Brendan Maher (born 5 January 1989) is an Irish hurler who plays for club side Borris–Ileigh and previously at inter-county level with the

Tipperary senior hurling team The Tipperary county hurling team represents Tipperary in hurling and is governed by Tipperary GAA, the county board of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The team competes in the three major annual inter-county competitions; the All-Ireland Seni ...

. Regarded as one of the great talents of his generation, Maher enjoyed a 13-season career with the Tipperary senior hurling team, won three All-Stars and was a Hurler of the Year nominee in 2010. He won eight major trophies in his inter-county career, comprising three All-Ireland Championships, captaining the team in 2016, and five

Munster Championship The Munster GAA Hurling Senior Championship, known simply as the Munster Championship, is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Munster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is the highest inter-county hurlin ...

s. A versatile player who switched between attacking and defensive positions, Maher made a combined 124 league and championship appearances.

Playing career

St Joseph's College

Maher first came to prominence as a hurler with St Joseph's College in

Borrisoleigh Borrisoleigh () is a small town in County Tipperary, Ireland. At the 2016 census, it had a population of 679. In recent years the population has exceeded 1,000 while historically the population has been around 8,000. It is in the ecclesiastical ...

. He played in every grade before eventually joining the senior hurling team and lined out in several Harty Cup campaigns.

Mary Immaculate College

Maher studied at

Mary Immaculate College Mary Immaculate College (Coláiste Mhuire gan Smál), also known as MIC and Mary I, is a College of Education and Liberal Arts. Founded in 1898, the university level College of Education and the Liberal Arts is academically linked with the Univ ...

Limerick Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...

between 2006 and 2009 and joined the senior hurling team in his second year. On 7 March 2009, he was named

man of the match In team sport, a player of the match or man of the match or woman of the match award is often given to the most outstanding player in a particular match. This can be a player from either team, although the player is generally chosen from the winn ...

when Mary Immaculate College defeated the

University of Ulster sco, Ulstèr Universitie , image = Ulster University coat of arms.png , caption = , motto_lang = , mottoeng = , latin_name = Universitas Ulidiae , established = 1865 – Magee College 1953 - Magee Un ...

by 1–12 to 1–05 to win the

Ryan Cup The Ryan Cup is the tier 2 hurling championship for third level colleges, the Fitzgibbon Cup The Fitzgibbon Cup ( ga, Corn Mhic Giobúin) is the trophy for the premier hurling championship among higher education institutions (universities, coll ...

Borris-Ileigh

Maher joined the Borris–Ileigh club at a young age and played at all grades in juvenile and underage levels. He joined the club's senior team as a 16-year-old during the 2005 North Tipperary Championship. On 7 August 2005, Maher was selected on the bench when Borris–Ileigh faced Nenagh Éire Óg in the North Tipperary Championship final, however, in a late change he was drafted onto the starting fifteen. He ended the game with a winners' medal after a 1–12 to 0–13 victory. Maher lined out at right wing-forward when Borris–Ileigh renewed their rivalry with Nenagh Éire Óg in the North Tipperary Championship final on 9 September 2007. He scored a point from play and claimed a second winners' medal in three seasons following a 0–19 to 0–16 victory. On 2 September 2017, Maher lined out at centre-back when Borris–Ileigh faced Nenagh Éire Óg in the North Tipperary Championship final once again. He ended the game with a third winner's medal following the 2–19 to 0–18 victory. On 8 October 2017, Maher was selected at midfield but spent much of the game at centre-back when Borris–Ileigh faced

Thurles Sarsfields Thurles Sarsfields is a Tipperary GAA club which is located in County Tipperary, Ireland. Both hurling and Gaelic football are played in the "Mid-Tipperary" divisional competitions. The club is centred in the town of Thurles at Semple Stadium. T ...

in the Tipperary Senior Championship final. He top scored for the team with five points from frees in the 1–24 to 0–11 defeat. On 3 November 2019, Maher was at centre-back when Borris–Ileigh faced Kiladangan in the Tipperary Senior Championship final. He scored three points, including two long-range frees, and collected a winners' medal following the 1–15 to 1–12 victory. On 24 November 2019, Maher won a Munster Club Championship medal after giving a

display in the 1–12 to 1–11 defeat of

Ballygunner Ballygunner ( ga, Baile Gunnair), is a civil parish in County Waterford, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It lies on the southern outskirts of Waterford city. The placename is derived, in part, from the Old Norse masculine personal name ''Gunnarr' ...

in the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...

Tipperary

Minor and under-21

Maher first played for

Tipperary Tipperary is the name of: Places *County Tipperary, a county in Ireland **North Tipperary, a former administrative county based in Nenagh **South Tipperary, a former administrative county based in Clonmel *Tipperary (town), County Tipperary's na ...

as a member of the minor team during the 2005 Munster Championship. He was an unused substitute throughout before Tipperary exited the championship on 4 May 2005 following a 2–14 to 1–06 defeat by

. On 5 April 2006, Maher made his first appearance for the team when he scored three points from midfield in a 2–13 to 1–08 defeat of

Clare Clare may refer to: Places Antarctica * Clare Range, a mountain range in Victoria Land Australia * Clare, South Australia, a town in the Clare Valley * Clare Valley, South Australia Canada * Clare (electoral district), an electoral district * Cl ...

. He retained his position at midfield for the Munster final, however, he ended on the losing side following a 2–20 to 1–15 defeat by

Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...

. Maher was switched to left corner-back when Tipperary faced

Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a City status in Ireland, city in the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lo ...

in the

All-Ireland final The All-Ireland Final may refer to: * All-Ireland Hurling Final, the last match to be played in the All-Ireland Hurling Championship (Senior, Minor and Under-21 levels) * The last match to be played in the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship ...

. He ended the game with a winners' medal following the 2–18 to 2–07 victory. Maher was again eligible for the minor grade for a third and final season in

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

and was appointed captain of the team. On 8 July 2007, he was at left wing-forward when Tipperary won the

following an 0–18 to 1–11 defeat of

. On 2 September 2007, Maher was switched to midfield for the

against Cork. He scored three points from play and claimed a second successive winners' medal following a 3–14 to 2–11 victory. Maher was drafted onto the Tipperary under-21 team in advance of the 2008 Munster Championship. He made his first appearance for the team on 17 July 2008 when he lined out at left corner-back in a 1–13 to 0–15 defeat of Limerick. On 30 July 2008, Maher won a

medal after lining out at left wing-back in a controversial 1–16 to 2–12 defeat of Clare. He retained his position at left wing-back when Tipperary suffered a 2–13 to 0–15 defeat by

Kilkenny Kilkenny (). is a city in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region and in the province of Leinster. It is built on both banks of the River Nore. The 2016 census gave the total population of Kilkenny as 26,512. Kilken ...

in the

on 14 September 2008. On 28 July 2010, Maher won a second Munster Championship medal after lining out at left wing-back in Tipperary's 1–22 to 1–17 defeat of Clare in the

. He was switched to centre-back for the

against Galway on 11 September 2010. Maher ended the game with an All-Ireland medal following the 5–22 to 0–12 victory in what was his last game in the grade.

Senior

Maher joined the Tipperary senior team in advance of the 2009 National League. He made his first appearance for the team on 14 February 2009 when he played at right wing-back in a 2–15 to 0–09 defeat of Cork. On 3 May 2009, Maher came on as an 11th-minute substitute for

Declan Fanning Declan Fanning (born 24 June 1979) is an Irish Gaelic footballer and hurler who played as right wing-back for the Tipperary senior team. Born in Killenaule, County Tipperary, Fanning first arrived on the inter-county scene at the age of sev ...

in a 2–26 to 4–17 extra-time defeat by Kilkenny in the National League final. On 31 May 2009, he made his

debut when he came on as a 55th-minute substitute for

Conor O'Mahony Conor O'Mahony (born 18 October 1984) is an Irish hurler who played as a centre-back for the Tipperary senior team from 2005 up to 2015. O'Mahony made his first appearance for the team during the 2005 National League and immediately became a ...

in a 1–19 to 0–19 defeat of Cork. On 12 July 2009, Maher started the Munster final on the bench but was introduced as a 34th-minute substitute for Paul Curran and ended the game with a winners' medal following the 4–14 to 2–16 defeat of

Waterford "Waterford remains the untaken city" , mapsize = 220px , pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe , pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe , pushpin_relief = 1 , coordinates ...

. After making his first championship start in the All-Ireland semi-final defeat of

, he was selected at left wing-back for the

against Kilkenny on 6 September 2009. Maher ended on the losing side following a 2–22 to 0–23 defeat. On 5 September 2010, Maher was selected at midfield when Tipperary qualified to play Kilkenny in a second successive

. He scored two points from play and was described as "outstanding" after claiming his first All-Ireland medal in the 4–17 to 1–18 victory. Maher ended the season by being included at midfield on the All-Star team while he was also named Young Hurler of the Year. A fractured fibula in March 2011 brought Maher's involvement in the latter stages of the

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...

to an end, while he also missed Tipperary's opening games of the

. On 10 July 2011, he won a second Munster Championship medal after coming on as a 63rd-minute substitute for

Pádraic Maher Pádraic Maher (born 9 February 1989) is an Irish former Hurling, hurler who previously played for Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship, Tipperary Senior Championship club Thurles Sarsfields GAA, Thurles Sarsfields and at inter-county level wi ...

in a 7–19 to 0–19 defeat of Waterford in the Munster final. On 4 September 2011, Maher was selected on the bench when Tipperary faced Kilkenny in a third successive

. He was introduced as a 29th-minute substitute for John O'Keeffe but ended the game on the losing side following a 2–17 to 1–16 defeat. On 15 July 2012, Maher lined out at midfield when Tipperary qualified to play Waterford in a second successive Munster final. He ended the game with a third winners' medal in four seasons following a 2–17 to 0–16 victory. On 5 May 2013, Maher was selected at midfield when Tipperary faced Kilkenny in the National League final. He scored four points from play but ended on the losing side following a 2–17 to 0–20 defeat. Maher was appointed

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

of the team for the 2014 season. On 4 May 2014, he captained Tipperary in a second successive National League final against Kilkenny. Maher ended the game on the losing side following a 2–25 to 1–27 defeat. On 7 September 2014, he captained the team to a 1–28 to 3–22 draw with Kilkenny in the

. Maher again captained the team from right wing-back for the replay on 27 September 2014, however, he ended the game on the losing side after a 2–17 to 2–14 defeat. He ended the season by receiving a second All-Star award. On 12 July 2015, Maher captained Tipperary to a Munster final appearance with Waterford. He was held scoreless from centre-forward but ended the game with a fourth winners' medal following the 0–21 to 0–16 victory. Maher retained the Tipperary captaincy for a third successive season in 2016. He claimed a fifth Munster Championship medal on 10 July 2016 after lining out at midfield in a 5–19 to 0–13 defeat of Waterford in the

. On 5 September 2016, Maher captained Tipperary to a second

meeting in three seasons against Kilkenny. He ended the game with a second All-Ireland medal while he also had the honour of lifting the

Liam MacCarthy Cup The Liam MacCarthy Cup is a trophy awarded annually by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) to the team that wins the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, the main competition in the prehistoric sport of hurling. Based on the design of a ...

following a 2–29 to 2–20 victory. Maher also became only the fifth player ever to captain both a minor and senior hurling team to All-Ireland victory. On 23 April 2017, Maher lined out in his fourth National League final. He scored a point from midfield but ended the game on the losing side following a 3–21 to 0–14 victory for Galway. Maher played in a second successive National League final – his fifth overall – on 8 April 2018. Lining out at midfield, he was held scoreless and ended the game on the losing side following a 2–23 to 2–17 defeat by Kilkenny. On 30 June 2019, Maher lined out at right wing-back when Tipperary suffered a 2–26 to 2–14 defeat by Limerick in the Munster final. On 18 August 2019, he was selected at centre-back when Tipperary faced Kilkenny in the

. Maher ended the game with a third All-Ireland winners' medal following the 3–25 to 0–20 victory. He ended the season by receiving an All-Star nomination. On 12 August 2021, Maher announced his retirement from inter-county hurling after 13 years with the team.

Munster

Maher was added to the

Munster Munster ( gle, an Mhumhain or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the south of Ireland. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" ( ga, rí ruirech). Following the ...

team in advance of the 2012 Railway Cup. He made his first appearance for the team on 19 February 2012 when he lined out at left wing-forward in a 3–14 to 1–16 defeat by

Leinster Leinster ( ; ga, Laighin or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, situated in the southeast and east of Ireland. The province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige. Following the 12th-century Norman invasion of Ir ...

. On 3 March 2013, Maher lined out at midfield when Munster qualified to play

Connacht Connacht ( ; ga, Connachta or ), is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms (Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, Conmhaícne, and Delbhn ...

in the Railway Cup final. He ended the game with a

Railway Cup The GAA Interprovincial Championship ( ga, An Corn Idir-Chúigeach) or Railway Cup (''Corn an Iarnróid'') is the name of two annual Gaelic football and hurling competitions held between the provinces of Ireland. The Connacht, Leinster, Munster ...

medal following the 1–22 to 0–15 victory. Maher was appointed captain of Munster in his fourth successive season with the team in

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

. On 15 December 2016, he won a second Railway Cup medal after captaining the team from midfield in a 2–20 to 2–16 defeat of Leinster in the

Ireland

On 19 October 2011, Maher was named on the

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

squad for the Shinty/Hurling International Series. On 29 October 2011, he lined out at centre-forward when Ireland defeated

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

on an aggregate scoreline of 3–25 to 3–19 following a two-game series. Maher was selected for the Ireland team for the second time in his career on 22 October 2013. He claimed a second winners' medal from right wing-forward following Ireland's 5–27 to 2–26 aggregate defeat of Scotland on 2 November 2013.

Coaching

In October 2022, Maher was announced as Offaly senior hurling team performance coach under the management of Johnny Kelly.

Career statistics

Honours

Team

;Borris–Ileigh *

Munster Senior Club Hurling Championship The Munster Senior Club Hurling Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the AIB Munster GAA Hurling Senior Club Championship) is an annual hurling competition organised by the Munster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1964 f ...

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship The Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the FBD Insurance Tipperary County Senior Hurling Championship) is an annual hurling competition organised by the Tipperary County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Associati ...

North Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship The North Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Hibernian Inn North Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship) is an annual hurling competition organised by the North Tipperary Board of the Gaelic Athletic Assoc ...

: 2005, 2007, 2017 * All-Ireland Mini 7s Championship: 2015 ;Mary Immaculate College *

: 2009 ;Tipperary *

All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship, known simply as the All-Ireland Championship, is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is the highest inter-county hurling competition i ...

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

(c),

Munster Senior Hurling Championship The Munster GAA Hurling Senior Championship, known simply as the Munster Championship, is an annual Inter county, inter-county hurling competition organised by the Munster GAA, Munster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is the h ...

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

(c),

All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championship The GAA Hurling Under-20 All-Ireland Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Bord Gáis Energy GAA Hurling Under-20 All-Ireland Championship) is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (G ...

Munster Under-21 Hurling Championship The Munster GAA Hurling Under-20 Championship, known simply as the Munster Under-20 Championship, is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Munster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is the highest inter-co ...

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Minor Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Electric Ireland GAA Hurling All-Ireland Minor Championship) is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). I ...

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

Munster Minor Hurling Championship The Munster GAA Hurling Minor Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Electric Ireland Munster GAA Hurling Minor Championship) is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Munster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Associ ...

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

(c),

Individual

;Awards * All-Stars Young Hurler of the Year: 2010 * GAA-GPA All-Stars Awards: 2010, 2014, 2019 *''

The Sunday Game ''The Sunday Game'' is RTÉ's main Gaelic games television programme. It is shown on RTÉ2 every Sunday during the Football Championship and Hurling Championship seasons. It is one of RTÉ2's longest-running shows, having been on air since 197 ...

'' Team of the Year: 2014, 2019

References

External links

Brendan Maher profile
at the Tipperary GAA website {{DEFAULTSORT:Maher, Brendan 1989 births Living people All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship winners All Stars Awards winners (hurling) Alumni of Mary Immaculate College, Limerick Borris-Ileigh hurlers Ireland international hurlers Munster inter-provincial hurlers Offaly county hurling team Tipperary inter-county hurlers