'I'm very content as a supporter, enjoying the new players coming on'

The 42

20-07-2025

BRENDAN MAHER WAS about halfway down the steps of the Hogan Stand when he realised his mistake. And it was a big one.
He considered turning back to grab the microphone and make it right. But it was already too late. There was no coming back from the guttural yell that concluded his speech.
'People of Tipperary, Liam MacCarthy's back!' he roared. The celebrations were underway and there would be no interruptions.
He thought all the main points had been covered in his address. The usual intro as Gaelige… a nod to the six-year gap since their last All-Ireland… a word for the sponsors, the county board, the supporters and supportive family members… match officials… volunteers, and of course he made sure to remember their opponents Kilkenny who 'I'm sure will be back in 2017 to challenge again…'
Tick. Tick. Tick.
It was all there in the bullet points he wrote out. The one at the top was the most important. He intended for that to be his sign-off. But instead, he forgot about it completely. Euphoric relief can have that effect sometimes.
And as he descended the steps, all Maher could do was seek out his manager Michael Ryan and offer his sincere apologies.
'I was actually bothered by it for a while after. I just couldn't believe I was after doing it. He could see it in my face, I was pale as a ghost when I came down.'
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Brendan Maher pictured in 2021, his last season with the Tipperary hurlers. James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
It's the Friday before the 2025 All-Ireland final and Maher is driving along in his car. A three-time All-Ireland winner, he's into his fourth year of retirement from inter-county hurling. He's been through six All-Ireland final weeks as a player, seven if you include the 2014 replay.
Those final days of preparation were always spent in the quiet solitude of his close circle. He was happier among friends and family, and away from the pre-match chatter filling the streets of his local Borris-Illeigh.
'It's hard to avoid it. Hurling is the first thing that's talked about on a Monday morning and the last thing that's talked about on a Friday evening when people leave work.'
Maher's mother always handled the match ticket requests. He always packed his gearbag on Thursdays or Fridays and the carb-loading would usually follow on Saturday when the team bus departs for Dublin. His former manager Liam Sheedy arranged things that way to allow players spend All-Ireland Final Eve in their own beds.
A simple, familiar routine that was perfect for someone who can sometimes be consumed by thoughts of a match.
'I'm kind of an over thinker,' Maher adds. 'I had times where if I was thinking too much about the game too early, I'd be drained by the time it would come to Sunday.'
This is a different All-Ireland final. It's his first one as a Tipperary supporter. He can drive about freely today. No need to move in silence.
Perspectives have shifted in his life. He's a father now to Hugo who is 16 months, and a second baby is due to arrive in December. A growing family has altered his mindset and put a new shape on what matters to him. He runs an online business with his wife Aoife too, which requires round the clock attention.
'It's available for people 365 days a year,' he says. 'So, that means we have to be on the ball.'
When Maher looks back, he's grateful for how hurling unlocked a potential that he didn't know he possessed. Nothing has matched that for him since. And having lived through that, he now gets to watch the next generation of Tipperary stars experience a similar reward. That's particularly relevant this week as his clubmate Paddy McCormack has been added to All-Ireland final matchday squad.
He played a starring role for the Tipperary U20s in May, scoring 2-1 against Kilkenny to land the All-Ireland crown. And he could yet make a splash in Croke Park this afternoon. There's a hint of Walter Walsh in the 2012 final for Kilkenny, and Clare's Shane O'Donnell in 2013, about it all.
Tipperary U20 star Paddy McCormack. Tom O'Hanlon / INPHO Tom O'Hanlon / INPHO / INPHO
'The last two years he has really blossomed as a player,' says Maher about the youngster whose brother Dan is a two-time Tipperary All-Ireland winner. 'The talent was always there. He started hurling senior with us a couple of years ago as an 18-year-old. Obviously it's a big step up to go from up to senior so quickly.
'We're absolutely delighted to have that. It just adds to the occasion for us. We're really proud and I'm starting to see how proud you would be of somebody being involved, having been in their shoes.'
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The links to Maher's time with Tipperary are all over the current squad. Jason Forde, John McGrath and Michael Breen are among the older dogs in the kennel, having been involved with the 2016 and 2019 crews who lifted the Liam MacCarthy. Current captain Ronan Maher also belongs to that cohort.
Noel McGrath, who was also around for the 2010 success, continues to serve Tipperary as an impact sub. He was more than Brendan Maher's teammate. He's a close friend too. There's two years between them although people often mistake them for being in the same age bracket. Assumptions about McGrath have been heightened by the retirements of players like Maher, Séamus Callanan, Pádraic Maher and Patrick 'Bonner' Maher. The expectation was that McGrath would follow.
'His passion and love for the game is still there,' says Brendan Maher.
'He does everything right. He lives and breathes hurling every day. The other thing is he has been injury free for the most part. Aside from the odd broken thumb or finger, his body has held up and he hasn't had many injury setbacks.
'It would have been easy for him to step away when the likes of myself, Séamie [Callanan], Paudie [Maher], Bonner [Maher]… there was a crop of lads there that left over the last number of years.
'I would give anything to see him win on Sunday to reward that longevity and persistence he has shown.'
While McGrath's position in the player roster has changed, Tipperary continue to rely on his leadership. One such demonstration of that quality was in the initial moments after Darragh McCarthy's red card against Cork in this year's Munster championship. McGrath rushed to the devastated young 19-year-old and pulled him in for a word of encouragement as he guided him off the field. An important gesture of kindness when a young recruit needed protection.
McGrath's work ethic is obvious but there's a quietness about him also. It's that seamless nature that sometimes makes us forget about what he has been through.
It's 10 years since McGrath made his substitute appearance against Galway in the All-Ireland semi-final. It was a powerful sight that permeated the importance of the result. There was another emotive image that day of then-Galway manager Anthony Cunningham sharing a few words with McGrath before tapping him on the chest. It was a beautiful act of respect, saluting a player who had just come through a cancer diagnosis at only 24.
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Noel McGrath coming onto the field in the 2015 All-Ireland semi-final against Galway. James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
'I can still remember the phone call from him,' says Maher about the moment he heard about his friend's health battle. 'I'll never forget it.
'The recovery he made and to be able to get back hurling…. he came on against Galway in that All-Ireland semi-final in 2015 and I can still remember the roar that he got.
'I'd say that maybe gave him a different perspective. Noel has a young boy and another on the way. I don't think he carries the same weight in terms of a pressure to perform. He's just loving every minute of it. He's embracing it all. You saw the interview he did after the [semi-final] game against Kilkenny. You could just see the excitement and the passion he has. It's great.'
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Maher has no concerns that Tipperary captain Ronan Maher will repeat his mistake should he permitted to ascend the steps to the Liam MacCarthy Cup today. That 2016 error is probably just a cautionary tale now.
He wrote that speech the day after defeating Galway in the All-Ireland semi-final to have it squared away early. It was something Tipperary legend Eoin Kelly advised him to do in 2014, although Kilkenny denied him the use of the microphone on that occasion after a replay. When he got the chance again in 2016, he got lost in the excitement of the moment, and in the layout of the bullet points.
'To be fair, Mick is the last man that would take umbrage with something like that,' says Maher. 'He's a cool character and I don't think he held it against me.'
Maher will have a different view of Croke Park today, but life is still good. Hurling still has its place for him.
'I'm very content. And now I'm very content as a supporter and I'm actually enjoying supporting the new players coming on.'