Derry entered the championship as the defending champions, however, they were defeated by Down in the Ulster quarter-final in what is regarded as one of the greatest games of all time.[1]
On 18 September 1994, Down won the championship following a 1–12 to 0–13 defeat of Dublin in the All-Ireland final.[2] This was their fifth All-Ireland title and their first in three championship seasons.
N Harrington 0-2, V Dowd 0-1, E Prenter 0-1, J Landy 0-1, O Murphy 0-1.
F O'Neill 1-9, S Conlon 1-0, M Donnellan 0-2, Ja Fallon 0-2, K Walsh 0-2, V Daly 0-2, A Mac Carthaigh 0-1, N Finnegan 0-1, F Gavin 0-1, S Óg de Paor 0-1.
Leitrim qualified for the Connacht final for the first time since 1967. Their 0–12 to 2–4 defeat of Mayo gave them their first provincial title since 1927. It remains their only defeat of Mayo in a Connacht final and their last provincial decider victory.
Down's All-Ireland final defeat of Dublin preserved their 100% record of victories in All-Ireland finals.
There were a number of first-time championship meetings. Both All-Ireland semi-finals between Cork and Down and the later meeting of Dublin and Leitrim were first-time encounters.