As well as re-visiting and revising the existing text, Seamus King brings the History of Hurling up-to-date, including the 2005 Championship. The last ten years has seen the tumultuous rise of Clare as a major hurling power, followed by their recent decline, the first Wexford championship success in a generation, the rising power of Waterford in Munster and the continued, if fragile, vitality of Offaly hurling.

The last few years have, of course, been dominated by the revival of the Big Three. Between them, Cork, Kilkenny and Tipperary have won every All-Ireland since 2000, re-establishing the dominant historic pattern in the game