Tommy Maher

Tommy Maher

Personal information
Irish name	Tomás Ó Meachair
Sport	Hurling
Position	Left wing-forward
Born	(1922-04-25)25 April 1922 Gowran, County Kilkenny, Ireland
Died	25 March 2015(2015-03-25) (aged 92)
Nickname	Fr. Tommy
Occupation	Roman Catholic priest
Club(s)
Years	Club
1944-1945 1946-1947	Castle Rovers Thomastown
Club titles
Kilkenny titles	0
Inter-county(ies)*
Years	County	Apps (scores)
1945-1946	Kilkenny	1 (1-1)
Inter-county titles
Leinster titles	0
All-Irelands	0
NHL	0
*Inter County team apps and scores correct as of 19:06, 12 August 2014.

Monsignor Thomas Maher (25 April 1922 – 25 March 2015) was an Irish Catholic priest and Irish Hurler who played as left wing-forward for the Kilkenny senior team.^[1][2]

Born in Gowran, County Kilkenny, Maher first played competitive hurling during his schooling at St. Kieran's College. He arrived on the inter-county scene at the age of twenty-three when he first linked up with the Kilkenny senior team. He made his senior debut during the 1945 championship. Maher had a brief inter-county career and won one Leinster medal as a non-playing substitute. He was an All-Ireland runner-up on one occasion.^{[citation needed]}

At club level Maher had a brief career with Castle Rovers and Thomastown.^{[citation needed]}

In retirement from playing Maher became involved in team management and coaching. As trainer and coach of the Kilkenny senior team for over twenty years he guided the team to seven All-Ireland titles, fourteen Leinster titles and three National Hurling League titles. Maher also found much success at club level with Mullinavat and at colleges' level with St. Kieran's College.^[3]

Honours

Player

St. Kieran's College

• Leinster Colleges Senior Hurling Championship (3): 1939, 1940, 1941

Kilkenny

• Leinster Senior Hurling Championship (1): 1946 (sub)

Leinster

• All-Ireland Colleges Senior Hurling Inter-Provincial Championship (1): 1940

Trainer

Mullinavat

• Kilkenny Junior Hurling Championship (1): 1984

Kilkenny

• All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship (7): 1957, 1963, 1967, 1969, 1972, 1974, 1975

Clerical career

Monsignor Maher studied for the priesthood in Maynooth College and was ordained a Catholic priest for the Diocese of Ossory in 1948, worked as a curate in Dublin before moving back to Kilkenny in 1955 and taught Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry at St Kieran's College, Kilkenny, from 1963, and served as President of St Kieran’s College from 1973 to 1983. He left St Kieran’s to become parish priest of Mullinavat in South Kilkenny where he remained until he retired in 1998. He awarded the church title of Monsignor from the Catholic church.

References

1. "A giant of his day with a lesson for today". The Irish Catholic. Archived from the original on 12 August 2014. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
2. Kennedy, J. J. (5 December 2012). "Enda McEvoy's biography on Fr Tommy Maher a real hurling man's book". The Nationalist. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
3. Hogan, Vincent (30 June 2012). "The man who changed everything". Irish independent. Retrieved 12 August 2014.