Pat McEnaney

Pat McEnaney (born 1962 or 1963)[1] is a Gaelic footballer and former referee in the sport. He is from Corduff in County Monaghan. He officiated many high-profile inter-county matches, including four finals of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship. Many would rate McEnaney as the best Gaelic football referee of his time.[1]

He also refereed several International Rules Series tests, as well as games in countries such as France, Luxembourg and the United States.

Early life

McEnaney attended Referagh School.[2]

Playing career

As a player, McEnaney won a Monaghan Junior Football Championship and a Monaghan Intermediate Football Championship with Corduff in 1998. McEnaney still plays at Junior "B" level for Corduff. He described his "first priority" as "probably playing club football"; refereeing at inter-county level followed on from this.[2]

Refereeing career

McEnaney first took up refereeing when he was 21 years of age, after damaging his left knee while playing association football for Carrick Rovers[2] (from nearby Carrickmacross).

Páraic Duffy, a figure within Monaghan refereeing back then, invited McEnaney to officiate at some matches "because I could run in straight lines!", McEnaney later said.[2] Finding that he enjoyed it, McEnaney kept going and progressed up the ranks.[2]

McEnaney refereed the 1996 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final between Mayo and Meath and even by his own admission "became famous for all the wrong reasons".[2] This was due to a mass brawl between both teams on the pitch. McEnaney sought to punish those he deemed the worst offenders. He decided he would send off Mayo's Liam McHale and Meath's John McDermott. "When it all settled down my gut instinct was to send off McDermott with McHale. I had my mind made up on that", McEnaney later said.[1] Then he consulted with umpire Francie McMahon, who had witnessed something dreadful. "Pat," he said. "You're going to have to send off Colm Coyle. He's after dropping about six of them".[1] One of the linesmen, Kevin Walsh, intervened to also highlight Coyle's indiscretions.[1] McEnaney sent off McHale and Coyle. McHale has never claimed not to have been involved in the brawl that day; indeed, he is on record as saying: "I was right in the middle right from the start".[1] Coyle had arrived later.[1] Inaccurate stories spread afterwards that McEnaney had received hate mail at his home, but, McEnaney later said, the only letter he received (from a Meath supporter) praised McEnaney for how he had handled the brawl.[1] McHale and McEnaney had not spoken, as of 2009.[1]

McEnaney's father died that November.[1] His efforts at overcoming the events of 1996 were rewarded when he was given the task of refereeing the 2000 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final between Galway and Kerry. He was a lot happier with how that game went.[2]

McEnaney also refereed the 2004 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final, which incidentally also involved Mayo.[1]

After refereeing one All-Ireland final (2000?), he went to Crossmaglen to officiate "at a tournament game, I think". The announcer informed the large crowd gathered: "We would like to welcome referee Pat McEnaney who refereed last Sunday's All-Ireland". McEnaney received a round of applause :"I couldn't believe it. That was my one and only time".[2]

He also refereed the first test of the 2006 International Rules Series at Pearse Stadium in Galway.[3]

He referred games outside Ireland, including in Paris, Luxembourg, New York, San Francisco and Australia.[2]

He trained every second night during his refereeing career.[2]

McEnaney retired at the conclusion of the 2010 championship.

He plays squash.[2]

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References
  1. Keys, Colm (8 August 2009). "Thirteen years after infamous Mayo-Meath melee the shockwaves have not yet settled". Irish Independent. Independent News & Media. Retrieved 8 August 2009. ...'all hell broke loose', according to McHale... 'I was right in the middle right from the start'... Coyle was slow to get involved initially, but eventually did and made quite an impact with the officials watching on... Regrets? McEnaney has two. He ... is now considered the best football referee of his generation... 'My biggest regret was that I should have sent off four, two from each side. And Meath's John McDermott would have been one of them', he recalled. 'When it all settled down my gut instinct was to send off McDermott with McHale. I had my mind made up on that'. But then he consulted with one of his umpires behind the Hill-end goal, the late Francie McMahon... "Pat," he said. "You're going to have to send off Colm Coyle. He's after dropping about six of them'. There was further corroboration from one of the linesmen, Kevin Walsh, who came in for consultation and was also in agreement that if one from each side was going, Coyle was the most prominent from Meath.' Looking back on it I should have sent off four. That would have been about right', conceded McEnaney. For weeks McEnaney, then only 33, found himself in the eye of the storm but that November his father passed away...
  2. "Local Profile: Pat McEnaney - Referee". Archived from the original on 17 May 2007.
  3. "McEnaney to ref in Rules opener". BBC Sport. BBC. 25 October 2006. Retrieved 25 October 2006.
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