Flaherty first played hurling at juvenile level with Kinnitty, winning an U-16 county medal in 1957.
[3] He made his senior team debut at the age of 17 and won an Offaly JHC medal in 1966 after losing the final the previous year.
[5] Working abroad impacted on his hurling career and, while he made some appearances for Offaly in 1973 and 1974, he didn't play at all in 1972 or from 1975 to 1978.
In spite of this, Flaherty was a member of the Leinster team that won the Railway Cup title in 1971.
Flaherty brought his club hurling career to an end in 1993 when, at 46, he scored 1-03 as Kinnitty beat Crinkle to claim the Offaly JHC title.