 Occasionally representatives from the South East Branch and the Connacht Branch also took part.In 1990, it was decided to change the format to an open draw with the top four sides from each of the provinces competing.In 1995 the decision was made to open the competition to all Senior Clubs in Ireland with seeding for the elite clubs introduced in 2000, exempting them from playing in the first two rounds, and going a long way to avoid mismatches.