This article is from page 96 of the 2009-08-18 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 96 JPG
WHILE Clare’s representation on the playing fields is all but finished, save for the Under 21s All-Ireland adventure this weekend, the county’s representation on the refereeing front continues to soar with the news that Newmarket-on-Fergus native Seanie McMahon has been appointed to referee the All-Ireland Intermediate final between Cork and Kilkenny in Dungarvan on Saturday week.
With almost 25 years experience behind him, this is McMahon’s third national intermediate decider, hav- ing already officiated in the 1997 and 1999 finals.
His impressive CV also includes the 1993 All-Ireland minor hurling final, 2004 Munster senior hurling final and most recently, the Munster senior camogie final between Cork and Tipperary last year.
Despite such a glowing back cata- logue of prestigious matches behind him, McMahon, who is also cur- rently part of the Newmarket senior hurling management team, is hon- oured to have been chosen for such a high-profile decider.
“T’m delighted to have been ap- pointed and really to be asked to ref- eree any All-Ireland final is great,” admits McMahon. “Apart from doing a Senior, Minor or Under 21 All-Ire- land, the intermediate final would be the next in line. For any referee get- ting an All-Ireland final is like win- ning a county final for your club.”
McMahon’s appointment follows on from an unprecedented year for Clare officials after Eire Og’s Rory Hickey was the man in the middle for the Munster senior football fi- nal between Cork and Limerick last month while Ennistymon’s Michael Rock refereed the provincial minor decider between Kerry and Tipper- ary on the same day.