As a result of a decision taken at the Gaelic Athletic Association's annualcongress the previous year, as of 1975 all provincial finals, All-Ireland semi-finals and the All-Ireland final itself were reduced to 70minutes playing time. Prior to this all championship matches were eighty minutes in duration for the past 5 years.
The championship
Format
Munster Championship First round: This is a single match between the first two teams drawn from the province of Munster. One team is eliminated at this stage while the winners advance to the semi-finals. Semi-finals: The winner of the first round joins the other three Munster teams to make up the semi-final pairings. Two teams are eliminated at this stage while the winners advance to the final. Final: The winner of the two semi-finals contest this game. One team is eliminated at this stage while the winners advance to the All-Ireland semi-final. Leinster Championship First round: These are two matches between the first four teams drawn from the province of Leinster. Two teams are eliminated at this stage while the winners advance to the semi-finals. Semi-finals: The winners of the two first round games join the other two Leinster teams to make up the semi-final pairings. Two teams are eliminated at this stage while the winners advance to the final. Final: The winners of the two semi-finals contest this game. One team is eliminated at this stage while the winners advance to the All-Ireland semi-final. All-Ireland Championship Quarter-final: This is a single match between Galway and the winners of the All-Ireland 'B' championship. One team is eliminated at this stage while the winners advance to the semi-final. Semi-final: This is a single match between the Munster champions and the winners of the quarter-final. One team is eliminated at this stage while the winners advance to the final. Final: The winners of the semi-final and the Leinster champions contest this game.
All championship games were reduced from eighty to seventy minutes.
The All-Ireland semi-final saw Galway defeat Cork for the very first time in the history of the championship. It was also Cork's first-ever defeat in an All-Ireland semi-final.
The All-Ireland final between Galway and Kilkenny was the first time that these two sides met at this stage of the championship.
