TIPPERARY’S BRENDAN MAHER had the honour of lifting the Liam MacCarthy Cup last September as team captain.
But in a fascinating interview with former Cavan senior football goalkeeper Alan O’Mara, 28-year-old Maher has insisted that handing over the role to Pádraic Maher was the right move.
In the wide-ranging piece, which you can listen to below, Maher also talks about how working with autistic children challenged his outlook on life.
Maher also reveals that he’s planning to take a career break to study psychology, a field he has a real interest in.
Maher said: “I’m a primary school teacher in an autistic unit.
“It’s becoming known now that I’m taking a career break, I want to do some study and I’m really interested in psychology of performance and getting the best out of individuals.
“It’s a really exciting time. I wish it happened six or seven years ago but saying that, I really enjoy teaching. This is something I want to explore and find out more about.”
On the Tipperary captaincy, Maher said: “It’s time to give someone else an opportunity but it’s also time for the team to develop.
I saw it as a chance for development, ‘we’re moving on here, we’re not going to be the same as last year. Let’s change it but change it for the right reasons.’ It wasn’t for the sake of change, it was the right decision.
“I definitely feel a little bit liberated. It’s easy for me to say it having lifted the Liam MacCarthy last year that I’m really enjoying it (hurling) now. It’s liberating and I’m enjoying my hurling as much as I ever have.”
And Maher outlined how a fresh outlook on life has benefited him in recent years.
He explained: “There was a period when I was in that bubble, concentrating so much on hurling and trying to get hurling right that you neglect friendships, relationships even with family members. You don’t get to do family occasions, a lot of still has to happen but it’s about making the effort to find time with family, friends and relationships.
“It’s something I’ve tried to do in the last couple of years, spend more time with my family.
“It put things into perspective that sport is sport. I’m a lot more content and enjoying the sport a lot more.”
Real Talks / SoundCloud
The Real Talks podcast is hosted by Alan O’Mara. Each weekly episode provides a prominent GAA figure with the opportunity to talk about life lessons, leadership, resilience, purpose, sport, passions and much more. Go to realtalks.ie for more or search ‘Real Talks’ on iTunes, SoundCloud or Stitcher.
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