Pádraic Maher (born 9 February 1989) is an Irish former hurler who previously played for Tipperary Senior Championship club

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 ...

and 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 ...

. He usually lined out as a centre-back.

Playing career

Thurles CBS

Maher first came to prominence as a hurler with

Thurles CBS CBS Thurles is a Congregation of Christian Brothers, Christian Brothers all-boys secondary school, post-primary school located in Thurles, County Tipperary, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The school has over 550 students and operates under the tru ...

. He played in every grade before eventually joining the senior hurling team as a 15-year-old. On 12 March 2005, Maher lined out at full-back when Thurles CBS suffered a 1-11 to 1-06 defeat by

St. Flannan's College Saint Flannan's College is an Irish co-educational secondary school located in Ennis, County Clare, which takes its name from the 7th century patron saint of the Dál gCais. Formerly an all-boys boarding school, the first girls class was entere ...

from

Ennis Ennis () is the county town of County Clare, in the mid-west of Ireland. The town lies on the River Fergus, north of where the river widens and enters the Shannon Estuary. Ennis is the largest town in County Clare, with a population of 25,27 ...

in the Harty Cup final.

Garda College

As a student at the

Garda Síochána College Garda Síochána College is the education and training college of the Garda Síochána (Irish police service). It is located at McCan Barracks, Templemore, County Tipperary in Ireland. The college has been in Templemore since 1964. History The ...

Templemore Templemore () is a town in County Tipperary, Ireland. It is a civil parish in the historical barony of Eliogarty. It is part of the parish of Templemore, Clonmore and Killea in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly. The 2011 Censu ...

, Maher immediately became involved with the college's senior hurling team. On 25 February 2017, he won a

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 ...

medal after lining out in a 5-23 to 1-8 defeat of the

Institute of Technology, Sligo The Institute of Technology, Sligo (ITS; ga, Institiúid Teicneolaíochta, Sligeach) was an institute of technology, located in Sligo, Ireland. In April 2022, it was formally dissolved, and its functions became part of Atlantic Technological U ...

in the final.

Thurles Sarsfields

Maher joined the Thurles Sarsfield's club at a young age and played in all grades at juvenile and underage levels and enjoyed much success. He won back-to-back Minor Championship medals in 2006 and 2007 before claiming back-to-back Under-21 Championship medals in 2008 and 2009. Maher was just 17-years-old when he made his first appearance for the club's senior team during the 2006 Tipperary Senior Championship. On 19 October 2008, Maher lined out at full-back against

Toomevara Toomevara, officially Toomyvara (), is a village in County Tipperary, Ireland. The village is at the junction on the R445 where it meets the R499 regional road. The village was bypassed in December 2010 by the M7 Dublin - Limerick motorway. It ...

in his first Tipperary Senior Championship final. He ended the game on the losing side following a 2-14 to 0-17 defeat. Maher played in a second successive

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 ...

on 18 October 2009 when he lined out at full-back against Drom-Inch. The game ended on a sour note when Drom-Inch midfielder

James Woodlock James Woodlock (born 24 March 1986) is an Irish hurler and coach who plays for Drom & Inch and is a former member of the Tipperary inter-county team. He primarily plays as a midfielder. Born in Drom, County Tipperary, Woodlock was first intr ...

was stretchered off the field with a suspected fractured ankle after a clash with Maher. "James clashed with my leg – it was a horrific injury," said Maher after collecting his first winners' medal following a 0-14 to 0-05 victory. On 31 October 2010, Maher lined out in a third successive

. Playing once again at full-back, he ended the game with a second successive winners' medal while he also claimed the

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 ...

award after a 1-16 to 1-07 defeat of Clonoulty-Rossmore. Maher was appointed captain of the team for the 2012 Tipperary Senior Championship. On 14 October 2012, he captained the team from centre-back when Thurles Sarsfields faced Drom-Inch in the

. Maher claimed a third winners' medal in four seasons after a 1-21 to 2-15 victory. On 25 November 2012, he captained Thurles Sarsfields to their very first Munster Club Championship title after a 1-21 to 1-16 defeat of De La Salle in the Munster final. On 2 November 2014, Maher lined out in his fifth

with Thurles Sarsfields. Playing in his now usual position of centre-back, he collected a fourth winners' medal after a 2-22 to 3-11 victory over defending champions

Loughmore-Castleiney Loughmore-Castleiney is an ecclesiastical parish in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly. It is located in County Tipperary, Ireland. The area is made up of the villages of Loughmore and Castleiney and their hinterland. Loughmore ...

. Maher was appointed Thurles Sarsfields captain for the second time in his career for the 2015 Tipperary Senior Championship. On 25 October 2015, he captained the team from centre-back in a second consecutive

appearance with Nenagh Éire Óg providing the opposition. Maher ended the game with a fifth winners' medal after the 1-18 to 3-11 victory. Maher retained the club captaincy for the 2016 Tipperary Senior Championship. On 16 October 2016, he claimed his sixth winners' medal when Thurles Sarsfields completed their first three-in-a-row since

1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lyndo ...

after a 0-27 to 1-15 defeat of Kiladangan in the

. On 8 October 2017, Maher captained Thurles Sarsfields for the third year in-a-row as the club reached a fourth successive

. He won his seventh championship medal after scoring a point from centre-back in the 1-24 to 0-11 defeat of Borris-Ileigh.

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 2006 Munster Championship. On 25 June 2006, he was an unused substitute when Tipperary suffered 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 ...

in the Munster final. Maher made his first appearance for the team on 15 July 2006 when he lined out at full-back in Tipperary's 4-19 to 0-12 defeat of

Carlow Carlow ( ; ) is the county town of County Carlow, in the south-east of Ireland, from Dublin. At the 2016 census, it had a combined urban and rural population of 24,272. The River Barrow flows through the town and forms the historic bounda ...

in the All-Ireland quarter-final. Maher retained his position on the starting fifteen 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 ...

on 3 September 2006. He ended the game with a winners' medal following the 2-18 to 2-07 victory. On 8 July 2007, Maher was at full-back when Tipperary won the

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 ...

following an 0-18 to 1-11 defeat of

in the

. On 2 September 2007, he was again at full-back for the

against Cork. He 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 full-back in a 1-13 to 0-15 defeat of

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 ...

. On 30 July 2008, Maher won a

medal after a controversial 1-16 to 2-12 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 full-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 captaining Tipperary to a 1-22 to 1-17 defeat of Clare in the

. He was again selected at full-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 29 March 2009 when he came on as a substitute for

Shane Maher Shane Maher (born 22 April 1981 in Gortmore, County Tipperary) is an Irish sportsperson. He plays hurling with his local club Burgess and with the Tipperary senior inter-county team. He is the older brother of Donagh Maher, who also play ...

at left wing-back in a 2-19 to 4-11 defeat of

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

. On 3 May 2009, Maher lined out at right wing-back 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 lined out at left wing-back in a 1-19 to 0-19 defeat of Cork. On 12 July 2009, Maher started the Munster final at left wing-back 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 ...

. He was switched to full-back for the

against Kilkenny on 6 September 2009. Maher ended on the losing side following a 2-22 to 0-23 defeat. He ended the season by being named in the full-back position on the All-Star team. On 5 September 2010, Maher was selected at left wing-back when Tipperary qualified to play Kilkenny in a second successive

. He claimed his first All-Ireland medal following a 4-17 to 1-18 victory. On 10 July 2011, Maher won a second Munster Championship medal after lining out at left wing-back in a 7-19 to 0-19 defeat of Waterford in the Munster final. On 4 September 2011, he was again selected at left wing-back when Tipperary faced Kilkenny in a third successive

. He ended the game on the losing side following a 2-17 to 1-16 defeat. Maher ended the season by winning a second All-Star award while he was also a nominee for Hurler of the Year. On 15 July 2012, Maher lined out at left wing-back when Tipperary qualified to play Waterford in a second successive Munster final. He ended the game with a third winners' medal in four seasons after scoring a point in the 2-17 to 0-16 victory. On 5 May 2013, Maher was selected at centre-back when Tipperary faced Kilkenny in the National League final. He scored a point from play but ended the game on the losing side following a 2-17 to 0-20 defeat. On 4 May 2014, Maher lined out at full-back in a second successive National League final against Kilkenny. He ended the game on the losing side once again following a 2-25 to 1-27 defeat. On 7 September 2014, Maher was again at full-back when Tipperary drew 1-28 to 3-22 with Kilkenny in the

. He retained his position for the replay on 27 September 2014, however, he ended the game on the losing side after a 2-17 to 2-14 defeat. Maher ended the season by receiving a third All-Star award. On 12 July 2015, Maher was selected at centre-back when Tipperary faced Waterford in the Munster final. He ended the game with a fourth winners' medal following the 0-21 to 0-16 victory. Maher claimed a fifth Munster Championship medal on 10 July 2016 after scoring a point from left wing-back in a 5-19 to 0-13 defeat of Waterford in the

. On 5 September 2016, he lined out at left wing-back for Tipperary's

meeting with Kilkenny. Maher ended the game with a second All-Ireland medal following a 2-29 to 2-20 victory. He ended the season by winning a fourth All-Star award while he also received a second nomination for Hurler of the Year. On 28 November 2016, Maher was named as the

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 Tipperary team for the 2017 season. On 23 April 2017, he lined out in his fourth National League final. Maher ended the game on the losing side following a 3-21 to 0-14 victory for Galway. He ended the season by winning a fifth All-Star award. Maher retained the captaincy of the team for the 2018 season. He captained the team in a second successive National League final - his fifth overall - on 8 April 2018. Lining out at left wing-back, Maher 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 centre-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 left wing-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 his sixth All-Star award. On 1 February 2022, Maher announced his retirement from club and inter-county hurling due to medical advice received regarding a neck injury.

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 centre-back 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 15 December 2016, Maher lined out at left wing-back when Munster qualified to play Leinster in the

. 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 2-20 to 2-16 victory.

Management and coaching career

Tipperary

On 23 July 2022, Maher was named by new

senior hurling manager

Liam Cahill Liam Cahill (born 13 October 1977) is an Irish hurling Manager (Gaelic games), manager, former selector and Hurling, player. He has been manager of the Tipperary county hurling team, Tipperary county team since 18 July 2022. Playing career Coll ...

as part of his backroom team.

Book

Maher's memoir, ''All on the Line'', was published in October 2022.

Career statistics

Honours

;Garda Síochána College *

(1): 2017 ;Thurles Sarsfields *

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 ...

(1):

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 ...

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 ...

(7):

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 ...

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),

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

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),

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 ...

(c), 2017 (c) ;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 ...

(3):

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 ...

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 ...

(5):

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 ...

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 ...

(1):

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 ...

(2):

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 ...

(2):

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

(1):

Waterford Crystal Cup The Waterford Crystal Cup was an annual hurling competition organised by the Munster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association from 2006 to 2015 for the top inter-county teams and third-level institutes and universities in the province of Munste ...

(2):

;Munster *

(1): 2016 ;Awards * All-Stars (6): 2009, 2011, 2014, 2016, 2017, 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 (4): 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maher, Padraic 1989 births Living people Durlas Óg hurlers Thurles Sarsfields hurlers Tipperary inter-county hurlers Munster inter-provincial hurlers All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship winners Garda Síochána officers Police officers from County Tipperary