According to Irish historian James Ware (1594–1666), it was customary in the 13th century for the inhabitants of Dublin to organise hurling matches on festive days.

On Easter Monday 1209, hundreds of Dublin citizens left the safety of the city walls and descended on the woods near Cullenswood, now Ranelagh, for a hurling match.

[2][3] Other early written accounts of hurling matches in Dublin include several 18th century newspaper reports.

According to these reports, the most popular hurling venues in Dublin at that time were the Crumlin Commons, Irishtown Green and Phoenix Park.

[6] In 1778, police officers dispersed a crowd on Summerhill that had assembled in the fields there every Sunday during the summer for the purpose of playing football and hurling.

According to the Freeman's Journal, in August of 1779, there was a bet between the penny boys of Smithfield, who had arranged a bull bait for the Fifteen Acres, that they would draw a bigger crowd than "the hurlers of the Phoenix Park".

In September 1883, Cusack began to organise hurling practices in Phoenix Park on Saturday afternoons.

A report, written by Cusack, records a game’ played in December 1883: "During the third and fourth quarters the hurling became so fast and furious, the goals were so threatened on the one hand and defended on the other, that spectators expected to be called on after each charge to help the disabled to Steevens Hospital."

It was this clash of styles that convinced Cusack that not only did the rules of the games need to be standardised, but that a body must be established to govern Irish sports.

In 1887, the first Dublin Senior Hurling Championship was played out and was won by the Metropolitans, previously formed by Cusack in 1883.

The teams are ranked in the group stage table by points gained, then scoring difference and then their head-to-head record.

The most successful club in the history of the Dublin Senior Hurling Championship has been Faughs who have won the competition on 31 occasions, their last title captured in 1999.

The record for most consecutive titles is held by Commercials, Garda and more recently Ballyboden St Enda's who each secured a five-in-a-row between the years 1895–99, 1925–29 and 2007-2011 respectively.

[133] Ballyboden St Enda's won 5 consecutive titles since 2007 and contested a total of 8 finals in the last 10 years.