Mikey Maher
Encyclopedia
Mikey Maher was a famous Irish
sportsperson. He played hurling
with his local club Tubberadora and with the Tipperary
senior inter-county team from 1890 until 1900. Maher is one of only three players to captain a team to three All-Ireland
successes.
in 1870. He was educated at the local national school and later worked on the family farm.
Maher was the second eldest in a family of four boys, all of whom had a great interest in the game of hurling
. Maher’s older brother, Jack, won two All-Ireland
medals in the 1890s. Two of Maher’s nephews, Sonny Maher
and Michael Maher
, won All-Ireland medals with Tipperary
in the 1950s and 1960s.
In retirement from hurling Maher returned to working on the family farm. In 1918 he moved to a farm in Galbally
, County Limerick
where he spent the rest of his life.
Mikey Maher died in 1947.
with his local Tubberadora club and enjoyed much success. He won senior county championship
titles with the club in 1895, 1896 and 1898. Tubberadora never again won another senior county title.
in 1890. Cork, however, were the standard bearers in the province of Munster at the time. In 1895 Maher was selected to captain the Tipperary senior hurling team. That year Tipp faced Limerick
in the provincial final and the game turned into a rout. Tipperary won the game by 7-8 to 0-2 giving Maher his first Munster
title. Tipperary later played Kilkenny
in the All-Ireland final to be played at what is now Croke Park
. Tipp took a 1-6 to 1-0 lead at half-time and went on to hammer ‘the Cats’ by 6-8 to 1-10 at the final whistle. Tipperary’s Paddy Riordan is said to have scored all but one point of his team’s total as Maher collected his first All-Ireland
title.
Maher was captain again in 1896 as Tipperary played Cork in the Munster final. That game had to end before the official finish and a replay took place. Tipp easily won the replay by 7-9 to 2-3. The subsequent All-Ireland final saw Tipperary play Dublin
at the famous Jones’s Road ground. Tipp scored a goal in the very first minute and took a 4-6 to 0-1 lead at half-time. The game turned into a rout as Tipperary won by 8-14 to 0-4 giving Maher a second All-Ireland title. This game still holds the record as the most one-sided All-Ireland final.
Tipp surrendered their provincial crown in 1897, however, the team took on Cork in the 1898 Munster final. That game had to be abandoned due to fading light, however, Maher collected a third provincial title as Tipp easily defeated ‘the Rebels’ in the replay. Galway
fell heavily in the penultimate game of the championship, allowing Tipp to advance to the All-Ireland final against Kilkenny. In a high-scoring and exciting game Kilkenny were on top for the first twenty-five minutes. In the second-half Tipp took the upper hand with Maher scoring three goals. A 7-13 to 3-10 score line gave Tipp the victory and gave Maher a third All-Ireland title as captain.
1899 saw Tipperary defeat Clare
in the provincial decider giving Maher his fourth Munster title. It was another rout as the 5-16 to 0-8 score line suggests. This victory allowed Maher’s team to advance directly to the All-Ireland final where Wexford
provided the opposition. Wexford held Tipp for the first fifteen minutes; however, they still took a 2-6 to 1-3 lead at half-time. Maher’s side went on the rampage in the second-half and finished with a score of 3-12 to 1-4. The Wexford team walked off the field with ten minutes left in the game because they couldn’t find a substitute for an injured player. Tipp were awarded the title and Maher collected his fourth All-Ireland title.
In 1900 Tipperary trounced Kerry
by 6-11 to 1-9 in the provincial final, giving Maher his fifth Munster title. Tipp later narrowly defeated Kilkenny in the All-Ireland semi-final before trouncing Galway in the ‘home’ All-Ireland final. This was not the end of the championship campaign because, for the first year ever, the ‘home’ finalists had to take on London
in the real All-Ireland final. The game was a close affair with both sides level at 0-5 with eight minutes to go. London then took the lead; however, they later conceded a free. Maher stepped up, took the free and a forward ‘charge’ carried the sliothar over the line. Tipp scored another goal following a weak puck out and claimed the victory. It was Maher’s fifth and final All-Ireland title. He retired from inter-county hurling shortly afterwards.
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
sportsperson. He played hurling
Hurling
Hurling is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic origin, administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association, and played with sticks called hurleys and a ball called a sliotar. Hurling is the national game of Ireland. The game has prehistoric origins, has been played for at least 3,000 years, and...
with his local club Tubberadora and with the Tipperary
Tipperary GAA
The Tipperary County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or C is one of over 30 regional executive boards throughout the world. These executive boards are known as County Boards even though some no longer correspond to the area under the jurisdiction of the counties from which their names...
senior inter-county team from 1890 until 1900. Maher is one of only three players to captain a team to three All-Ireland
All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship
The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1887 for the top hurling teams in Ireland....
successes.
Biography
Mikey Maher was born in Tubberadora, County TipperaryCounty Tipperary
County Tipperary is a county of Ireland. It is located in the province of Munster and is named after the town of Tipperary. The area of the county does not have a single local authority; local government is split between two authorities. In North Tipperary, part of the Mid-West Region, local...
in 1870. He was educated at the local national school and later worked on the family farm.
Maher was the second eldest in a family of four boys, all of whom had a great interest in the game of hurling
Hurling
Hurling is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic origin, administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association, and played with sticks called hurleys and a ball called a sliotar. Hurling is the national game of Ireland. The game has prehistoric origins, has been played for at least 3,000 years, and...
. Maher’s older brother, Jack, won two All-Ireland
All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship
The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1887 for the top hurling teams in Ireland....
medals in the 1890s. Two of Maher’s nephews, Sonny Maher
Sonny Maher
Sonny Maher, is a former Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Boherlahen-Dualla GAA in the 1940s and 1950s and was a member of the Tipperary senior inter-county team that won the Munster Senior Hurling Championship in 1950 and 1951, and the All-Ireland in 1949, 1950 and...
and Michael Maher
Michael Maher
Michael Maher , is a former Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with his local Holycross-Ballycahill club and was a member of the Tipperary senior inter-county team from 1956 until 1966.- References :...
, won All-Ireland medals with Tipperary
Tipperary GAA
The Tipperary County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or C is one of over 30 regional executive boards throughout the world. These executive boards are known as County Boards even though some no longer correspond to the area under the jurisdiction of the counties from which their names...
in the 1950s and 1960s.
In retirement from hurling Maher returned to working on the family farm. In 1918 he moved to a farm in Galbally
Galbally
Galbally may refer to:*Galbally, County Limerick, Republic of Ireland*Galbally, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland...
, County Limerick
County Limerick
It is thought that humans had established themselves in the Lough Gur area of the county as early as 3000 BC, while megalithic remains found at Duntryleague date back further to 3500 BC...
where he spent the rest of his life.
Mikey Maher died in 1947.
Club
Maher played his club hurlingHurling
Hurling is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic origin, administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association, and played with sticks called hurleys and a ball called a sliotar. Hurling is the national game of Ireland. The game has prehistoric origins, has been played for at least 3,000 years, and...
with his local Tubberadora club and enjoyed much success. He won senior county championship
Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship
The Tipperary Senior Hurling Club Championship is an annual club competition between the top Tipperary hurling clubs...
titles with the club in 1895, 1896 and 1898. Tubberadora never again won another senior county title.
Inter-county
Maher first came to prominence on the inter-county scene with TipperrayTipperary GAA
The Tipperary County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or C is one of over 30 regional executive boards throughout the world. These executive boards are known as County Boards even though some no longer correspond to the area under the jurisdiction of the counties from which their names...
in 1890. Cork, however, were the standard bearers in the province of Munster at the time. In 1895 Maher was selected to captain the Tipperary senior hurling team. That year Tipp faced Limerick
Limerick GAA
The Limerick County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Limerick GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Limerick...
in the provincial final and the game turned into a rout. Tipperary won the game by 7-8 to 0-2 giving Maher his first Munster
Munster Senior Hurling Championship
The Munster GAA Hurling Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1888 for the top hurling teams in the province of Munster in Ireland....
title. Tipperary later played Kilkenny
Kilkenny GAA
The Kilkenny County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland and is responsible for Gaelic Games in County Kilkenny. The county board has its head office and main grounds at Nowlan Park and is also responsible for Kilkenny inter-county teams...
in the All-Ireland final to be played at what is now Croke Park
Croke Park
Croke Park in Dublin is the principal stadium and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association , Ireland's biggest sporting organisation...
. Tipp took a 1-6 to 1-0 lead at half-time and went on to hammer ‘the Cats’ by 6-8 to 1-10 at the final whistle. Tipperary’s Paddy Riordan is said to have scored all but one point of his team’s total as Maher collected his first All-Ireland
All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship
The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1887 for the top hurling teams in Ireland....
title.
Maher was captain again in 1896 as Tipperary played Cork in the Munster final. That game had to end before the official finish and a replay took place. Tipp easily won the replay by 7-9 to 2-3. The subsequent All-Ireland final saw Tipperary play Dublin
Dublin GAA
Dublin County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association , or Dublin GAA, is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Dublin. The county board is also responsible for the Dublin inter-county teams...
at the famous Jones’s Road ground. Tipp scored a goal in the very first minute and took a 4-6 to 0-1 lead at half-time. The game turned into a rout as Tipperary won by 8-14 to 0-4 giving Maher a second All-Ireland title. This game still holds the record as the most one-sided All-Ireland final.
Tipp surrendered their provincial crown in 1897, however, the team took on Cork in the 1898 Munster final. That game had to be abandoned due to fading light, however, Maher collected a third provincial title as Tipp easily defeated ‘the Rebels’ in the replay. Galway
Galway GAA
The Galway County Boards of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Galway GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Galway. The county boards are also responsible for the Galway inter-county teams.Unlike all other counties in Ireland,...
fell heavily in the penultimate game of the championship, allowing Tipp to advance to the All-Ireland final against Kilkenny. In a high-scoring and exciting game Kilkenny were on top for the first twenty-five minutes. In the second-half Tipp took the upper hand with Maher scoring three goals. A 7-13 to 3-10 score line gave Tipp the victory and gave Maher a third All-Ireland title as captain.
1899 saw Tipperary defeat Clare
Clare GAA
The Clare County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Clare GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Clare. The county board is also responsible for the Clare inter-county teams....
in the provincial decider giving Maher his fourth Munster title. It was another rout as the 5-16 to 0-8 score line suggests. This victory allowed Maher’s team to advance directly to the All-Ireland final where Wexford
Wexford GAA
The Wexford County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Wexford GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Wexford. The county board is also responsible for the Wexford inter-county teams.-History:Hurling has been played in...
provided the opposition. Wexford held Tipp for the first fifteen minutes; however, they still took a 2-6 to 1-3 lead at half-time. Maher’s side went on the rampage in the second-half and finished with a score of 3-12 to 1-4. The Wexford team walked off the field with ten minutes left in the game because they couldn’t find a substitute for an injured player. Tipp were awarded the title and Maher collected his fourth All-Ireland title.
In 1900 Tipperary trounced Kerry
Kerry GAA
The Kerry County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Kerry...
by 6-11 to 1-9 in the provincial final, giving Maher his fifth Munster title. Tipp later narrowly defeated Kilkenny in the All-Ireland semi-final before trouncing Galway in the ‘home’ All-Ireland final. This was not the end of the championship campaign because, for the first year ever, the ‘home’ finalists had to take on London
London GAA
The London County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or London GAA is one of the county boards outside Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in London...
in the real All-Ireland final. The game was a close affair with both sides level at 0-5 with eight minutes to go. London then took the lead; however, they later conceded a free. Maher stepped up, took the free and a forward ‘charge’ carried the sliothar over the line. Tipp scored another goal following a weak puck out and claimed the victory. It was Maher’s fifth and final All-Ireland title. He retired from inter-county hurling shortly afterwards.