Dublin entered the championship as the defending champions, however, they were defeated by Meath in the Leinster final.

On 29 September 1996, Meath won the championship following a 2–9 to 1–11 defeat of Mayo in a replay of the All-Ireland final.

Mayo's Maurice Sheridan was the championship's top scorer with 1-33.

Meath's Martin O'Connell was the choice for Texaco Footballer of the Year, while his teammate Trevor Giles was selected as the Powerscreen Footballer of the Year.

The Leinster football championship pre-Quarter final had 2 First-Round & 1 Second-Round game.