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Brendan Maher
Brendan Maher (2014).jpg
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Personal information
Irish name Breandán Ó Meachair
Sport Hurling
Position Centre-back
Born (1989-01-05) 5 January 1989 (age 36)
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 was born on January 5, 1989. He is a famous Irish hurler. He played for his local club, Borris–Ileigh. He also played for the Tipperary senior hurling team for 13 years.

Brendan is known as one of the best hurlers of his time. He won three All-Stars, which are like special awards for top players. In 2010, he was even nominated for All Stars Hurler of the Year. He won eight big trophies with Tipperary, including three All-Ireland Championships. He was the team captain in 2016 when they won the All-Ireland. He also won five Munster Championships. Brendan was a very flexible player, playing in both attack and defense. He played in 124 games for his county team.

Brendan's Hurling Journey

Brendan Maher started playing hurling at a young age. He played for his school, college, and local club before joining the county team.

Early Days in School and College

Brendan first played hurling for St Joseph's College in Borrisoleigh. He played in different age groups, eventually joining the senior team.

He also studied at Mary Immaculate College in Limerick from 2006 to 2009. He joined their senior hurling team. In 2009, he was named the best player when his college won the Ryan Cup.

Playing for Borris-Ileigh Club

Brendan joined his local club, Borris–Ileigh, when he was very young. He played at all levels as he grew up. He joined the club's senior team when he was just 16 in 2005.

Brendan helped Borris-Ileigh win the North Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship three times: in 2005, 2007, and 2017. He was a key player in these wins.

In 2017, Borris-Ileigh reached the Tipperary Senior Championship final. Even though Brendan scored five points, his team lost that game.

However, in 2019, Brendan was a central player when Borris-Ileigh won the Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship. He scored three points in their 1–15 to 1–12 victory. Later that year, he also helped his club win the Munster Senior Club Hurling Championship. He was named the best player in the final game.

Playing for Tipperary County Team

Brendan Maher played for the Tipperary county team at different levels.

Minor and Under-21 Success

Brendan first played for the Tipperary minor (under-18) team in 2005. In 2006, he helped Tipperary win the All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship. He played as a corner-back in the final.

In 2007, Brendan was the captain of the minor team. He led them to win the Munster Minor Hurling Championship. Then, they went on to win the All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship again, making it two wins in a row for Brendan.

He then joined the Tipperary under-21 team. In 2008, he won a Munster Under-21 Hurling Championship medal. In 2010, he won another Munster Under-21 Championship. Later that year, he also won an All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championship medal. This was a great way to finish his time with the under-21 team.

Senior Team Highlights

Brendan joined the Tipperary senior team in 2009. He quickly became an important player.

  • First All-Ireland Win (2010): In 2010, Brendan played a key role in the All-Ireland final against Kilkenny. He scored two points and was praised for his "outstanding" performance. Tipperary won, and Brendan earned his first All-Ireland medal. He also won the All Stars Young Hurler of the Year award and an All-Star award that year.
  • More Munster Titles: Brendan won his first Munster Senior Hurling Championship medal in 2009. He went on to win four more Munster titles with Tipperary in 2011, 2012, 2015, and 2016.
  • Captain and All-Ireland Champion (2016): Brendan was chosen to be the captain of the Tipperary team in 2014. He led the team to the All-Ireland final that year, but they lost a close game. In 2016, as captain, he led Tipperary to another All-Ireland final against Kilkenny. Tipperary won, and Brendan had the honor of lifting the Liam MacCarthy Cup. He became only the fifth player ever to captain both a minor and senior hurling team to All-Ireland victory.
  • Third All-Ireland Win (2019): In 2019, Brendan won his third All-Ireland medal when Tipperary defeated 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 13 successful years.

Playing for Munster and Ireland

Brendan also represented his province, Munster, and his country, Ireland.

  • Munster Team: He played for the Munster team in the Railway Cup. He won two Railway Cup medals in 2013 and 2016, captaining the team in 2016.
  • Ireland Team: Brendan was selected for the Ireland squad for the Shinty/Hurling International Series in 2011 and 2013. Ireland won both series against Scotland.

Brendan's Coaching Role

In October 2022, Brendan Maher started a new role. He became the performance coach for the Offaly senior hurling team.

Career Statistics

Brendan Maher played many games for Tipperary. Here's a summary of his appearances and scores:

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

Awards and Honours

Brendan Maher has won many awards and championships throughout his hurling career.

Team Honours

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

  • 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

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