AT THE END OF THE DAY: How things got hot for one referee on a frosty day in Kells
Hands up all those who remember Mickey Kearins when he was a player. To younger generations his name will not be so well known, or mean all that much. Mickey was an classy footballer who turned out for Sligo. Fast, strong, skilful, it was said he was a driving force behind Sligo's shock victory over Mayo in the 1975 Connacht SFC final.
That victory was certainly a very significant occasion for Sligo as it their first Connacht championship triumph since 1928. Mickey was a brilliant footballer but he didn't get many chances to step into the spotlight because Sligo rarely featured on the really big occasions.
When they did get to an All-Ireland semi-final - in '75 - they were trounced, 3-13 to 0-15, by Kerry. After his playing days Mickey turned to refereeing and he was involved in an incident in Kells that was memorable if only for all the wrong reasons. It was an episode that underlines the kind of pressures referees face.
In 1987, as we know, Meath won the Sam Maguire for the first time in 20 years when they defeated Cork. In those days the new National League campaign got underway a few weeks after the All-Ireland final itself. Meath duly got their campaign up and running in the autumn of '87 and as part of their schedule they hosted Armagh in Kells in December.
It was a cold day, the air noticeably frosty but Meath, the newly crowned All-Ireland champions, had just enjoyed a wonderful year. A crowd of 4,500 showed up in Kells which was chosen as the venue for Royal County's home fixtures because Pairc Tailteann was receiving a face-lift.
The match was moving along nicely until everything changed in the second-half. Changed utterly. The December air got noticeably more frosty.
Colm O'Rourke was sent off by Kearins. O'Rourke was penalised when a free could or should have been given in his favour. "I thought that O'Rourke was actually being held by an opponent at the time a free was given against him," reported Tom O'Riordan in the next day's Irish Independent.
Clearly annoyed at the decision the Meath legend said something to the referee who sent him off. In the eyes of Meath supporters it was like giving Mother Teresa or Santa Claus himself the red card. Outrageous. O'Rourke's dismissal also meant he couldn't receive an All-Star that year and he was a shoo-in for the award after a series of outstanding performances.
The crowd reacted badly to the dismissal. They vented their fury at Kearins who couldn't get off the pitch at the end of the match. "A virtual lynch mob drew battle lines outside every available exit from the playing pitch," reported O'Riordan. Sean Boylan had to bring some players back from the dressing room and, along with stewards, set up a protective human shield to escort the match official off the pitch,.Legend had it Kearins left the ground in the boot of a car. How true that is I'm not sure!
The incident, although very dramatic, showed how life can get difficult for referees in the GAA. Thankfully events like that don't occur very often but referees still often have to endure considerable flak at games. Nasty comments from the sidelines that are meant to wound.
It's one of the reasons why there appears to be a constant need for referees. In the last few years there have been appeals for more people to join the ranks of match officials in Meath. It takes a certain character - strong, resilient- to take on the task. Let's hope those who do sign up don't experience what the great Mickey Kearins had to contend with in the fair town of Kells all those years ago.
The Celtic connection and RTE's ongoing obsession
The other week I sat down to watch the RTE sports round-up after the main evening news. It was the day Celtic had bounced back from going a goal down to defeat Rangers 2-1 at Ibrox Park and take a giant leap towards re-claimng the Scottish Premiership title. I was interested in looking at the highlghts from the game, however short, as well as picking up on other news.
There was some snippets shown from GAA games played that day as well as hightlights from a couple of English Premier League matches. Fair enough. Nothing, however, from the Scottish game. Not even the result. It was difficult not to believe (as I have for some time) that RTE is obsessed with English football.
Granted there are a lot of followers of English clubs in this country. I know several of them in this part of the world. Fans of Man U, Liverpool, Everton, Leeds Utd, Man City, Leicester City, West Bromwich Albion. There are real followers who spend their precious cash going to games across the Irish Sea. It is a major part of their lives bringing great joy, and pain too. Supporting a club can give real meaning to someone's life.
Yet there is also a sizeable contingent of people who follow the fortunes of Celtic. I have followed them ever since Jock Stein was boss. I abhor to my core the sectarian element in the Celtic, Rangers rivalry; the so-called religious divide; the bitter division between the orange and the green.
Celtic from it's earliest days rejected the notion that it should be just a Catholic club for Catholic people. Throughout its history Protestants have played for the Hoops. Stein himself was a Protestant. Many of their greatest players were Protestant such as the great Kenny Dalglish. Religion didn't matter and doesn't now.
The intriguing aspect of Celtic FC for me is the fact that it was set up by Sligoman and member of the Marist order, Brother Walfrid in 1888, as a means of raising funds for the poor in the east end of Glasgow; the poor of whatever religious persuasion. It just so happened many of them were Irish Catholics. Over the years many Irishmen, of course, have played for the Hoops - Sean Fallon, Mick McCarthy, Packie Bonner among them. It's remarkable how the club continues to cultivate its Irish dimension considering relatively few Irish people emigrate to Scotland these days. Certainly compared to the post-famine era.
It would just be nice if RTE would recognise just how big of a following Celtic has in this country. It shouldn't be just about the Man Us of this world. The big-time boys.