It is the highest inter-county hurling competition in the province of Leinster, and has been contested every year since the 1888 championship.

The final, usually held on the first Sunday in July, serves as the culmination of a series of games played during May and June, and the results determine which team receives the Bob O'Keeffe Cup.

The winners of the Leinster final, like their counterparts in the Munster Championship, are rewarded by advancing directly to the semi-final stage of the All-Ireland series of games.

The championships were open to all affiliated clubs who would first compete in county-based competitions, to be run by local county committees.

Because of this, and in an effort to reduce travelling costs, the GAA decided to introduce provincial championships in Munster and Leinster.

Postponements, disqualifications, objections, withdrawals and walkovers were regular occurrences during the initial years of the championship.

No championship took place in 1892 as Dublin were the only team to enter and were deemed the Leinster representatives in the subsequent All-Ireland series.

The dominance of Kilkenny and Wexford throughout the 1960s and 1970s lead to both these teams being placed on opposite sides of the championship draw, however, this seeding system was later abolished.

The Leinster Council expanded the championship with the introduction of a group stage for the four "weakest" teams in 2000.

Carlow, Kildare, Laois, Meath, Wicklow and Westmeath played three knock-out rounds, with the one remaining team qualifying for the quarter-final stage of the championship proper.

A number of one-sided games in recent years saw the return of a group stage for the five designated "weakest" teams.

Antrim, Carlow, Laois, London and Westmeath contested the group stage with each team playing each other once.

The new format led to the introduction of the round robin within the championship and the creation of the Joe McDonagh Cup.

A system of promotion and relegation exists between the Leinster Championship and the Joe McDonagh Cup.

The third-placed team in the group enter the All-Ireland Championship at the preliminary quarter-final stage where they play either the champions or runners-up of the Joe McDonagh Cup.

After winning the All-Ireland Intermediate Hurling Championship in 1962, Carlow fielded a team at senior level for the first time the following year.

Due to a lack of meaningful competition in their own respective provinces, Antrim and Galway pushed for entry to the Leinster Championship in the early 2000s.

At a special meeting of Congress on 4 October 2008, delegates voted to include Galway and Antrim in a restructured Leinster Championship on a trial basis for three years.

In 2016 Kerry, in spite of being based in the province of Munster, joined the Leinster Championship after gaining promotion following victory in the Christy Ring Cup.

In 2013, an English team participated in the Leinster Championship for the first time after London gained promotion from the Christy Ring Cup.

Leinster Championship matches were traditionally played at neutral venues or at a location that was deemed to be halfway between the two participants; however, teams eventually came to home and away agreements depending on the capacity of their stadiums.

Stadium attendances are a significant source of regular income for the Leinster Council and for the teams involved.

In 2002 the semi-finals were played outside of Leinster for the first time ever when Semple Stadium in Thurles hosted the penultimate games due to reconstruction work taking place at Croke Park.

He was an All-Ireland medal winner with Laois in 1915 before later serving as chairman of the Leinster Council and President of the Gaelic Athletic Association.

Standing three feet eight inches in height, weighing 564 ounces and with a capacity of 6 gallons, the cup was one of the most recognisable due to its sheer size.

The hurler depicted on the top of the cup was barefooted – a reference to O'Keeffe who often played matches in his bare feet.

A combination of old age and wear and tear resulted in the cup being retired to the GAA Museum in Croke Park.

When Telefís Éireann was established on 31 December 1961, the new station was interested in the broadcasting of championship games.

Following the completion of the initial three-year deal in 2010, the GAA were satisfied to give TV3 an expanded role in Gaelic games broadcasting.

[9] The possibility of unlikely victories in the various rounds of the championship, where lower ranked teams beat higher placed opposition in what is known as a "giant killing", is much anticipated by the public.