan 0-2.		M McGrath 0-7, J Cooney 0-1, R Duane 0-1, T Mannion 0-1.	Referee: P Delaney (Laois)

Limerick v Dublin

18 February 1990 Round 5	Limerick	0-13 - 0-4	Dublin	Gaelic Grounds, Limerick
	G Kirby 0-4, M Galligan 0-2, G Hegarty 0-2, S Fitzgibbon 0-2, P Davoren 0-1, T Kenny 0-1, M Houlihan 0-1.		K Hetherton 0-3, B McMahon 0-1.

Antrim v Cork

18 February 1990 Round 5	Antrim	2-10 - 6-16	Cork	Casement Park, Belfast
	O McFetridge 0-5, T McNaughton 1-1, A McCarry 1-0, P McKillen 0-2, C Barr 0-1, B Donnelly 0-1.		G Fitzgerald 4-2, K Hennessy 2-1, T O'Sullivan 0-5, T Mulcahy 0-3, A O'Sullivan 0-3, T McCarthy 0-1, S McCarthy 0-1.	Referee: P Long (Kilkenny)

Wexford v Tipperary

18 February 1990 Round 5	Wexford	0-13 - 0-9	Tipperary	St. Patrick's Park, Enniscorthy
	J Holohan 0-4, S Fitzhenry 0-3, T Dempsey 0-1, B Byrne 0-1, J O'Connor 0-1, G O'Connor 0-1, M Storey 0-1, R Coleman 0-1.		M Cleary 0-6, C Stakelum 0-2, J Madden 0-1.

Cork v Kilkenny

25 February 1990 Round 6	Cork	1-10 - 0-13	Kilkenny	Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Cork
	G Fitzgerald 1-0, A O'Sullivan 0-5, J Fitzgibbon 0-3, T O'Sullivan 0-3,		DJ Carey 0-5, L Ryan 0-2, É Morrissey 0-2, M Phelan 0-2, J McDonald 0-1, M Cleere 0-1.	Referee: T Murray (Limerick)

Dublin v Wexford

25 February 1990 Round 6	Dublin	1-10 - 2-10	Wexford	Croke Park, Dublin
	B McMahon 1-3, S Dalton 0-3, R Boland 0-1, D Finn 0-1, K Hetherton 0-1, S Fleming 0-1.		T Dempsey 1-2, B Byrne 1-1, J Houlihan 0-2, J O'Connor 0-2, R Coleman 0-2, S Fitzhenry 0-1.	Referee: P Delaney (Laois)

Tipperary v Limerick

25 February 1990 Round 6	Tipperary	1-14 - 3-12	Limerick	Semple Stadium, Thurles
	M Cleary 0-9, A Buckley 1-1, D O'Connell 0-2, D Carr 0-1, K Hogan 0-1.		T Kenny 3-0, G Kirby 0-9, P Davoren 0-1, G Hegarty 0-1, M Galligan 0-1.	Referee: D Murphy (Wexford)

Galway v Antrim

25 February 1990 Round 6	Galway	3-9 - 1-3	Antrim	Dunlo GAA Grounds, Ballinasloe
	M McGrath 1-5, G Burke 2-0, J Cooney 0-2, É Ryan 0-1, P Malone 0-1.		T McNaughton 1-1, P McKillen 0-2.	Referee: G Long (Tipperary)

Kilkenny v Tipperary

11 March 1990 Round 7	Kilkenny	1-12 - 2-9	Tipperary	Nowlan Park, Kilkenny
	DJ Carey 0-5, J McDonald 1-1, M Cleere 0-3, R Power 0-1, T Murphy 0-1, C Heffernan 0-1.		Cormac Bonnar 1-1, C Stakelum 1-0, M Cleary 0-3, D Carr 0-2, A Ryan 0-1, N English 0-1, P Delaney 0-1.	Referee: T Murray (Limerick)

Antrim v Dublin

11 March 1990 Round 7	Antrim	0-9 - 3-10	Dublin	Casement Park, Belfast
	O McFetridge 0-3, C Barr 0-2, SP McKillop 0-2, C Murphy 0-1, G Holden 0-1.		B McMahon 2-2, J Murphy 1-0, S Fleming 0-3, S Dalton 0-2, MJ Ryan 0-1, C Hetherton 0-1, D Finn 0-1.	Referee: P Horan (Offaly)

Wexford v Galway

11 March 1990 Round 7	Wexford	2-11 - 1-13	Galway	O'Kennedy Park, New Ross
	M Storey 1-1, M Reck 1-1, J Holohan 0-4, T Dempsey 0-2, R Coleman 0-1, S Fitzhenry 0-1, G O'Connor 0-1.		M McGrath 0-8, S Dolan 1-1, J Cooney 0-3, P Higgins 0-1.	Referee: W Horgan (Cork)

Limerick v Cork

11 March 1990 Round 7	Limerick	1-16 - 4-9	Cork	FitzGerald Park, Kilmallock
	G Kirby 1-9, S Fitzgibbon 0-3, C Carey 0-2, P Heffernan 0-1, D Flynn 0-1.		T Mulcahy 2-1, K Hennessy 1-1, J Fitzgibbon 1-0, S McCarthy 0-2, M Mullins 0-2, T O'Sullivan 0-2, J Cashman 0-1.	Referee: P Delaney (Laois)

Knock-out stage

Quarter-finals

Dublin v Waterford

25 March 1990 Quarter-final	Dublin	1-15 - 2-7	Waterford	Semple Stadium, Thurles
	B McMahon 1-6, MJ Ryan 0-3, S Dalton 0-2, S Kearns 0-1, S McDermott 0-1, K Hetherton 0-1, D Finn 0-1.		M O'Keeffe 2-0, K Delahunty 0-6, D Byrne 0-1.	Referee: P Delaney (Laois)

Wexford v Clare

25 March 1990 Quarter-final	Wexford	0-17 - 1-10	Clare	Semple Stadium, Thurles
	J Holohan 0-6, R Coleman 0-4, T Dempsey 0-4, G O'Connor 0-1, M Storey 0-1, B Byrne 0-1.		M Guilfoyle 1-1, T Guilfoyle 0-3, F Carrick 0-2, M Nugent 0-2, G McInerney 0-2.	Referee: W Barrett (Tipperary)

Semi-finals

Wexford v Cork

8 April 1990 Semi-final	Wexford	2-12 - 2-12	Cork	Semple Stadium, Thurles
	J Holohan 2-4, M Storey 0-3, T Dempsey 0-2, M Reck 0-1, R Coleman 0-1, S Fitzhenry 0-1.		G Fitzgerald 1-2, K Hennessy 1-1, B Cunningham 0-4, T Mulcahy 0-2, S O'Gorman 0-1, T O'Sullivan 0-1, T McCarthy 0-1.	Referee: P Delaney (Laois)

Kilkenny v Dublin

8 April 1990 Semi-final	Kilkenny	2-16 - 1-9	Dublin	Semple Stadium, Thurles
	É Morrissey 2-2, DJ Carey 0-5, J McDonald 0-3, C Heffernan 0-2, L Fennelly 0-2, R Power 0-1, M Phelan 0-1.		C Hetherton 1-0, B McMahon 0-2, S Dalton 0-2, MJ Ryan 0-2, S Fleming 0-2, J Murphy 0-1.	Referee: T Murray (Limerick)

Wexford v Cork

16 April 1990 Semi-final replay	Wexford	1-9 - 0-6	Cork	Nowlan Park, Kilkenny
	M Storey 1-2, J Holohan 0-3, T Dempsey 0-2, R Coleman 0-1, J O'Connor 0-1.		P Buckley 0-1, T McCarthy 0-1, J Fitzgibbon 0-1, M Foley 0-1, B Cunningham 0-1, S McCarthy 0-1.	Referee: P Delaney (Laois)

Home final

Kilkenny v Wexford

22 April 1990 Home final	Kilkenny	3-12 - 1-10	Wexford	Croke Park, Dublin
	É Morrissey 2-3, DJ Carey 1-4, C Heffernan 0-2, L Fennelly 0-1, J McDonald 0-1, M Cleere 0-1.		T Dempsey 1-0, J Holohan 0-3, M Storey 0-3, M Reck 0-2, L Dunne 0-2,	Referee: W Barrett (Tipperary)

Final

New York v Kilkenny

6 May 1990 Final	New York	0-9 - 0-18	Kilkenny	Gaelic Park, New York
	R Sampson 0-3, H Ryan 0-2, J McInerney 0-1, B Keeshin 0-1, S O'Donoghue 0-1, I Conroy 0-1.		DJ Carey 0-10, L McCarthy 0-3, É Morrissey 0-2, C Heffernan 0-1, J McDonald 0-1, P Dwyer 0-1.	Referee: W Horgan (Cork)

Top scorers

Top scorer overall

Rank	Player	Team	Tally	Total	Matches	Average
1	D. J. Carey	Kilkenny	1-52	55	9	6.1
2	Gary Kirby	Limerick	4-35	47	7	6.7
3	Kevin Hennessy	Cork	9-13	40	7	5.7
4	Michael Cleary	Tipperary	0-39	39	7	5.5

Top scorer in a single game

Rank	Player	Team	Tally	Total	Opposition
1	Ger FitzGerald	Cork	4-2	14	Antrim
2	Gary Kirby	Limerick	1-9	12	Cork
3	Kevin Hennessy	Cork	3-1	10	Tipperary
	John Holohan	Wexford	2-4	10	Cork
	D. J. Carey	Kilkenny	0-10	10	Antrim
	Joe Cooney	Galway	0-10	10	Limerick
	D. J. Carey	Kilkenny	0-10	10	New York
8	Terence Kenny	Limerick	3-0	9	Tipperary
	Eamon Morrissey	Kilkenny	2-3	9	Wexford
	Brian McMahon	Dublin	1-6	9	Waterford
	Joe Cooney	Galway	0-9	9	Tipperary
	Michael Cleary	Tipperary	0-9	9	Limerick
	Gary Kirby	Limerick	0-9	9	Tipperary

Division 2

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	Pts	Notes
1	Clare	7	6	1	0	13	Promoted to Division 1
2	Waterford	7	6	1	0	13	Promoted to Division 1
3	Offaly	7	4	1	2	9
4	Meath	7	4	0	3	8
5	Down	7	3	0	4	6
6	Laois	7	2	1	4	5
7	Westmeath	7	1	0	6	2	Relegated to Division 3
7	Carlow	7	0	0	7	0	Relegated to Division 3

Laois v Waterford

15 October 1989 Round 1	Laois	3-7 - 1-19	Waterford	O'Moore Park, Portlaoise

Westmeath v Clare

15 October 1989 Round 1	Westmeath	3-7 - 1-19	Clare	Cusack Park, Mullingar

Carlow v Offaly

15 October 1989 Round 1	Carlow	1-7 - 1-16	Offaly	Dr. Cullen Park, Carlow

Down v Meath

15 October 1989 Round 1	Down	1-13 - 3-9	Meath	Mitchel Park, Ballygalget

Meath v Laois

29 October 1989 Round 2	Meath	1-9 - 0-10	Laois	St. Loman's Park, Trim

Offaly v Westmeath

29 October 1989 Round 2	Offaly	4-15 - 1-9	Westmeath	St. Brendan's Park, Birr

Waterford v Down

29 October 1989 Round 2	Waterford	2-11 - 2-4	Down	Walsh Park, Waterford

Clare v Carlow

29 October 1989 Round 2	Clare	5-15 - 1-2	Carlow	Cusack Park, Ennis

Meath v Offaly

12 November 1989 Round 3	Meath	1-9 - 1-12	Offaly	St. Loman's Park, Trim

Laois v Westmeath

12 November 1989 Round 3	Laois	2-13 - 0-6	Westmeath	O'Moore Park, Portlaoise

Waterford v Clare

12 November 1989 Round 3	Waterford	1-14 - 3-8	Clare	Fraher Field, Dungarvan

Down v Carlow

12 November 1989 Round 3	Down	3-13 - 0-11	Carlow	McKenna Park, Ballycran

Offaly v Down

26 November 1989 Round 4	Offaly	1-11 - 1-6	Down	St. Brendan's Park, Birr

Clare v Laois

26 November 1989 Round 4	Clare	4-13 - 1-5	Laois	Cusack Park, Ennis

Westmeath v Waterford

26 November 1989 Round 4	Westmeath	1-5 - 1-21	Waterford	Castletown Geoghegan

Carlow v Meath

26 November 1989 Round 4	Carlow	2-6 - 3-11	Meath	Dr. Cullen Park, Carlow

Meath v Westmeath

19 February 1990 Round 5	Meath	2-11 - 0-12	Westmeath	Páirc Tailteann, Navan

Down v Clare

19 February 1990 Round 5	Down	1-11 - 4-10	Clare	Mitchel Park, Ballygalget

Offaly v Laois

19 February 1990 Round 5	Offaly	0-12 - 1-9	Laois	O'Connor Park, Tullamore

Carlow v Waterford

19 February 1990 Round 5	Carlow	0-13 - 1-13	Waterford	Dr. Cullen Park, Carlow

Waterford v Meath

26 February 1990 Round 6	Waterford	4-8 - 2-6	Meath	Ardmore Sportsfield, Ardmore

Clare v Offaly

26 February 1990 Round 6	Clare	1-9 - 0-10	Offaly	Cusack Park, Ennis

Laois v Down

26 February 1990 Round 6	Laois	0-11 - 0-11	Down	O'Moore Park, Portlaoise

Westmeath v Carlow

26 February 1990 Round 6	Westmeath	0-9 - 0-2	Carlow	Castletown Geoghegan

Waterford v Offaly

11 March 1990 Round 7	Waterford	4-8 - 1-9	Offaly	Walsh Park, Waterford

Down v Westmeath

11 March 1990 Round 7	Down	4-8 - 1-12	Westmeath	McKenna Pqrk, Ballycran

Laois v Carlow

11 March 1990 Round 7	Laois	5-16 - 1-2	Carlow	Kelly Daly Park, Rathdowney

Meath v Clare

11 March 1990 Round 7	Meath	1-8 - 2-10	Clare	St. Loman's Park, Trim

Division 3

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	Pts	Notes
1	Kerry	7	6	1	0	13	Promoted to Division 2
2	Derry	7	5	1	1	11	Promoted to Division 2
3	Wicklow	7	5	0	2	10
4	Kildare	7	4	0	3	8
5	Roscommon	7	3	0	4	6
6	Armagh	7	1	1	5	3
7	Monaghan	7	1	1	5	3
8	Mayo	7	0	5	7	0	Relegated to Division 4

Division 4

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	Pts	Notes
1	Sligo	7	6	1	0	13	Promoted to Division 3
2	Fermanagh	7	5	1	1	11
3	Tyrone	7	5	0	2	10
4	Louth	7	4	0	3	8
5	Longford	7	3	0	4	6
6	Donegal	7	2	0	5	4
7	Cavan	7	1	0	6	2
8	Leitrim	7	1	0	6	2