On Sunday Kilkenny became only the second team in the history of the GAA to win four consecutive All-Ireland SHC titles. Here's how they did it.
2009: Kilkenny 2-22 0-23 Tipperary
Kilkenny created a piece of history with a fourth successive All-Ireland Senior Hurling title following a memorable decider at Croke Park.
The Cats became only the second county to put four titles back to back, joining the great Cork team of the 1940s in an elite club.
Late goals from Henry Shefflin and substitute Martin Comerford finally killed off the heroic efforts of a Tipp side that looked for long periods that they were going to end the reign of Brian Cody's side.
A crowd of 82,106 was treated to one of the best All-Ireland finals in years, and at the end of it all, the Cats were acclaimed as one of the greatest teams of all time, if not the greatest.
Tipp had to play almost 20 minutes with 14 men following the dismissal of Benny Dunne, and their resolve was finally broken in the final stages, when the goals shattered their hearts in the 63rd and 64th minutes.
Eoin Kelly's 0-13 was not enough to send the Liam McCarthy Cup on a trip to Munster.
Instead it was a 1-08 tally from Henry Shefflin that proved decisive, ensuring that the prized silver remains the property of the people of Kilkenny.
Tipp goalkeeper Brendan Cummins had to be alert to keep out a Shefflin effort in the early stages, and the Munster men also benefited from timely defensive interventions from Paddy Stapleton, Paddy Maher and Brendan Maher.
Liam Sheedy's men eased ahead with a couple of Eoin Kelly frees and a superb Lar Corbett effort.
But Tommy Walsh was the launch-pad for a frantic Kilkenny flourish which saw them bang over five points in the space of four minutes, with Eddie Brennan grabbing a couple of gems, and Eoin Larkin and the immaculate Walsh, from distance, also on target.
Tipp, with midfield pair James Woodlock and Shane McGrath giving it everything, countered for Kelly to hit the target again, and Lar Corbett floated over a couple of memorable scores to send their supporters wild.
A scintillating contest had by this stage reached simmering point, with both sides hitting wonderful scores and thrilling a worldwide audience by the sheer intensity of their efforts.
They were level seven times in the first half, and Kelly's eighth point eased Tipp back in front seven minutes before the break.
But the champions increased the tempo, hitting five of the last six scores of the half, Shefflin bringing his tally to five and Eddie Brennan rifling over another beauty to take a 0-13 to 0-11 lead into the interval.
That lead was preserved in spectacular fashion by goalkeeper PJ Ryan two minutes into the second half, who pulled off a stunning save from Seamus Callinan after Pat Kerwick had made ground on the right to craft the opening.
But Callinan quickly made amends by capitalising on uncharacteristically sloppy Kilkenny defending to hit the two points that brought the sides level, before Shane McGrath regained the lead for Tipp.
The Munster men were now dominant, and Ryan had to stretch again to save from Kelly after Corbett had distinctively set up a golden goal chance.
Shefflin and Richie Hogan kept a hard-pressed Kilkenny in touch with points on the breakaway, and despite losing substitute Benny Dunne to a straight red card for a wild swipe at Walsh on 53 minutes, Tipp continued to play with a unrelenting fervour.
Kelly, Noel McGrath and Callinan arrowed over another volley of scores to maintain a two points cushion, but it all went wrong for a courageous Tipp side when Kilkenny banged in two goals in the space of a minute.
First Shefflin drilled a penalty to the net after Power was fouled, and then substitute Martin Comerford broke clear to drill home a second as Croke Park erupted.
And Eoin Larkin finished the job off with a couple of late points to set the scene for a Croke Park pitch invasion which forced a departure from the planned on-pitch trophy presentation.
Kilkenny: PJ Ryan, M Kavanagh, JJ Delaney, J Tyrrell (0-01), T Walsh (0-01), B Hogan, J Tennyson, D Lyng (0-01), M Rice, R Hogan (0-02), H Shefflin (1-08, 1-00 pen, 0-07f), E Larkin (0-03), E Brennan (0-03), R Power (0-01), A Fogarty.
Subs: TJ Reid (0-1) for Fogarty (49), M Fennelly (0-01) for Lyng (51),M Comerford (1-00) for Hogan (55)
Tipperary: B Cummins, P Stapleton, P Maher, P Curran, D Fanning, C O'Mahony, B Maher, J Woodlock, S McGrath (0-01), P Kerwick, S Callinan (0-03), J O'Brien, N McGrath (0-02), E Kelly (0-13, 7f, 3 '65), L Corbett (0-04).
Subs: B Dunne for O'Brien (46), W Ryan for Kerwick (65), M Webster for Woodlock (68)
Referee: D Kirwan (Cork).
2008: Kilkenny 3-30 Waterford 1-13
Waterford endured a nightmare afternoon at Croke Park as arguably the greatest Kilkenny team of all-time secured the Cats' first All-Ireland three-in-a-row since 1913.
In a disappointingly one-sided final, Brian Cody's side produced a near perfect 70 minutes to confirm themselves as hurling's kingpins once again.
The statistics speak for themselves. A 23-point winning margin, 3-24 from play, only two wides in the entire match and eight scorers in all with Eddie Brennan (2-04) and Henry Shefflin (0-08) leading the way.
During a fast-paced first half, a shell-shocked Waterford could only muster five frees from Eoin Kelly.
Kilkenny's half-back line succeeded in sucking the life out of the Déise's attack, starving them of possession with the Cats' forwards scoring at almost every opportunity.
Indeed, Kilkenny failed to register a wide until Martin Comerford, ironically their only starting forward not to score today, missed the target in the third minute of first half injury-time.
Brennan, at his clinical best, scored two goals in the 20th and 22nd minutes to push Kilkenny 12 points ahead.
With their manager Davy Fitzgerald looking on forlornly, Waterford were 2-16 to 0-05 adrift at half-time and only managed their first point from play in the 46th minute.
Four points from impressive substitute TJ Reid and Eoin Larkin's well-taken 47th-minute goal stretched Kilkenny's lead further.
And although John Mullane and free-taker Kelly, who nabbed a late goal, kept plugging away, this was an utter cakewalk and a demonstration that at this present time, Kilkenny are in a class of their own.
Ominously, Kilkenny won today's Minor final at Croke Park and the Cats, also winners in the Intermediate grade, could claim a unique All-Ireland quadruple by beating Tipperary in next weekend's Under-21 final.
For the Senior decider, both Kilkenny and Waterford selected unchanged teams, albeit with some positional switches forecast.
With four straight wins culminating in last month's shock semi-final defeat of Munster champions Tipperary, Fitzgerald had built up a fair deal of momentum in his first summer at the helm.
However Kilkenny, who had nine points to spare over Cork last time out, had a historic carrot dangling in front of them for this first final meeting between the neighbouring counties since 1963.
They were seeking to become only the second Kilkenny side in history to complete that much sought after three-in-a-row.
Indeed, before today, it had only been achieved on seven separate occasions with Cork (four times) and Tipperary (twice) doing it the most.
A Kilkenny win would net them their sixth All-Ireland title this decade and 31st in all, moving them one ahead of Cork on the all-time honours list.
Waterford, of course, were within reach of their own slice of history as they attempted to become the first team from the county to lift the Liam McCarthy Cup since 1959.
But any hopes they had of doing that were quickly diminished as Kilkenny started like a steam train and simply showed no mercy against a team that never got out of first gear.
Too many of Waterford's marquee names were marked absent as the Cats simply devoured their opponents in a stunning first half display.
Any question marks over their desire and hunger were quickly dispelled as they raced 0-10 to 0-04 ahead midway through the opening period.
Henry Shefflin pointed a free after 52 seconds to send them on their way, and while Eoin Kelly did likewise in the next phase, it soon became clear that Waterford would get no change in open play.
Kilkenny's defence, marshalled by the likes of Tommy Walsh and JJ Delaney, was watertight and in their meanest mood for some time.
Mullane, Dan Shanahan and Stephen Molumphy were kept out of the game as the Déise struggled and Shefflin exposed the defensive frailties of his marker Kevin Moran, the youngest player on the pitch.
Kilkenny's midfield duo of James 'Cha' Fitzpatrick and Derek Lyng, who roamed forward at will, dominated that sector and put their immediate opponents under serious pressure.
Eoin McGrath had a wide from a tight angle and that proved to be Waterford's only shot from play for some time as Kilkenny motored clear.
Team captain Fitzpatrick landed a fifth-minute point and with metronome precision, efforts from Eoin Larkin, Aidan Fogarty, Shefflin, Brennan and Lyng followed over the next quarter-of-an-hour.
Cody's charges were scoring with every shot, while Waterford lived off Kelly's frees. As well as the admirable shooting, there were some excellent fetches and catches from Lyng and Delaney to enthuse about.
Larkin, already a candidate for Hurler of the Year, was being allowed far too much space and in one such incident, the James Stephens clubman ripped through the Waterford defence before finding the unmarked Brennan who tapped home his first goal after 20 minutes.
Before Waterford could recover from that blow, Brennan had the sliotar nestled in the net once more. Barely seventy seconds after his first strike, the speedy corner-forward fired home goal number two.
Waterford goalkeeper Clinton Hennessy had pulled off a brilliant first-time save, thwarting the advancing Fogarty, but he was powerless to stop Brennan's follow-up.
Now suddenly 2-10 to 0-04 behind, Waterford needed a goal desperately and Shanahan, their chief goal-getter of last season, was having little joy at the Hill 16 end.
He was smothered out in the 24th minute as a goal chance looked on and then Kelly, aiming for the net, had a 21-yard free saved by Kilkenny stopper PJ Ryan.
Two Richie Power points boosted Kilkenny's tally to 2-12 before Kelly landed his fifth successful free, 30 minutes in.
There was no let-up from the Kilkenny forwards though as the half came to a close. Power had a shot scrambled away as he thundered towards Hennessy, but points from Fitzpatrick, Brennan, Power and Larkin saw the champions end the first 35 minutes on a real high.
Brennan's point from close to the right sideline, in the first minute of injury-time, was the best of the lot. It was a real team score as it began with a superb block by Michael Kavanagh on Mullane.
The ball was swept forward and Shefflin laid off for Brennan to swing over a delightful score. Unerring accuracy and Kilkenny hurling in a nutshell.
With his troops almost out for the count, Fitzgerald mixed things up for the second half bringing Jack Kennedy and Shane O'Sullivan into the fray.
There was also a plethora of positional switches with Tony Browne moving to centre-back, Ken McGrath going to centre-forward and Mullane and Shanahan also on the move.
Waterford were able to live with Kilkenny on the resumption. They were only outscored by 0-03 to 0-02 in the opening 11 minutes as Kelly (free) and Mullane found their range.
Unfortunately, Kilkenny mercilessly continued to pick off their points. Shefflin hit back-to-back frees, Lyng popped over another score and substitute TJ Reid, an Under-21 player with a serious future, also came of age.
On for the injured Comerford, he scored four points in the space of 12 minutes to further boost Kilkenny's tally and put the result beyond any doubt.
During that spell, Larkin scampered through the heart of the Waterford defence and blasted past Hennessy for Kilkenny's third goal and a 22-point difference.
Shanahan then again misfired as he honed in on a goal, although Mullane did mop up with a point.
Kelly tagged on another free but it was shooting practice for Kilkenny as Lyng, Fogarty, Shefflin and Reid belted over points from all angles - there was soon 26 points between the sides.
With a chunk of the Waterford fans in the 82,186 attendance leaving for home, there was a flat nature and eerie edge to the closing stages of the final.
The Déise salvaged some pride by scoring 1-03 without reply between the 66th and 69th minutes. Mullane rode a challenge before shooting over off his left, substitute Dave Bennett also pointed after linking with Mullane and Kelly scored with another free.
There was a poignant moment as Cody sent much-loved goalkeeper James McGarry on for a late run-out. McGarry's wife Vanessa was tragically killed in a car crash last summer and he got a rousing reception when coming onto the pitch.
But the Bennettsbridge net minder unfortunately erred in the 69th minute when he tried to stop a Kelly shot with his hurl and the ball deflected into the net for Waterford's only goal.
For the statisticians it was the first goal Kilkenny had conceded in this year's Championship but it mattered little in the scheme of things.
Nothing was going to take the gloss off Kilkenny's stellar performance. They rounded it off with points from goal scorers Larkin and Brennan and Cody could afford a smile when Fogarty scored from an acute angle in deepest injury-time.
So Kilkenny's unbeaten record in the Championship goes on. That is 14 games they have won since losing to Galway in that epic 2005 All-Ireland semi-final.
Eight All-Ireland finals for Cody and six wins (2000, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007 and 2008). Richly deserved. No doubt he will go to bed tonight dreaming of emulating Cork's four-in-a-row heroics of 1944.
It is hard to know whether Waterford, on one of their best days, could have lived with the Cats in this sort of form.
Spare a thought for them, they have given much to the Hurling Championship over the last few years, and played some spellbinding stuff.
Retirements are expected, questions will be asked of Fitzgerald and his management staff but, frankly, no team on earth would have been able to stop Cody's class of 2008.
Kilkenny: PJ Ryan; M Kavanagh, N Hickey, J Tyrrell; T Walsh, B Hogan, JJ Delaney; J Fitzpatrick (capt) (0-02), D Lyng (0-03); M Comerford, R Power (0-02), E Larkin (1-04); E Brennan (2-04), H Shefflin (0-08, 5f, 0-01 '65'), A Fogarty (0-03).
Subs used: TJ Reid (0-04) for Comerford (43 mins), J McGarry for Ryan (61).
Waterford: C Hennessy; E Murphy, K McGrath, D Prendergast; A Kearney, T Browne, K Moran; M Walsh (capt), J Nagle; D Shanahan, S Prendergast, S Molumphy; E McGrath , E Kelly (1-09, 9f), J Mullane (0-03).
Subs used: J Kennedy for S Prendergast, S O'Sullivan for Nagle (both half-time), P Flynn for E McGrath (52), T Feeney for D Prendergast, D Bennett (0-01) for Shanahan (both 64).
Referee: Barry Kelly (Westmeath).
2007: Kilkenny 2-19 Limerick 1-15
Defending champions Kilkenny claimed their 30th Guinness All-Ireland Hurling title to draw level with Cork in the all-time standings with a comprehensive seven-point victory over a gallant Limerick in wet conditions in front of 82,127 at Croke Park today.
Having lead from the second minute, the defending champions played with authority and style to emerge as convincing and deserved winners.
After the match, Kilkenny manager Brian Cody dedicated the victory to goalkeeper James McGarry and his family. McGarry's wife Vanessa died in a road accident earlier this year.
Cody's men were not to be denied another crown as they went for the jugular from the off, storming into a 2-02 to 0-00 lead within ten minutes.
The impressive Eddie Brennan opened the Cats' goal account with a superb turn and strike in the ninth minute, while Henry Shefflin added a second a minute later when he held off Stephen Lucey to tap the sliotar home from the edge of the square. James 'Cha' Fitzpatrick supplied the ball in both times.
Limerick fought gallantly and kept chipping away at the Cats' lead; three points from Ollie Moran, pointed frees from Andrew O'Shaughnessy, and a few other contributions left them trailing by 2-10 to 0-08 at the break. But with the lively Eoin Larkin impressing for the Cats - he stuck over four points from play in the first half - Kilkenny kept the margin wide.
Kilkenny faced into the second half under something of a cloud in fact with Shefflin joining Noel Hickey - who hobbled off with a pulled hamstring after 20 minutes - on the sidelines for the second half with suspected cruciate ligament damage, but despite an early brace of points, Limerick couldn't take full advantage.
Things started well; the Kilkenny full-forward line was kept quiet throughout, and Larkin was also handled better - he couldn't add to his tally after the interval - and Limerick managed to reduce Kilkenny's lead to six points in the 47th minute with a nicely taken goal when Ollie Moran reacted quickest to a breaking ball around the house, rising the sliotar and slotting it home from close range to give Limerick fans a glimmer of hope.
However, scores from substitute Richie Power (0-04), now taking the frees, kept Richie Bennis' men at bay and they couldn't get the deficit to below five points, despite the best efforts of O'Shaughnessy (0-07) and Moran (1-03).
Defensively, Tommy Walsh (0-02), Jackie Tyrrell and substitute John Tennyson - who came on for Hickey - were hugely impressive for Kilkenny as the Cats closed out for a comfortable victory.
GAA President Nickey Brennan presented the Liam McCarthy Cup to the bandaged Shefflin, who proudly accepted the trophy along with an emotional James and Darragh McGarry.
Kilkenny settled quickest and were a point to the good when Shefflin converted a free to register the 350th Championship point of what has been a stunning career.
Larkin added a second point a minute later as Limerick started nervously, failing to find any cohesion and missing a couple of early chances.
Limerick full-back Stephen Lucey had to leave the field to get attention to a bloody chin after appearing to be caught by Brennan's elbow, but referee Diarmuid Kirwan didn't take any action against the Kilkenny man.
O'Shaughnessy and Mike Fitzgerald then squandered good chances before Kilkenny's early dominance was rewarded with a goal of some quality from Brennan.
James (Cha) Fitzpatrick found the elusive Brennan with an accurate cut from the sideline, but he still had plenty to do with his back to goal some 20 yards out. However, he skilfully turned his marker before racing clear and drilling the ball past the helpless Brian Murray.
No sooner had play restarted than Limerick were on the back foot again as Kilkenny claimed possession at midfield and Fitzpatrick sent the ball goalwards.
Shefflin and Lucey challenged gamely for ownership and it was Shefflin, the current RTÉ Sports Personality of the Year, who came out on top, catching the sliotar with his back to goal.
Shefflin used all his strength and guile to fend off the attentions of the defender, create some space, throw the ball up and tap the sliotar beyond Limerick 'keeper Brian Murray on the line to give the holders a commanding eight point lead with just ten minutes on the clock.
Larkin quickly tagged on another well-worked point off the right upright to stretch their lead to 2-03 to 0-00 before O'Shaughnessy eventually opened the scoring for Limerick with a free from the right in the 13th minute.
Two minutes later, midfielder Donal O'Grady hit Limerick's first point from play before half-forward Sean O'Connor slotted over another point from distance and Limerick began to assert themselves at midfield.
Brennan and Moran exchanged scores as the game began to settle down, but Kilkenny continued to more than match their opponents in battle, in wits and in scores.
Further points from Moran and Larkin saw Kilkenny maintain their two goal advantage, before full-back Noel Hickey's day was brought to a premature end when he had to limp off with a hamstring injury in the 23rd minute.
However, this Kilkenny squad boasts huge strength in depth and Cody was fortunate to have a man of John Tennyson's calibre waiting in the wings.
A re-shuffling of the pack saw Brian Hogan move from centre-back to full-back on Brian Begley, with Tennyson assuming his position at centre half-back.
And Tennyson showed no signs of rustiness as he immediately gathered possession in the middle third before launching an ambitious ball forward.
Brennan latched onto it and looked certain to score his second goal of the afternoon before a stunningly brave block from Seamus Hickey forced his effort over the bar for the solitary point.
Shefflin then slotted another one between the posts before the largely ineffective Willie O'Dwyer was beckoned to the bench and replaced by Richie Power in the 27th minute. Mike Fitzgerald and Larkin then swapped scores with Kilkenny now leading by 2-08 to 0-06.
Tommy Walsh was then harshly penalised as he tried to escape some uncompromising Limerick tackling near to his own 20 metre line, and O'Shaughnessy converted the resulting free to reduce the lead to seven points.
Moran tagged on another excellent point from the right as Limerick battled to keep themselves in the game, but despite their gallant efforts, Kilkenny always seemed to have enough about them to respond at the other end.
This time Shefflin used his experience and strength to shoulder Hickey to the ground before setting up Brennan for his fourth score of an enterprising first half.
Brian Geary was responsible for Limerick's fifth wide of the opening half when he failed to find his range with a free from the middle of the park on 35 minutes, but Tommy Walsh made no mistake from similar distance with an exceptional point from play that brought first half proceedings to a close.
However, the final action of the half also saw captain Shefflin go to ground clutching his leg in pain, and the Ballyhale Shamrocks man joined Hickey on the bench for the second half with suspected cruciate ligament damage.
The loss of such an influential and inspirational player would have tested the resolve of any team, but this is a special Kilkenny squad and his absence was hardly noticed despite a bright opening by the Treatymen.
O'Shaughnessy knocked over a free and half-time substitute Niall Moran, on for O'Brien, heralded his arrival with a magnificent point to reduce Kilkenny's lead to six points.
Power assumed much of the scoring mantle in the absence of Shefflin, and he slotted over three frees to give his side a nine point advantage by the 47th minute, 2-13 to 0-10.
Limerick refused to give up the fight, and Moran pulled a goal back for the Munster men when he capitalised on a high ball into Begley that had the Kilkenny defence at sixes and sevens.
Moran found himself unmarked with only the 'keeper to beat and he kept his nerve to bring Kilkenny back to within two scores.
Three-time All Star Walsh responded with typical purpose to score his second point from the right to dampen any thoughts Limerick may have had of a comeback.
Try as they might, Limerick just couldn't reel the Cats in, and O'Shaughnessy's fourth free of the day was quickly cancelled out by Cha Fitzpatrick and last year's All-Ireland final Man of the Match Aidan Fogarty, who was otherwise relatively subdued throughout.
Midfielder Donal O'Grady knocked over another point for Limerick before JJ Delaney denied O'Shaughnessy a certain goal on the line after the Limerick forward opted to strike for goal rather than point after from a close range free.
On another day that might have gone in and we would have been bracing ourselves for a gripping finale, but as it turned out O'Shaughnessy missed the resulting '65 and with it any chance of a dramatic comeback realistically died.
That was in the 55th minute, and with O'Shaughnessy converting a free two minutes later, Limerick heroically refused to give up hope. And their efforts were almost rewarded ten minutes from time when Jackie Tyrell came to Kilkenny's rescue, sliding across the face of PJ Ryan's goal to save from O'Shaughnessy's kicked effort after the Kilmallock man had lost his hurl.
O'Shaughnessy converted the '45 that followed to bring Limerick back to within five points, 2-16 to 1-14, but that was as close as they came to relieving the Cats of their crown.
Points from Derek Lyng and Brennan (two) and another converted free from O'Shaughnessy were the game's only remaining scores as Kilkenny closed out for another famous victory at HQ, thus equalling Cork's record of 30 All-Ireland victories.
It was a heart-breaking end to what has been a roller-coaster summer for Limerick, who have been full value on their surprising march to the All-Ireland final.
Richie Bennis and co can take heart from their amazing performances against Tipperary and Waterford, and should not be too despondent after losing to what is a truly great Kilkenny team. Their time could come.
Five titles in seven years surely marks this group of players out as one of the game's most remarkable teams, and their victory today was a fitting climax to a difficult summer which has seen the county (and beyond) devastated by the tragic accident in which goalkeeper McGarry lost his wife Vanessa.
The squad has shown remarkable strength and character to remain focussed despite this, and Shefflin's confident and emotional address to the huddled masses typified the unity within the camp.
Kilkenny, All-Ireland champions of 2007, we salute you!
Kilkenny: PJ Ryan; M Kavanagh, N Hickey, J Tyrrell; T Walsh (0-02), B Hogan, JJ Delaney; D Lyng, J Fitzpatrick (0-01); E Brennan (1-04), H Shefflin (1-02, 1 feee), E Larkin (0-05); W O'Dwyer, M Comerford, A Fogarty (0-01).
Subs: J Tennyson for N Hickey (23), R Power (0-04, 3 frees) for W O'Dwyer (27), M Fennelly for H Sheflin (h-t).
Limerick: B Murray; D Reale, S Lucey, S Hickey, P Lawlor, B Geary, M Foley, D O'Grady (0-02), M O'Brien, M Fitzgerald (0-01), O Moran (1-03), S O'Connor (0-01), A O'Shaugnessy (0-07, 6 frees, 1 '65), B Begley, D Ryan.
Subs: N Moran (0-02) for M O'Brien (h-t), J O'Brien for S O'Connor (44), P Tobin for S Fitzgerald (49), K Tobin for D Ryan (58), P Lawlor for M O'Riordan (68).
Referee: Diarmuid Kirwan (Cork).
2006: Kilkenny 1-16 Cork 1-13
Kilkenny turned in an outstanding display to deny Cork an All-Ireland SHC treble at Croke Park as they won this afternoon's high octane final by 1-16 to 1-13.
82,275 spectators watched the charged-up Cats claimed a treble of their own as they added the Liam McCarthy Cup to their League and Leinster titles.
In a bruising encounter, the teams were level five times before Diarmuid O'Sullivan dropped a high ball into Aidan Fogarty's path in the 29th-minute and he rocketed a shot to the Cork net.
Corner forward Fogarty, who struck 1-03, had his best day in a Kilkenny jersey, as did James 'Cha Fitzpatrick who cut the Cork midfield to ribbons.
Kilkenny led 1-08 to 0-08 at the break and while Ben O'Connor's 67th-minute goal, set up by the bulldozing Niall McCarthy, jangled nerves, Brian Cody's men brilliantly held on for the county's 29th title since 1904.
For the past three weeks, Cody, who had Kilkenny in an All-Ireland final for the sixth time in his eight years in charge, was rubbishing talk of his side's revenge mission - the desire to spoil Cork's treble bid, just as the Rebels had done to them in 2004.
Whatever the James Stephens clubman says, it was certainly a determining factor for his charges. Kilkenny were easily the hungrier side, steeled by the likes of James Ryall, Tommy Walsh, Fitzpatrick and Derek Lyng, and their attacking sextet more than held its own - five of the starting forwards scored from play.
Cork, on the other hand, were as economical as ever - hitting their first wide after all of 29 minutes - but with their puck-outs being foiled, their midfield curtailed and their attackers notching only five points from play, with three from top scorer Ben O'Connor, John Allen's side were always up against it.
Kilkenny had the purpose and will to win the individual battles that condemned Cork to their first Championship defeat since their 2004 Munster final loss to Waterford. Still, the Rebels' grip on their 13-game winning streak was a firm one for the first 25 minutes.
Kilkenny did go 0-03 to 0-01 in front after seven minutes of frenetic action, with Henry Shefflin (two frees) and Fogarty on target, but Cork had slipped into the lead by the 11th-minute.
The final began with Shefflin reeling off the first of his 0-08 tally for the day after 37 seconds. The Ballyhale man swapped frees with Joe Deane before a soaring clearance from Kilkenny captain Jackie Tyrell ended with a first point for Fogarty.
Niall McCarthy then slipped his marker Ryall to reply and Ben O'Connor, accepting a weighted pass from Ronan Curran, levelled the game at 0-03 apiece.
Deane's only point from play followed, a classy drive from 45 yards out, to put Cork into the lead for the first and only time.
Pressure on Donal Og Cusack's puck outs led to a quick brace for Shefflin, the first a free, and Martin Comerford showed a clean pair of heels to Sean Og O hAilpin to fire over off the post for a 0-06 to 0-04 lead.
With the tackling tough and chances at a premium, champions Cork were being harried into mistakes, yet they still had a 100% return on their shots at goal - Deane floated over a free and then teed up Jerry O'Connor to level the sides for a fourth time.
Key men Shefflin and Deane exchanged further points before O'Sullivan's uncharacteristic lapse allowed Emeralds starlet Fogarty nip in for his second goal of the championship - he grabbed a major against Galway in July's quarter-final win.
The 24-year-old Fogarty, nicknamed 'Taggy', certainly came of age as he beat Cork skipper Pat Mulcahy to the breaking ball and drove past a stranded Cusack to the roof of the net.
Cork were not going to give up easily and a great show of persistence from Brian Corcoran along the left sideline carved out an inspiring score for Ben O'Connor. Nonetheless, another poor clearance from Cork's rearguard allowed Derek Lyng the time and space to send the Noresiders in at the interval with a one-goal buffer.
Allen needed to work his magic at half-time and Cork did up their efforts initially with John Gardiner pinging over an excellent point - the CIT student collected a high ball before side-stepping past Eoin Larkin and drilling over from the middle of the field.
Lesser teams would have been drawn in by the scoreboard then as Kilkenny's lead was down to two points, yet the Leinster kingpins stuck to their task and continued to choke the life out of Cork's attack with their defending in packs.
Fogarty snapped onto the ball to hit over his second point and Deane shot Cork's fourth wide before centre back Ryall's exquisite hook on the advancing Jerry O'Connor brought raucous cheers from the Black and Amber-clad hordes.
After a Deane free, the Cats then went four points clear for the first time, on 53 minutes, as the dynamic Fitzpatrick fended off O hAilpin to point and Richie Power, another of Cody's players who will be going for an All-Ireland double in next weekend's Under-21 final, showed great dexterity to slot over off his right for a 1-11 to 0-10 score line.
The calls for semi-final hero Cathal Naughton to be thrown on strengthened as Cork could do little to eat into the lead - Deane and Shefflin traded frees again before Ben O'Connor nabbed his third of the afternoon.
Naughton was then introduced, and Cork did look livelier with a plethora of high balls swung in towards Corcoran and company.
Although, time and again, the Rebels were smothered out with either referee Barry Kelly forced into awarding throw balls, or the likes of John Tennyson and Tyrell clearing their lines.
Kilkenny's forwards drew inspiration from this and successive points from Eddie Brennan, who was clearly delighted to have raised a white flag after failing to score in the '04 decider, the on-fire Fogarty and Shefflin (free) raced them into a 1-15 to 0-12 lead.
Before today's final, Cork had ironically averaged 1-17 in their previous four games and while Niall McCarthy did superbly to evade two defenders on the right flank and create a goal for O'Connor, who flashed his shot past James McGarry from an acute angle, the Rebels' reign was clearly at an end.
Wides from Shefflin and Gardiner - Cork's eight and Kilkenny's twelfth - brought the final to a tame finish. Kilkenny and Cody, who leapt for joy at the final whistle, did not mind. Liam was coming 'home' for the first time since 2003.
Kilkenny: J McGarry; M Kavanagh, N Hickey, J Tyrell (capt); J Ryall, J Tennyson, T Walsh; J Fitzpatrick (0-01), D Lyng (0-01); R Power (0-01), H Shefflin (0-08 (0-05f)), E Larkin; E Brennan (0-01), M Comerford (0-01), A Fogarty (1-03).
Subs used: W O'Dwyer for Larkin (46 mins), R Mulally for Fitzpatrick (69)
Cork: D Og Cusack; B Murphy, D O'Sullivan, P Mulcahy (capt); J Gardiner (0-01), R Curran, S Og O hAilpin; T Kenny, J O'Connor (0-01); T McCarthy, N McCarthy (0-01), B O'Connor (1-04 (0-01f)); N Ronan, B Corcoran, J Deane (0-06 (0-05f)).
Subs used: C O'Connor for O hAilpin (blood sub, 35+1-36 mins), K Murphy (Sarsfields) for Ronan (40), W Sherlock for Mulcahy (47), C Naughton for T McCarthy (59), C O'Connor for Murphy (65), C Cusack for Kenny (70)
Referee: Barry Kelly (Westmeath)
