Sunday September the 9th. 2001 was the date of the All-Ireland senior hurling final between Tipperary and Galway. Tipperary last appeared in the championship decider in 1997 when they were defeated by Clare in the first all-Munster All-Ireland final. It was ten years since Tipp last win the title. Galway last saw action on All-Ireland hurling final day in 1993 when they went down to Kilkenny. They last captured the Liam MacCarthy Cup in 1988 when they defeated Tipperary. Both Tipperary and Galway last met in the All-Ireland quarter-final in 2000 when Galway emerged victorious. Tipperary won the game on a score line of 2-18 to 2-15.