Pádraic Maher (born 9 February 1989) is an Irish former hurler who previously played for Tipperary Senior Championship club Thurles Sarsfields and at inter-county level with the Tipperary senior hurling team. He usually lined out as a centre-back.

Playing career

Thurles CBS

Maher first came to prominence as a hurler with Thurles CBS. 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 from

Ennis Ennis ( , meaning 'island' or 'river meadow') 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 Cou ...

in the Harty Cup final.

Garda College

As a student at the Garda Síochána College in

Templemore Templemore () is a town in County Tipperary, Ireland. It is a Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish in the historical Barony (Ireland), barony of Eliogarty. It is part of the Ecclesiastical parish, parish of Templemore, Clonmore and Killea i ...

, 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 being the tier 1 hurling championship trophy. The Ryan Cup competition is administered by Comhairle Ard Oideachais Cumann Lúthchleas Gael (CLG), the GAA ...

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

Institute of Technology, Sligo The Institute of Technology, Sligo (ITS; ) was an institute of technology, located in Sligo, Ireland. In April 2022, it was formally dissolved, and its functions became part of Atlantic Technological University (ATU). the institute had three f ...

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, 11 km east of Nenagh. It is a parish in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Killaloe, and is in the historical barony of Ormond Upper. Transport Local Link Tipperary ...

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 examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...

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 award (also known as man of the match or woman of the match) 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 chose ...

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. 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 First 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 Lynd ...

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 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 ** Stopper (plug), or "cork", a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container *** Wine cork an item to seal or reseal wine Places Ireland * ...

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 Republic of Ireland, Ireland, from Dublin. At the 2022 census of Ireland, 2022 census, it had a population of 27,351, the List of urban areas in the Republic of Ireland, ...

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

Galway Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ...

in the All-Ireland final 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 following an 0-18 to 1-11 defeat of

in the

. On 2 September 2007, he was again at full-back for the All-Ireland final 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 ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...

. On 30 July 2008, Maher won a Munster Championship 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 ( , meaning 'church of Cainnech of Aghaboe, Cainnech'). is a city in County Kilkenny, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region, Ireland, South-East Region and in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinst ...

in the All-Ireland final 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 All-Ireland final 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 at left wing-back in a 2-19 to 4-11 defeat of

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

. 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 Munster Championship 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 ( ) is a City status in Ireland, city in County Waterford in the South-East Region, Ireland, south-east of Ireland. It is located within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster. The city is situated at the head of Waterford H ...

. He was switched to full-back for the All-Ireland final 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 All-Ireland final. 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 All-Ireland final. 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 All-Ireland final. 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 All-Ireland final 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 or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

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 All-Ireland final. 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 ( or ) is the largest of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the south west of the island. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" (). Following the Nor ...

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 ( ; or ) is one of the four provinces of Ireland, in the southeast of Ireland. The modern province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige, which existed during Gaelic Ireland. Following the 12th-century ...

. 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 () 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 and Ulster GAA teams are co ...

medal following the 2-20 to 2-16 victory.

Management and coaching career

Tipperary

On 23 July 2022, Maher was named by new Tipperary senior hurling manager Liam Cahill as part of his backroom team for

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

. In September 2023, Maher left his position as a selector with the Tipperary senior hurling team due to unforeseen changes in his work circumstances.

Personal Life

Maher's memoir, ''All on the Line'', was published in October 2022. In January 2025, Maher was featured on the new series of '' Laochra Gael''.

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 GAA, Munster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Associatio ...

(1):

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

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 GAA, Tipperary County Board of the Gaelic Ath ...

(7):

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

(c),

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

(c),

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

(c),

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

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

(3):

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

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 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

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

(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-c ...

(2):

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

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, inter-county hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Associ ...

(2):

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

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, inter-county hurling competition organised by the Munster GAA, Munster Council of ...

(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 1 ...

'' 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 21st-century Irish sportsmen