| Championship details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 24 May 1981 – 6 September 1981 |
| Teams | 13 |
| All-Ireland champions | |
| Winning team | Offaly (1st win) |
| Captain | Pádraig Horan |
| Manager | Dermot Healy |
| All-Ireland Finalists | |
| Losing team | Galway |
| Captain | Seán Silke |
| Manager | Cyril Farrell |
| Provincial champions | |
| Munster | Limerick |
| Leinster | Offaly |
| Ulster | Not Played |
| Connacht | Not Played |
| Championship statistics | |
| No. matches played | 14 |
| Goals total | 67 (4.78 per game) |
| Points total | 381 (27.21 per game) |
| Top Scorer |
|
| Player of the Year |
|
| All-Star Team | See here |
|
← 1980
1982 →
|
|
The 1981 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship was the 95th staging of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, the Gaelic Athletic Association's premier inter-county hurling tournament. The draw for the 1981 fixtures took place in September 1980. The championship began on 24 May 1981 and ended on 6 September 1981.
Galway were the defending champions but were defeated by Offaly in the Leinster final.Westmeath re-entered the Leinster Championship after a three-year absence.
On 6 September 1981, Offaly won the championship following a 2-12 to 0-15 defeat of Galway in the All-Ireland final. This was their first All-Ireland title ever.
Limerick's Joe McKenna was the championship's top scorer with 7-12. Offaly's Pat Delaney was the choice for Texaco Hurler of the Year.
Quarter-finals
Semi-finals
Final
Quarter-final
Semi-finals
Final
Quarter-final
Semi-finals
Final