Bertie Stark and the wit and wisdom of Cork referees

I was honoured to have been invited by Willie Long and Denis Morley to the recent Cork Branch of the ISRS Pat McAuliffe Hall of Fame annual awards function at the Kiln.

Among the large gathering were many referees who served with distinction on the Business League panels over the last forty years. While the exploits of players and teams capture the imagination and are the lifeblood of all leagues, the contributions referees make to the excitement and enjoyment of the game should never be taken for granted.

Having played and refereed in the league myself, I had the opportunity to get to know many of the officials during my 14-year playing career with Roches Stores. Afterwards, after joining the branch myself in October 1993, I got to hear of their exploits during their stay in the league. 

A great ambassador has been Bertie Stark, the longest serving official with an incredible eight seasons under his belt and he's still attending many of the league’s end-of-season final competitions. He has seen it all and always has many a funny story to tell.

While moments of fun were plentiful, the serious matter of refereeing was also to be undertaken. Bertie has encountered his fair share of hilarity both on and off the pitch over the years. 

He has the unique ability of being able to diffuse situations with his own brand of wit, while at the same time gaining the respect of players as a result. 

On one occasion, a Bank of Ireland player giving him yap, looking for more protection, received a sharp response: 'Get on with it, I went in for a car loan last week and you refused!' 

COWBOY

On another occasion, a melee of players was met with the words, 'If ye don’t cop yourselves on I’ve no problem dishing out yellow cards like John Wayne does with machine gun bullets.' 

A quick-thinking player got in first saying: 'John Wayne never had a machine gun, he was a cowboy!' 

Another time, a loud shout was delivered in his direction. 'Hey Ref! You’re a bit slow with the yellow cards!'

'Just as slow as you are Pat delivering the post!' What better response could he have given to Postal Workers’ stalwart Pat Lester during a match from the official’s first appointment to the league in the mid-'90s...

Before a vital encounter between Kilcully Decking and Cash’s Export, an enthusiastic Stark entered the home team’s dressing room to find a nervous group of players huddled around a tactic board. Seizing the opportunity to lighten the moment, he moved the counters on the board to the words, 'Right, lads this is the line-out we’re going to play today!' 

He recalled, 'Some of the players must have thought I was off my game. But it had the desired effect of putting them at ease before going out onto the pitch.' 

Before a final in Turner’s Cross which involved former Super Valu striker Maurice O’Keeffe, who Bertie christened the white Andy Cole to rival the former Manchester United star’s high strike-rate, he had everyone in stitches. 

'Maurice, you were born offside, don’t give me a pain in the arm trying to keep an eye on you.'

BANTER

While officials are frowned upon if they engage too much with players in the modern game, surely a bit more of Bertie’s banter would lend itself to the enjoyment of all and should be encouraged.

As a player, I always had nothing but respect for the vastly experienced Eddie Mullins, Barry Kearney, Paddy O’Mahony, Christy Byrne, Con Dineen, Peter O’Sullivan, Finbarr Bevan,Pat Coleman and Coonie Long. 

They all had that incredible knack of reading the mood of a game and allowing play to develop if teams were also willing to do so.

And so, after leaving the function in buoyant form and being photographed with many of the greats, I thought of the words of the late Aer Lingus central defender Patsy Dorgan who put the magic of a football reunion so well in his poem of the same name. 

‘This night, I will remember, And never will it fade, Such was the warmth in greetings, With every handclasp made. 

'The sharing of nostalgia, that cherished memory. Youth once more recalled, On this night of revelry!’