John Keenan Will Be The Man In The Middle For The 2023 All Ireland Senior Hurling Final
Elation and a sheer sense of justice are the emotions that come to the fore as the GAA have announced that John Keenan a proud Aughrim GAA club man and an equally proud Wicklow GAA man will be the man tasked to take charge of the 2023 All Ireland Senior Hurling Final clash between Limerick & Kilkenny.
John is a referee who has worked his way to the top of the refereeing ranks alongside his father, brothers and friends who have donned the umpires white jackets alongside him all the way and the strong backing from so many of the top officials both past and present along with pundits and hurling supporters across the land are testament to the calibre of his refereeing. It’s hard to believe that this will be his first time to take charge of hurlings showpiece given the esteem he is held in by all quarters and the many classic games that he oversaw which he in no small part contributed to but thankfully the powers that be finally saw the good sense to give him the greatest honour possible for a hurling referee.
The selection of John for the biggest game of them all also rewards two other Wicklow men who have travelled the length and breadth of Ireland alongside John as his umpires Eddie Leonard (St Pats) and Tommy Redmond (Tinahely) will be the men manning the flags in HQ and their long and excellent service will be rewarded.
As we know it is getting harder these days to recruit officials but luckily for us in the Garden County we have a referee of John’s caliber who is a shining example to any young budding referee in this county who may harbour ambitions to one day officiate at the very top level.
With top level referees like John Keenan and Anthony Nolan blazing a trail for Wicklow Referees there is no better time to get involved in officiating in this county when you have the help and support of two of the GAA’s top officials on tap and other newer faces to the inter county panels like Darragh Byrne and Stephen Fagan among others making great progress at county level.
From us all here and no doubt every GAA fan in County Wicklow we wish John, Eddie and Tommy all the very best on the big day in what will be a memorable and richly deserved occasion for each of them and their families.
