It is with great sadness that PIltown GAA  club learned of the untimely passing of one of its outstanding and most popular servants over his entire lifetime. Johnny was always going to be immersed in Piltown GAA  club following in the footsteps of his late father Neddy and brother Willie.  Johnny Maher  was a player, a supporter,  a committee member and a former Chairman of the club.  A lifelong committee member he served as chairman  from 2002 to  2008. Johnny was an outstanding hurler in his very young days.  He played on the junior team at a very young age. Johnny was also a member of the Mooncoin Vocational School team that won the Vocational schools championship in 1968.  In his early playing days Johnny was always a knacky corner forward, but when he resurrected his career in his later years , he went from poacher to gamekeeper turning into an excellent and tight marking corner back. That was the position he occupied on his greatest day as a player when he captained Piltown to win the club's historic first ever Junior county championship  in 1981.  It was a vital move for the club in 1981 to select Johnny as captain as one of the older and longer serving players he had the respect of all the players and his leadership both on and off the field was a critical factor in Piltowns success that year. Johnny was the oldest member of that team , just shading the great Jimmy Power for that accolade. These were the two mature men on the team with Johnny anchored in the full back line and Jimmy at the opposite end at full forward. We were in safe hands.  People who were in Nowlan Park on that landmark day for the club will never forget his emotional acceptance speech,  with the head down, leaning on the hurley and tears streaming down his face. Many years  earlier, as a testament to his loyalty to the club Johnny lined out for the club the day after he and Anne lost their baby. But that was what his wife Anne wanted.
Johnny's other stand out achievement was when as chairman he led the club to win the leinster junior hurling championship in 2003 and capped it off by leading the club to winning the prestigious club of the year award in 2003. In the role of Chair his no nonsense approach at meetings served the club well.  Of course Johnny served not only the GAA club, but he served the entire community as a local public representative,  as a member of Kilkenny County Council for many years as well as having the honour of being chairperson of the Council. He was actively involved in Piltown Credit Union from its inception, as well as the Enterprise centre.  Johnny was always a go to person whether in the club or outside of it and his warm and friendly personality endeared him to all who knew him.  When his playing days were over Johnny continued to entertain us with his singing in the complex over many years. Johnny didn't enjoy good health in recent years , despite this people will recall his part on stage in the clubs very successful LipSync event and also the Oscars. At the LipSync event his co actor Philip Walsh almost had to lift Johnny up on  to the stage , as he was really quite unwell. But that was the spirit of Johnny.  He enjoyed life to the full and was always up for a laugh and a bit of fun. Our club has lost one of its stalwarts.  He will be greatly missed. 
Our condolences to all the Maher family at this sad time.

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