Brendan Maher facts for kids
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Irish name | Breandán Ó Meachair | ||
| Sport | Hurling | ||
| Position | Centre-back | ||
| Born | 5 January 1989 Borrisoleigh, County Tipperary, Ireland |
||
| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Nickname | Bren | ||
| Occupation | Business Owner | ||
| Club(s) | |||
| Years | Club | ||
|
2005–present
|
Borris–Ileigh | ||
| Club titles | |||
| Tipperary titles | 1 | ||
| Munster titles | 1 | ||
| Colleges(s) | |||
| Years | College | ||
|
2006–2009
|
Mary Immaculate College | ||
| College titles | |||
| Fitzgibbon titles | 0 | ||
| Inter-county(ies)* | |||
| Years | County | Apps (scores) | |
|
2009–2021
|
Tipperary | 58 (0–28) | |
| Inter-county titles | |||
| Munster titles | 5 | ||
| All-Irelands | 3 | ||
| NHL | 0 | ||
| All Stars | 3 | ||
| *Inter County team apps and scores correct as of 11:48, 12 August 2021. | |||
Brendan Maher is a famous Irish hurler who played for his local club, Borris–Ileigh. He also played for the Tipperary senior hurling team for 13 years. Many people think he was one of the best players of his time.
Brendan won many important awards and trophies during his career. He won three All-Stars, which are like being named one of the best players in the country. He also helped Tipperary win three All-Ireland Championships. In 2016, he was the captain when Tipperary won the All-Ireland. He also won five Munster Championships. Brendan was a very flexible player, playing in both attacking and defensive roles.
Contents
Brendan's Hurling Journey
Playing for School and College
Brendan Maher started playing hurling at a young age. He played for St Joseph's College in Borrisoleigh. He played in all the school teams, eventually joining the senior hurling team.
Later, Brendan studied at Mary Immaculate College in Limerick from 2006 to 2009. He joined their senior hurling team in his second year. In 2009, he was named the best player in a game where his college team won the Ryan Cup.
Playing for Borris-Ileigh Club
Brendan joined his local club, Borris–Ileigh, when he was very young. He played for all the youth teams. When he was just 16, he joined the club's senior team in 2005.
He quickly helped his team win. In 2005, Borris–Ileigh won the North Tipperary Championship final. Brendan was part of the team that won this title again in 2007 and 2017.
In 2017, Brendan played a big part when Borris–Ileigh reached the Tipperary Senior Championship final. Two years later, in 2019, he helped his club win the Tipperary Senior Championship. This was a huge win for the club.
After winning the Tipperary title, Borris–Ileigh went on to win the Munster Club Championship in 2019. Brendan was named the best player in that final game.
Playing for Tipperary County Team
Brendan Maher also played for his home county, Tipperary, starting with the minor (under-18) team.
Youth Teams: Minor and Under-21
Brendan first played for the Tipperary minor team in 2005. In 2006, he helped Tipperary win the All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship. He was a key player in that victory.
In 2007, Brendan was the captain of the minor team. He led them to win the Munster Minor Hurling Championship and then a second All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship in a row.
He then moved up to the Tipperary under-21 team. In 2008, he won a Munster Under-21 Hurling Championship medal. In 2010, he won another Munster Under-21 title. Later that year, he helped the team win the All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championship. This was a great way to finish his time with the youth teams.
Senior Team: County Success
Brendan joined the Tipperary senior team in 2009. He quickly became an important player. In 2009, he won his first Munster Senior Hurling Championship medal.
In 2010, Brendan played in the All-Ireland final against Kilkenny. He played brilliantly and helped Tipperary win the All-Ireland title. This was his first senior All-Ireland medal. After this great year, he was named Young Hurler of the Year and also received an All-Star award.
He continued to win with Tipperary, adding more Munster Championship medals in 2011, 2012, and 2015.
In 2014, Brendan was chosen to be the captain of the Tipperary senior team. He led the team to the All-Ireland final that year. Even though they lost, he received another All-Star award for his excellent play.
Brendan remained captain in 2016. He led Tipperary to another Munster Championship win. Then, on 5 September 2016, he captained the team to win the All-Ireland final against Kilkenny. It was a special moment when he lifted the Liam MacCarthy Cup as captain. He became one of only a few players to captain both minor and senior All-Ireland winning teams.
In 2019, Brendan won his third All-Ireland medal with Tipperary. He played a key role in their victory over Kilkenny in the final. He also received another All-Star nomination that year.
Brendan Maher announced his retirement from inter-county hurling in August 2021, after a very successful 13 years with the Tipperary team.
Playing for Munster and Ireland
Brendan also represented his province, Munster, in the Railway Cup. He won two Railway Cup medals with Munster, in 2013 and 2016. He was also the captain of the Munster team in 2016.
He also played for the Ireland team in the Shinty/Hurling International Series. He helped Ireland win this series against Scotland in both 2011 and 2013.
Coaching Career
After retiring from playing for Tipperary, Brendan Maher started coaching. In October 2022, he became a performance coach for the Offaly senior hurling team.
Career statistics
| Team | Year | National League | Munster | All-Ireland | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Score | Apps | Score | Apps | Score | Apps | Score | ||
| Tipperary | 2009 | Division 1 | 5 | 0-00 | 3 | 0-00 | 2 | 0-00 | 10 | 0-00 |
| 2010 | 7 | 0-02 | 1 | 0-01 | 5 | 0-06 | 13 | 0-09 | ||
| 2011 | 4 | 0-05 | 1 | 0-00 | 2 | 0-00 | 7 | 0-05 | ||
| 2012 | Division 1A | 6 | 0-06 | 3 | 0-02 | 1 | 0-00 | 10 | 0-08 | |
| 2013 | 7 | 1-07 | 1 | 0-01 | 1 | 0-00 | 9 | 1–08 | ||
| 2014 | 8 | 0-02 | 1 | 0-00 | 6 | 0-01 | 15 | 0-03 | ||
| 2015 | 6 | 0-03 | 2 | 0-00 | 1 | 0-01 | 9 | 0-04 | ||
| 2016 | 6 | 0-04 | 3 | 0-01 | 2 | 0-01 | 11 | 0-06 | ||
| 2017 | 5 | 1-05 | 1 | 0-02 | 4 | 0-06 | 10 | 1–13 | ||
| 2018 | 7 | 0-06 | 4 | 0-01 | — | 11 | 0-07 | |||
| 2019 | 1 | 0-01 | 5 | 0-04 | 3 | 0-00 | 9 | 0-05 | ||
| 2020 | — | 1 | 0-01 | 2 | 0-00 | 3 | 0-01 | |||
| 2021 | 4 | 0-03 | 2 | 0-00 | 1 | 0-00 | 7 | 0-03 | ||
| Career total | 66 | 2–44 | 28 | 0–13 | 30 | 0–15 | 124 | 2–72 | ||
Honours and Awards
Team Wins
- Borris–Ileigh
- Munster Senior Club Hurling Championship: 2019
- Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship: 2019
- North Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship: 2005, 2007, 2017
- All-Ireland Mini 7s Championship: 2015
- Mary Immaculate College
- Ryan Cup: 2009
- Tipperary
- All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship: 2010, 2016 (c), 2019
- Munster Senior Hurling Championship: 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015 (c), 2016 (c)
- All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championship: 2010
- Munster Under-21 Hurling Championship: 2008, 2010
- All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship: 2006, 2007 (c)
- Munster Minor Hurling Championship: 2007 (c)
- Munster
- Railway Cup: 2013 (c), 2016 (c)
- Ireland
- Composite Rules Shinty–Hurling Series: 2011, 2013
Individual Awards
- Awards
- All-Stars Young Hurler of the Year: 2010
- GAA-GPA All-Stars Awards: 2010, 2014, 2019
- The Sunday Game Team of the Year: 2014, 2019
