Kevin Brady enjoyed senior inter-county adventure

By Cian O’Connell

A decade and a half ago, Kevin Brady commenced refereeing. Passionate about sport, hurling was always on the agenda for Brady.

Pearse Óg sadly disbanded in 2021, but Brady vividly remembers the fun and friendship the game brought him.

Part of the national referees hurling panel since 2015, Brady acknowledges that he will miss operating at senior inter-county level. “I'm gutted that I won't be part of it next year,” Brady says.

“Going on to the support panel is great and I'll still see the lads. Not to be able to referee inter-county matches is sad, but I'm 50. I've to face up to that.

“I'll still ref away, but inter-county is the elite. Everybody wants to play in Croke Park and be in finals, it is the same with referees.

“Players want to play in Croke Park, referees want to referee in Croke Park. You want to get to the highest level as a player, but also as a referee you want to get on to the national panel.”

During his stint, Brady took charge of 36 Allianz League and 30 Championship matches in the senior ranks. The All-Ireland U20 B Final was another highlight earlier this year and the Lory Meagher decider in 2019.

It meant that Brady operated at GAA headquarters, and the training was worthwhile. For Brady, there truly was joy in the journey. “Being on the national panel is every referees’ dream,” he remarks.

“When it comes to your fitness test, everybody will get the fitness test the first year because you're buzzing.

“I got my best result in the bleep test in my first year when I started in 2015. I was buzzing, I was training, and on a high when I was on the national panel. Not that it is a struggle later, but it gets tougher every year.”

Remaining on the support panel matters deeply to Brady. “I'm happy that I'm going on to the support panel for 2026,” he replies. “I wouldn't step away because I just love refereeing and being involved in matches.

“The support panel means you can't referee the match, but you can be a standby, line umpire or sideline official.

“I couldn't give the inter-county up, I love it. I've to retire because of age, not because I want to. I'll still ref away, I referee in Meath and Down, I do senior hurling there. I refereed my eighth county final in Louth a few weeks ago.”

Brady referees in both codes. “I've done two senior football finals in Louth,” he says. “I've done the junior and minor in Louth. I've done every single final there is in Louth except for the Intermediate Football Final. So, I'm around a long time.”

When did Brady decide to get involved in refereeing? “Brian Brady, who is a former teammate and good friend, he asked me to try the refereeing,” Brady responds.

“I said I'd try it, and I found that I actually enjoyed it. I started to really enjoy it. Coming from a playing background helped.

“A lot of people would say to me I was like a players’ referee, that I'd be good with the players. I wouldn't be going looking for trouble. When Brian Brady asked me in 2008, I did the course in Louth. That is how it kicked off.

“I started as a hurling referee and had played a bit of Gaelic in my day. So, I tried that from around 2011. I started to progress. I think as you get more experience, you can handle yourself better with players. That is how I feel anyway.”

Being involved on the national panel was a significant achievement and Brady made many friends along the way. “It is unbelievable,” he says about the camaraderie. “You trust them.

“John Keenan might come to me asking Kevin what happened? I'd tell him, he'd say that is a red card or whatever. Sometimes, you've a linesman you might never have met before, who'd be on the support panel. It is a tight knit thing.

“We were in Wexford last weekend on a night out. So, there is a trust with these lads. We train together, we ref together, we do seminars together, we answer questions on incidents. It is trust.

“We always do the fitness test together every year. That is the hardest thing ever. I've always passed the test. We'd stay together in the Croke Park Hotel and have our seminar the next day. I'll miss that. Normally I'd start training in October or early November right through until January.”

Undoubtedly, the next few months will be different, but Brady will still embrace being a referee at various levels. “I’ll keep myself fit,” he says. “I won't be doing the high intensity training I've done for the past 10 or 11 years.

“I'll just do regular 5ks with friends, things like that or with my son, who is 17. We will do 5ks once or twice a week.

“I'm reffing most nights, that keeps you fit, but in relation to the fitness test you've to train specifically for that. Every referee will tell you that. You don't think you're fit because you referee, you have to train for that test. You can't hide from that.”

Brady’s son plays for Dundalk Gaels in Louth and meaningful family memories were created refereeing. “I've been to Dubai four times, I've been to San Francisco, Birmingham on numerous occasions,” he says.

“I've been to London a couple of times. This year, I refereed London and Sligo, I'd my son, Adam, with me to umpire. So, that was a highlight for me, to have my son umpire with me in a national game. He was also in Birmingham with me.

“I was buzzing to be on the national panel. I had been reffing since 2009, I did my first county final in Louth in 2010.

“Then, I got on to the Leinster panel before getting the call from Croke Park. It is a big thing. When you're refereeing, to make the national panel is a big thing.”

As a proud hurling man from Louth, it was an especially rewarding time for Brady.