Five former referees honoured with Pat McAuliffe Hall of Fame Awards

The Irish Soccer Referees Society Cork Branch had a great night recently in the Kiln in the Heineken Brewery, where they presented five former referees with Pat McAuliffe Hall of Fame Awards.

Christy Byrne, Finbarr Bevan, Eddie Mullins, Barry Kearney and Sean Manley were all honoured for their contribution to sport in Cork.

We documented both Christy’s and Finbarr’s careers a few weeks ago and now, we're looking at Eddie’s, Barry’s and Sean’s careers.

EDDIE MULLINS:

Eddie Mullins a truly remarkable man who everybody in football circles has immense respect for, not only for his skill and dedication on the pitch. Also for his character integrity and patience throughout his long career who he dedicated 40 years of his life to refereeing and served as Chairman for five of those years. 

He is legendary for his humour and sharp one-liners, often using that wit to diffuse many a situation both on and off the pitch. 

When asked why he gave up playing, his reply-delivered with his trademark humour was that his eyesight was going at the time, hence he took up the whistle!

He refereed for 15 years in the League of Ireland and one highlight being linesman in the 1970 FAI Cup Final between Bohemians v Sligo Rovers, a final that took three games to settle before Bohs finally won 2-1.

Some of the other highlights of his career included two International trips, one was at the Nations Cup in Paris for France v Russia and the other was to Iceland for a European Cup match between France and Bratislava, quite a prestigious appointment at the time. 

His also refereed two Schoolboy’s internationals games between Ireland and France and Ireland and West Germany, both played at Flower Lodge. The rest of Eddie’s career was at local level where he exceled in every aspect of refereeing from schoolboys, where he began, to senior league and all other leagues in between.

BARRY KEARNEY:

Barry Kearney joined the society and spent three seasons officiating at local level before, out of the blue, he was promoted to the League of Ireland panel. 

It came as a huge shock at the time, but it began seven remarkable seasons at that level.

One of the highlights of his career came when he was appointed to referee Bohemians versus Finn Harps in Dalymount Park. 

Walking onto that pitch, he thought of all the great players, cup finals, and international matches that had taken place there.

He also speaks fondly of his late brother, Noel, who likewise officiated in the League of Ireland.

When his time in the League of Ireland ended, he returned to the grassroots game and refereed in the senior league, at intermediate level, AUL and Shipping League finals and embraced the challenges of local football with enthusiasm.

Over an incredible 32 years as a referee, he has left a lasting impact at every level, showing that dedication, fairness, and respect are the cornerstones of the role.

When he finally hung up his boots, he was honoured to be made a lifetime member of the branch, proudly wearing his badge on his suit, and he thanks all his fellow referees who supported him along the way.

From local pitches to Dalymount Park, his dedication, passion, and love for the game have made a lasting impression beyond the matches and milestones.

SEAN MANLEY:

Sean Manley enjoyed 23 years as a referee, followed by two years as an assessor. 

He spent eight of those years on the League of Ireland panel. 

One of his standout appointments was serving as assistant referee to John Carpenter in the FAI Cup Final between UCD and Shamrock Rovers, which UCD won 2-1. 

He also assisted Kevin O'Sullivan in the League Cup Final between Galway United and Dundalk. 

What people still talk about from that game is the opening minute, a mass confrontation involving nearly 20 players broke out with Kevin right in the middle pulling and dragging players off one another and somehow managed to restart the match without issuing a single card.

Another memorable occasion was in Flower Lodge in 1984, one of Jack Charlton's very first games in charge of Ireland a friendly against Liverpool, managed by Kenny Dalglish.

Unfortunately, his League of Ireland career had to come to an end after eight years due to work commitments, he returned to refereeing at local level. 

There, he continued to excel, taking charge of four consecutive cup finals, two intermediate cup finals, the FAI Junior Cup final in Dublin and the Collingwood Cup final at the Farm.

He also served as chairman of the branch for four years, as well as other roles on the committee.