Antrim were the defending champions and successfully claimed their tenth consecutive title, beating surprise finalists Armagh.

Antrim received a bye to the final, Monaghan to the semi-final.

Antrim instead entered that competition through the preliminary round of the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship.

The number of teams in the championship for 2011, eight, was significantly in advance of historical numbers, but a slight drop from the ten of 2010 as London and Cavan left the competition; London had been angered by their treatment by the Ulster GAA in relation to a fixture clash, and Cavan had proved uncompetitive, even in the earliest rounds, culminating in a heavy defeat to Tyrone in 2010.

In order to avoid mismatches, the draw was set in set so that the weaker counties were not faced with the prospect of facing regional powers Antrim at an early stage; instead all the other counties took part in a series of elimination matches for the right to meet Antrim in the final.