The 1971–72 Harty Cup was the 52nd staging of the Harty Cup since its establishment by the Munster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association in 1918.[1] The draw for the opening round fixtures took place on 18 September 1971. The competition ran from 6 October 1971 to 19 March 1972.
The Harty Cup final was played on 19 March 1972 at Dr Mannix Sportsfield in Charleville, between St Finbarr's College and St Flannan's College, in what was their third meeting in the final overall and a second successive meeting. St Finbarr's College won the match by 6–11 to 2–07 to claim their fourth Harty Cup title overall and a second title in succession.[6]
St Finbarr's College's Tom Fogarty was the top scorer with 3–16.