John Maher (Tipperary hurler)
John Maher (26 June 1908 – 11 July 1990) was an Irish hurler. At club level he played for Thurles Sarsfields, captaining the club on a number of occasions, and was the captain of the Tipperary senior hurling team that won the 1945 All-Ireland Championship.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Irish name | Seán Ó Meachair | ||
| Sport | Hurling | ||
| Position | Centre Back | ||
| Born |
26 June 1908 Thurles, County Tipperary, Ireland | ||
| Died |
11 July 1990 (aged 81) Beaumont, Dublin, Ireland | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||
| Occupation | Farmer | ||
| Club(s) | |||
| Years | Club | ||
1929-1946 | Thurles Sarsfields | ||
| Club titles | |||
| Tipperary titles | 9 | ||
| Inter-county(ies) | |||
| Years | County | ||
1929-1945 | Tipperary | ||
| Inter-county titles | |||
| Munster titles | 4 | ||
| All-Irelands | 3 | ||
| NHL | 0 | ||
Widely regarded as one of the Thurles Sarsfields club's all-time greats, Maher's career spanned three decades. During that time he won nine Tipperary Senior Championship medals, including two as club captain in 1944 and 1945.
Maher made his first appearance for the Tipperary senior hurling team as the youngest member of their 1930 All-Ireland Championship-winning team. Over the following fifteen years he was a regular member of the half-back line, and won further All-Ireland Championship medals in 1937 and as captain of the team in 1945. Maher also won four Munster Championship medals.
Maher's father, Dinny, was the first ever captain of the Tipperary senior hurling team, while his direct descendants, Pa Bourke and Pádraic Maher, have also won All-Ireland Championship medals.