Probably the greatest Tipperary hurler I have ever seen - but the book doesn't do him justice

Christmas season is book season. Every year there’s a surge in publications ahead of the Christmas market. It’s a time when people, normally not given to book-buying, stock up ahead of the festive period. Busy lives quieten, the nights are long and dark, so there’s time and space for reading.

This year Padraic Maher got in ahead of the posse with the launch, some weeks ago, of his memoir, All on the Line, written with the help of Michael Moynihan of the Irish Examiner. Coming so soon after his enforced retirement, it’s a timely addition to the growing catalogue of such books.

Straight up, I have to confess to a jaundiced view of such publications. Too often in the past they’ve been disappointing. Typically, you have a great player, a giant among sportsmen, and then the book is utterly underwhelming – a dwarf beside the giant subject.

Part of the problem, I think, is the memoir genre. Of its nature it demands a first person narrative, where the player doesn’t just relate events - which are widely known anyway - but reflects and ruminates on what happened. That’s a big ask for many players.

Then there’s the issue of being open - confessional even - which is again part of the genre and again very challenging. It requires a surrender of privacy and an exposing of your life story for public inspection. How many of us are comfortable with that?

In most cases I think a third-person authorised biography would be much better. Let the ghost writer do the heavy lifting and the book’s subject can still have his views and reflections included.

It’s no coincidence that one of the very best of these books is John Harrington’s biography of John Doyle. The book was published posthumously, the year after the Holycross man died, and it’s a really gripping read from start to finish. It has none of the limitations of a memoir.

One of the very best of the GAA memoirs that I read was John Leonard’s. John who? Indeed. He was the understudy goalie to Stephen Cluxton, a very unfulfilling role, I suspect, where you do all the grafting and grinding but remain forever in the shadow. His memoir, Dub Sub Confidential, was published in 2015 and stands apart as one of the finest of the genre.

Leonard does what most others would wince at. He lays bare the intimacies of his personal life, a life that was eventful, adventurous and downright wild at times. It’s honest, it’s scarily vivid and it’s so raw as he faced his personal demon – alcohol addiction in his case - and eventually learned how to order his life. That’s what good memoirs do.

In the same category you could put the memoir of the former Tyrone footballer, Cathal McCarron. Aptly titled, Out of Control, it was written with Christy O’Connor and published in 2016. Once again, it’s characterised by an incredibly raw honesty, where McCarron’s battle with a gambling addiction saw him plumb the depths of despair before eventually recovering some equipoise.

At his lowest, McCarron took part in a gay porn movie in order to feed his addiction and his account of that makes for chilling reading. You can only imagine the sledging he faced when he went back playing football. Do they sledge in Tyrone? Hmm.

All of which is something of a roundabout route to lead in to Padraic Maher’s memoir. The suddenness of the Tipp man’s departure from the game almost a year ago shocked us all. It was one of those bolts from the blue that left us reeling and contributed majorly to Colm Bonnar’s travails in the hurling season that followed.

The account of Padraic’s medical diagnosis and the unavoidable decision to retire is one of the more gripping sections of the book. It also sheds light on the closing stages of the 2021 club championship, as we shall see.

The symptoms he was experiencing included headaches, dizziness and blurred vision. One is struck by the exhaustive nature of the medical investigations undertaken before the final decision was made to advise retirement. When all the medical experts agreed on the prognosis, I guess the decision to quit was effectively made for him.

He was diagnosed with an arterial dissection in his neck. Effectively it meant there was damage to the internal lining of an artery, which was setting off what resemble mini strokes. The bottom line was that he couldn’t risk future collisions, which might trigger something major.

The issue of what particular incident caused this damage remains unclear, with the medical people unable to pin it down to a specific time or event. All of which doesn’t stop others from privately speculating around specific hits or tackles, which may have been the source of the damage.

Interestingly, Padraic played the latter stages of the 2021 club championship while suffering from the symptoms. Remember how that campaign ended? A replay against Loughmore where at the “death” Padraic Maher is drawn into a foul on John McGrath near the corner flag. McGrath points the free for the winning score.

That was Padraic Maher’s final play on a hurling field. What an awful way for an incredible career to end! At least now we know that the player was badly impaired at that moment, and personal blame for the defeat doesn’t even enter the debate. His contribution anyway to Sarsfields had been immense over many years and that one incident wasn’t going to affect his reputation.

This book is an easy, non-controversial read. It’s mild-mannered, with none of the edginess that’s sometimes a hallmark of these memoirs. I think his harshest statement is reserved for the dismissal of cousin Denis Maher at the throw-in against Ballyea in the 2016 Munster club semi-final. He’s right, of course, that was an awful refereeing decision, which inevitably influenced the outcome of the game.

On referees generally, however, Padraic is very indulgent, including praise for Barry Kelly’s personable approach. Strangely, I recall Padraic in interview after the 2017 All-Ireland semi-final defeat to Galway, stating that Tipperary didn’t even get the 60/40 frees. That was the day of a very lopsided free count but oddly it doesn’t deserve any mention here.

An even odder item is from the 2012 semi-final with Kilkenny and the shenanigans involving Larry Corbett chasing Tommy Walsh around the pitch. The whole of Croke Park was bemused by this caper but Padraic claims he didn’t even notice it was happening. Strange indeed.

In general, it’s a book where you shouldn’t expect deep insights or revelations and you won’t then be disappointed. It’s 317 pages of pleasant reading.

In fairness Padraic doesn’t shy away from personal matters. There’s a section about his father’s departure to Wales, which is sensitively treated. The focus is on Ronan, who was very young at the time, and the impact it had on him. There are some interesting reflections on the differing styles of play of the various counties. Criticism anywhere is either of the mildest variety or not there at all.

I come to this book as one who regards Padraic Maher as probably the greatest Tipperary hurler I have ever seen. The book doesn’t even come close to doing him justice. Then again, these memoirs rarely do. The limitations are with the genre, not the subject. Enjoy the read.

Finally, it was interesting to hear about the outcome of the Leinster Council’s investigation into incidents at the provincial club intermediate hurling quarter-final between Oulart-The-Ballagh of Wexford and Dublin’s Naomh Barrog. The game at Parnell Park went viral on social media, with video clips of the melee that spilled into the stand.

The case is ongoing but the Provincial Council has taken a strong line with suspensions, fines and other penalties being proposed. The Wexford side appear to have been identified as the main culprits and look set the face the stiffer penalties, including a proposed two-year suspension from Leinster club activity.

Naomh Barrog have accepted most of the penalties, including a €2,000 fine and the loss of home advantage if they reach the Leinster final. They were subsequently beaten at the weekend by Bray Emmets in the semi-final, so that sanction doesn’t now apply.

Suspensions have been proposed for nine players drawn from both clubs. Some of the suspensions are said to be for twelve-month periods. Two supporters were also banned.

The investigation was certainly swift and the proposed penalties are extremely severe, which is precisely how these cases need to be tackled. This is the blueprint for other governing bodies.

Meanwhile, the south Tipperary incident involving Carrick Swans and Cahir and their abandoned minor football tie is ongoing. I understand fines and suspensions have been proposed but at least one club is seeking a hearing to contest the outcome.

The scheduled replay of the game last weekend was postponed because no referee was available. Very odd indeed at a time of so few games.