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Irish Times
6 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Times
Leading Tipperary to All-Ireland summit yet to sink in for Ronan Maher
Ronan Maher says he has changed his phone's screensaver after two years, having accomplished his goal of becoming the ninth All-Ireland winning captain from his club. Thurles Sarsfields have a wall of portraits dedicated to club players who have won an All-Ireland with Tipperary as captain. After being handed the captaincy in 2024, Maher set a photo of the wall to his phone, and has finally moved on after lifting the Liam MacCarthy Cup nearly three weeks ago. 'I had a blank picture beside the rest of the captains up there, and just an arrow pointing to it. I didn't look too far ahead, but it was always a nice reminder to have on the phone,' Maher says. READ MORE 'I had to change back to the girlfriend there,' he adds, laughing. 'It'll take a while before it hits home, but I'm born and raised in Thurles, and I'll be there [on the wall] for the rest of my life. It'll be nice to look at down the line.' Maher set the goal for himself when he started working with Cathal Sheridan, the former Munster rugby player and sports psychologist. Sheridan was involved with the All-Ireland winners in both men's codes, having also been a performance coach with Kerry this year. Ronan Maher with the Liam MacCarthy Cup on his return to Thurles. His club, Thurles Sarsfields, have a wall of portraits dedicated to club players who have won an All-Ireland with Tipperary as captain. Ronan joined them in 2025 Photograph: Thurles Sarsfields X account 'When I met him in 2024, he asked me what my visualisation was as a captain. I suppose it was to lift Liam MacCarthy, but also to have my picture up on the wall and to walk into the clubhouse with Liam MacCarthy, with all my family and friends there.' That dream became reality after Tipperary's triumph over Cork : 'That was exactly what happened on the Monday night, the centre was packed. It's hard to believe that it's actually come to life now.' His work with Sheridan is part of a process of mental preparation that he has been honing for years, which also includes journaling and watching highlights of previous performances. 'That's the way I like to do it, put a plan together in my diary – it could be only three or four points – and watch a few clips,' says Maher. 'If you have doubts leading into a game it's really good to look back on things that you've done well, and it just gives you that bit of confidence.' This cerebral approach to the game has paid dividends for the two-time All Star, especially in this year's final when Tipp were six points down at half-time. The Premier County mounted an incredible comeback, with their defence nullifying Cork's attacking threats. In a brilliant team performance, Maher was selected as man of the match. Tipperary captain Ronan Maher at the Aviva Stadium for the announcement of Aviva Insurance Ireland's new partnership with ClubberTV. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho 'I'd actually felt that up until the goal before half-time, we were performing really well. I suppose our execution was off a bit and we butchered two goal chances as well, but it just felt right on the day. On the field it felt really good,' Maher says. Despite the turnaround after the break, there was no dramatic scenes during half-time: 'It was actually one of the calmest dressingrooms that we had all year. We pushed on, and who else other than John McGrath to sniff out the two goals. He's just cute as a fox.' It feels like a long time since Tipperary crashed out of Munster last year in Maher's first season as captain. Maher says people had no issue telling him, or the rest of the panel, how they had underperformed. 'If you speak to any Tipperary player that was on the panel, there's frustration from people. They're not really tapping you on the back, they're asking you questions and challenging you on things,' he says. 'But that's just the way we are in Tipperary. Tipp has always been like that, the expectations are so high. I suppose it's a skill just to be able to take it on the chin and move on.' With the club season about to start, there hasn't been much time for Maher to look back on his accomplishments. 'It could be Christmas time now before it really hits home, but it's all I've ever dreamed of. Maybe it won't be until I finish up, until I look back and say that was unbelievable.'
Irish Times
06-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Sales of non-alcoholic Guinness surged 35% last year
Sales of non-alcoholic Guinness 0.0 across can, draught and micro-draught cans in pubs, hotels and restaurants across Ireland increased by 35 per cent in the year to March, new data from Diageo Ireland shows. The increase comes on top of 47 per cent growth of draught Guinness 0.0 in Ireland the previous year. Having been introduced to Irish venues on draught in July 2021, the product is now available in 4,000 on-trade establishments across Ireland. The drinks giant also said it has seen a 161 per cent lift in sales of the brand on draught between June 2022 and March 2025. Diageo said this growth is 'set to continue' into 2026 when the additional €30 million investment announced late last year into Guinness 0.0 production capacity comes on stream. READ MORE This will allow the St James's Gate brewery to brew 176 million pints of Guinness 0.0 a year for international and domestic markets, Diageo said. Ross Bissett, on-trade commercial director at Diageo Ireland, said the growth of the product demonstrates the 'enormous appetite' consumers have for 'greater choice in what they are consuming'. 'Following our recent investment announcement of €30 million in Guinness 0.0 production, we expect it to take up about 12 per cent of all production at St James's Gate,' he added. Cathal Sheridan, who is the seventh generation of his family to run Sheridan's Bar and Restaurant in Milltown, Co Galway, said he has seen 'huge demand' for Guinness 0.0, with customers 'making the most of being able to have a few pints and be able to drive home'. 'That's something that's really important in Ireland as rural isolation becomes a bigger problem,' he said. 'It's also key for the future of rural pubs as we try to encourage folks through the door.' The demand for non-alcoholic products has been seen across the board, with Kantar's recent data showing that 6.2 per cent of all Irish households purchasing non-alcoholic drinks in January. That data was backed up by a recent Drinks Industry Group of Ireland report that found the average amount of alcohol consumed by adults in Ireland had fallen by 31 per cent since 2001.
Irish Independent
06-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Guinness 0.0 hits milestone as more outlets opt for alcohol-free option
Guinness is reporting today that on-trade yearly volume sales of Guinness 0.0 draught grew 161pc between June 2022 and March 2025 – reflecting sales of cans, draught and micro-draught cans in pubs, hotels and restaurants. Sales of Guinness 0.0 on draught have grown by 27pc in the last year, on top of 47pc growth of draught Guinness 0.0 in Ireland the previous year. On-trade sales were up 35pc from March 2024 to March 2025. The capacity for further growth will increase significantly from next year, when a €30m investment in brewing capacity will lift production to 176 million pints of 0.0 per year for international and domestic markets – 12pc of the entire output at the famous St James's Gate brewery in Dublin. In contrast, a report by Drinks Industry Group of Ireland (DIGI), a trade group, found the average amount of alcohol consumed by adults in Ireland had fallen by 31pc since 2001. A similar trend has been seen in other developed markets. Last month Guinness's alcohol-free beer was centre stage at an investor day held by Diageo, where group CEO Deborah Crew pointed to its global potential based on the pace of its Irish rollout over the past four years. Diageo is planning to accelerate sales of traditional Guinness and the non-alcoholic version around the world, targeting Gen Z and female drinkers among its key growth levers. It's also planning to leverage sponsorship of sporting events such as the Premier League and a continued focus on the Six Nations rugby championship, where the non-alcoholic option has advantages over products that face restrictions in many advertising markets. Even in the traditional Guinness heartland of rural Irish pubs, the beer is finding an audience, according to Cathal Sheridan, a seventh generation publican who operates Sheridan's Bar and Restaurant in Milltown, Co Galway. He cited demand from rural drinkers who need the option to drive home. The on-trade commercial director at Diageo Ireland, Ross Bissett, said demand for non-alcoholic products has been seen across the board. 'The growth of Guinness 0.0 over the last three years demonstrates the enormous appetite consumers have for greater choice in what they are consuming, and highlights the vital role Guinness 0.0 is playing in driving moderation in Ireland,' he said.
