[2] On 3 September 2006, Kilkenny won the championship after a 1–16 to 1–13 defeat of Cork in the All-Ireland final at Croke Park.

Promoted from the Christy Ring Cup Relegated to the Christy Ring Cup Twelve counties will compete in the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship: one team in the Connacht Senior Hurling Championship, six teams in the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship and five teams in the Munster Senior Hurling Championship.

Twelve teams participated in hurling's top tier in 2006.

For the first time since 1983, the Ulster champions were not represented in the wider All-Ireland series of games.

Antrim, in spite of being Ulster champions in 2005, subsequently lost all of their All-Ireland qualifier games and were relegated to the Christy Ring Cup after being beaten by Offaly and Laois in the relegation play-offs.