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Female referee Maggie Farrelly makes GAA history

Maggie Farrelly gets formalities underway before refereeing the Dr McKenna Cup match between Fermanagh and St Mary's College 
Maggie Farrelly gets formalities underway before refereeing the Dr McKenna Cup match between Fermanagh and St Mary's College  Maggie Farrelly gets formalities underway before refereeing the Dr McKenna Cup match between Fermanagh and St Mary's College 

THE GAA broke new ground on Wednesday night when a female referee took charge of a men's senior inter-county game for the first time.

Cavan woman Maggie Farrelly threw the ball in at the Dr McKenna Cup match between Fermanagh and St Mary's College at Garvaghey, Co Tyrone.

The fixture had originally been scheduled for Sunday at Brewster Park in Enniskillen but had to be postponed due to the weather.

It is not the first time Ms Farrelly has made history within the 132-year-old association and also comes as no surprise to many who have watched her career go from strength to strength.

Ms Farrelly, who hails from Laragh, last year became the first woman to officiate at a men's senior inter-county game at Croke Park when she was on the sideline for Dublin's clash with Kerry in a division one league tie.

She was also the first woman to referee a men's inter-county game when she took charge of an Ulster minor championship match between Fermanagh and Antrim last year.

Her career in refereeing began in 2006 when she was asked by her home club, Laragh United, to help out in men's matches due to a shortage of referees in the county.

She completed a foundation referee course and officiated at under-age level and in adult reserve games in her county, where she was widely praised for her brisk approach and detailed knowledge of the rules.

In 2011, the same year that she graduated from Letterkenny IT with a degree in business in sports development and coaching, she was the only female among 16 officials invited to join the Ulster GAA Referee Academy and graduated as a qualified Ulster referee in January 2013.

Female officials are also becoming more visible in other sports with Wexford's Michelle O'Neill regularly acting as an assistant referee at male Premier Division soccer matches in the Airtricity League.

She also became the first Irish woman to be selected to officiate at a Fifa Women’s World Cup.

In rugby, Helen O'Reilly became the first woman to referee a men's All-Ireland League game last year and has been appointed as a line judge for her first professional rugby match in August.

Female match officials are also operating in the English men's football league with one of the most high-profile being Sian Massey-Ellis.

She has run the line at Premier League games and was assistant referee for the FA Trophy in 2012.