There's no exact definition of a dual county. I'll make an attempted here:
Football: Maguire level and Division 2 of the league upwards (including top 2 in Division 3 on the way up and bottom 2 in Division 2 on the way down.)
Hurling: McCarthy level or Division 1A and 1B.

Using the above criteria, there are only six dual counties in the country:
Cork
Dublin
Galway
Laois
Westmeath
Kerry

Tipperary just miss out on the list having missed out on Division 2 promotion. Kerry's 1B status moved the county into dual county level. Promotion to McCarthy level has just cemented that position.

Cork, Dublin and Galway are big urban areas and have the populations. Some people think Kerry treat hurling with the same contempt Kilkenny treat football. Kerry have worked hard across various hurling intermediate levels. Our senior club hurling champions have competed well in the Munster Intermediate championship. Our underage county teams have won All-Ireland B titles at minor and U21 level. It's great to see our senior team arrive at the top level. The qualifier group is a great and fair level for this team. I suppose the point of the group is to cater for that small group of a certain level between McCarthy and Ring level.

legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 8974 - 08/06/2015 20:00:02    1734311

Lol how many more hurling posts can you get going between now and the NHL next year ;-)

Offside_Rule (Antrim) - Posts: 4058 - 08/06/2015 20:17:00    1734322

Can I be one of the first to declare:

"There will be five in 12 months' time"

Knoxboyo (Monaghan) - Posts: 170 - 08/06/2015 20:24:33    1734326

Almost every county in Ireland is a dual county, with a few exceptions. The balance is generally tilted in favour of either football or hurling, but a genuine chance of success in both is unlikely.

In my opinion, Cork are the only team who could genuinely win both codes at the same time. After them, I would say Dublin have a half chance, but that's it really.

GaryMc82 (Derry) - Posts: 3026 - 08/06/2015 20:25:01    1734328

Using the above criteria, there are only six dual counties in the country:
Cork
Dublin
Galway
Laois
Westmeath
Kerry

How about using the simple criteria of the Counties that have both Hurling and Football teams. Cork, Dublin and Galway are decent in both codes, but I could only see Cork actually being capable of winning both codes around the one time.

Your criteria is a little bit too much like "Everything from Kerry upwards is heaven", stick to the butter Legendxix

GaryMc82 (Derry) - Posts: 3026 - 08/06/2015 20:30:45    1734331

I wouldn't count Laois, Westmeath or Kerry as dual counties. Wexford made the football semi-final a few years ago, but they're not a dual county. I wouldn't count Antrim as one either even though they've produced All-Ireland football club champions, and reached the Ulster football final in recent years.
There's Cork and Galway as the obvious ones. Offaly are another with All-Ireland titles in both in the last 30 years or so even though they're on the decline in both, and recently Dublin have become one.

Texas (Donegal) - Posts: 163 - 08/06/2015 20:43:49    1734336

Ah Gary give the man a break, he is on cloud nine at the minute with the hurling success of his county..........we have had that at various stages in the last thirty years and he might as well revel in it now when its here. Kerry abu

frankbhoy77 (Antrim) - Posts: 1300 - 08/06/2015 20:51:04    1734340

08/06/2015 20:30:45
GaryMc82
County: Derry
Your criteria is a little bit too much like "Everything from Kerry upwards is heaven", stick to the butter Legendxix

Au contraire Rodders!

Cork and Dublin naturally are top dual counties at this time. I genuinely would see what I outlined as being a fair yardstick for noting a county as being a dual county. There has to be some standard to be considered competitive in both sports.

@frankbhoy77 - buzzing alright off the back of the hurling success. It's great to see. A lot of hard work has gone in to making this happen. Counties have won Ring championships and fallen back. Counties have made Ring finals and fallen back. Kerry have been consistent enough from 2010 onwards. There was one year the question was being asked should Kerry drop down to Rackard level? The small ball game was in a bad place at the time of around 2009. In fairness to the county board, they put in the hard work required to turn things around. John Meyler was brought in at won promotion in 2010 to the second tier Division 2 of 8 teams and we made the Ring final. A year later we retained our place in Division 2 but the GAA restructured the league demoting us to the third tier of Division 2A in 2012. We won the Ring championship in 2011. After losing the last two Ring finals, it was great to win back-to-back 2A titles and gain promotion to 1B. The year was always about championship regardless of league. It is fantastic to be heading into the qualifier group next year. It's been the goal of Kerry hurling since the introduction of the qualifier group.

legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 8974 - 08/06/2015 21:13:12    1734355

Texas
County: Donegal
Posts: 68

1734336
I wouldn't count Laois, Westmeath or Kerry as dual counties.

I'm not too sure about Kerry, but the fact that Laois and Westmeath's Senior hurling champions enter the senior Leinster championship mean they are both dual??

Laois Senior champions would never meet the Meath champions as an example.

I stand to be corrected!

Markymark (Laois) - Posts: 644 - 08/06/2015 21:30:00    1734367

I would say Cork, Galway, Dublin and Tipp. Tipp have won a minor football title 3 years ago and competed in an u21 final last month, so they are defo there now as well. That makes 4. Galway's corofin are club football winners this year. The Dubs won leinster in the hurling 2 years ago, and are now going to be a regular feature in the championship in hurling. I cant take any other county into consideration until they compete consistently at the top.

Donegalman (None) - Posts: 3853 - 08/06/2015 21:32:40    1734368

Just because Offaly are crap at both right now doesn't mean it's not a dual county!

keeper7 (Longford) - Posts: 4088 - 08/06/2015 21:58:17    1734380

Cork, Galway, and Offaly for me.The only counties I have seen winning All Irelands in both codes.

Condorman (Dublin) - Posts: 983 - 08/06/2015 22:01:04    1734381

Just because Longford are **** at football doesn't mean their not a football county either !

ke40 (Kildare) - Posts: 214 - 09/06/2015 08:07:47    1734384

And you can't say the likes of ourselves aren't just because we aren't in the top flights at present. It's well known that we can't get our best players playing at County level but if you look at the club scene we have had a Senior Club All Ireland in both codes since 2010 - only Galway have done the same in this period (and in fact I think Cork are the only other County in the last 20 years to have produced All Ireland Club champions at both codes in senior level). So on that basis only ourselves Galway and Cork are true dual counties.

It's all subjective.

Offside_Rule (Antrim) - Posts: 4058 - 09/06/2015 08:09:27    1734385

offaly were a jack o shea goal away from doing the double in 81.. theres only 3 countys remotely capable of that at the monent cork dublin galway. tipp might be in a few years

kavvie (Clare) - Posts: 505 - 09/06/2015 08:13:56    1734387

No Tipp on that list? they may not be challenging for much in the football but they're an elite team in the hurling with greater overall potential than Laois and Westmeath.

SaffronDon (Antrim) - Posts: 2589 - 09/06/2015 08:52:33    1734399

GaryMc82
In my opinion, Cork are the only team who could genuinely win both codes at the same time. After them, I would say Dublin have a half chance, but that's it really

Would agree with that

arock (Dublin) - Posts: 4955 - 09/06/2015 09:45:44    1734426

Texas
County: Donegal
Posts: 68

1734336
I wouldn't count Laois, Westmeath or Kerry as dual counties. Wexford made the football semi-final a few years ago, but they're not a dual county. I wouldn't count Antrim as one either even though they've produced All-Ireland football club champions, and reached the Ulster football final in recent years.
There's Cork and Galway as the obvious ones. Offaly are another with All-Ireland titles in both in the last 30 years or so even though they're on the decline in both, and recently Dublin have become one.

Very offensive and disrespectful post.

Horse (Laois) - Posts: 1146 - 09/06/2015 10:12:44    1734458

Kilkenny -no senior football
Cavan -no senior hurling
That leaves us with 30 dual counties (+London would make 31)

extranjero (Wexford) - Posts: 375 - 09/06/2015 14:30:05    1734668

Yes but whats a Dual County? Many like Cork or Galway have split in the country with one side playing hurling the other football, though Cork city clubs are different.

If you look at Dublin and take the Senior teams 80% or more are the same. You are brought up laying both codes on alternate weekends. Not many counties like this.

witnof (Dublin) - Posts: 1604 - 09/06/2015 14:45:22    1734677