The winners of the Connacht final, like their counterparts in the other three provinces, advanced directly to the semi-final stage of the All-Ireland series of games.

[citation needed] Only the strongest hurling teams participated in the Connacht Championship, namely Galway, Roscommon and Mayo.

Due to a lack of competitiveness and a predisposition towards Gaelic football in the province, both Galway and Roscommon became the most dominant teams.

This left the weaker teams with a more level playing field with Roscommon, Mayo and Leitrim all becoming more competitive.

Galway returned after their sojourn in Munster in 1970 and went on to represent the province unopposed until 1989 when the championship was unsuccessfully revived.