Pádraic Maher has recalled how he was forced to retire from hurling after suffering a 'mini stroke'.

The three-time All-Ireland winning centre back didn't feel well in the lead-up to Thurles Sarsfields' 2021 Tipperary SHC final against Loughmore-Castleiney and a MRI subsequently revealed that a neck injury had caused the stroke, prompting his retirement from both inter-county and club hurling the following February at the age of 33. 

"We were preparing for a county final a couple of years ago and I just wasn’t feeling well. I went out and played the game and was very dizzy. I was seeing double and treble," Maher explained to reporters ahead of the return of the Laochra Gael series on TG4 tonight, which features the Tipperary great.

"The game went to a replay and it was two weeks to the replay. I said 'this is a great chance for me to rest up' and I did that for two weeks. I went back out to play the replay and the same thing happened again. I was told to rest up for a couple of months.

"Then I met the doctor, the specialist, got scanned in early January, 2022.

"That’s when it showed up, a few deficiencies that shouldn’t be there in my head. So yeah, it was laid on the line, what it was, what it could be, which was probably more frightening. The decision was taken out of my hands in ways, which made it easier I suppose."

He added: "I was reassured straight away that if I take away the danger of getting hurt in a physical game again, that I should have no worries. I was well looked after by the lads below in Limerick ever since, getting my check-ups, constantly onto me to see everything was A1."

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