Previously refereeing the Carlow senior football final, Paud O’Dwyer is slated to trade his position on the pitch for a spot on the sidelines in Sunday’s 2024 decider. He will take the role as joint manager of Palatine, a challenge he is jointly tackling with Eddie McGarry. With his involvement in recent Carlow county finals, one could argue it’s become a challenge to stage these matches without O’Dwyer.
Not long ago, he oversaw the senior hurling match that ended in a draw between Mount Leinster Rangers and St Mullins. O’Dwyer, who refereed the 2023 National League final between Limerick and Kilkenny, is currently serving in his inaugural year as joint manager of his adopted club. His team will challenge Rathvilly in the Carlow SFC final, which will kick off at Netwatch Cullen Park on Sunday at 4pm.
Long being a respected hurling official on the national scene following over ten years on the GAA’s national cadre of inter-county referees, 2023 saw O’Dwyer obliged to retreat from his role, due to an eligibility rule imposing a fifty-year age limit for top-level officiating.
Throughout his distinguished refereeing trajectory, O’Dwyer officiated key matches such as the 2015 All-Ireland minor hurling final where Galway triumphed over Tipperary, the 2018 replay of the All-Ireland senior club hurling final when Cuala outperformed Na Piarsaigh, and the Munster senior deciders in both 2019 and 2021, where Limerick consistently outplayed Tipp.
Appointed to the GAA’s national panel in 2011, he executed duties at the upper echelons of the hurling world until 2023. These days, he seems to be oscillating between his role with the whistle and strategising from the sideline.
“Our previous manager [Pado Flynn] vacating his role in 2023 meant there was a role to fill, and having been a selector in both 2022 and 2023, I was positioned to take up the mantle,” O’Dwyer remarks.
Having previously mentored many of the young and seasoned players, Eddie and I decided to join the coaching team, confident that we had a robust squad comprising both experienced and up-and-coming players. Now, our club, Palatine, is one victory away from securing its eighth county senior football championship.
Raised in Wexford, I originally played for Rathgarogue Cushinstown. However, after shifting to Carlow for university and later running a pub frequented by Palatine’s members, I was eventually persuaded to join the Bennekerry team.
Both Eddie and I played pivotal roles in Palatine’s 2006 championship victory — the first time it had won the senior football championship since 1952. “Despite losing five senior football finals, I’m grateful at least we won one,” I recall.
In addition to my football success, I managed to clinch a Carlow junior hurling title back in 2001. When I ceased playing, my presence on the field didn’t terminate. It, indeed, took an unexpected turn.
With clubs under threat of losing their All-Ireland final tickets if they failed to register a member as a referee, I felt prompted to become a referee myself, which turned out to be quite a fulfilling journey. I rose through the ranks, from local matches in Carlow to refereeing prestigious championships at Croke Park — an experience that exceeded my expectations.
My only regret might be starting as a referee relatively late, but I would have never given up my playing time otherwise. The timing in refereeing matters, not only during the game but also in terms of eligibility, which stirs up discussions around the GAA’s age policy requiring referees to retire at 50 – a policy initiated in 2011.
Despite presiding over both the Munster and Leinster senior hurling championships in 2023, this age limit rendered me not befitting for the national panel by 2024.
John Keenan, the official referee for the 2023 All-Ireland final, was compelled to hang up his whistle before the start of the 2024 season, due to age limitations. O’Dwyer voiced his disappointment, arguing that the rule seemed unreasonable and lacked fairness.
He didn’t deny understanding the potential logic behind it, however, he questioned its overall intent. In O’Dwyer’s view, both he and Keenan had passed fitness checks, leading him to ask, “How can a person who fit enough to oversee the 2023 All-Ireland final be regarded as too old to carry out the same duties in the following season?”
O’Dwyer furthered his argument by stating that referees who are able to pass fitness examinations and successfully perform in their roles, even in their early fifties, should not be discouraged from continuing. O’Dwyer mused that he would have no objection to a rule mandating retirement for referees unable to pass a fitness test, however, he didn’t see why a fit official should not be permitted to persist.
He also shed light on the GAA’s struggle to recruit new referees, cautioning that a lack of fresh recruitment could have future repercussions.
Despite being active with the Palatine club, O’Dwyer hasn’t presided over any senior club football championships in Carlow this season. Yet, he has held a steady average of about one game per week which included hurling matches and junior and intermediate football.
As of now, his main concern is the upcoming Sunday’s final. O’Dwyer stated, “The primary objective for a club like Palatine is always to reach the county final and ultimately secure the title. However, desiring this outcome and actualising it proves to be two distinct notions.”
Just remember, it’s not all about the referee’s whistle!