Pat still making the calls at 71

Carry on Cullen, 71 not out

As Pat Cullen says himself, he’s been refereeing more years than he cares — or dares — to remember.

Pushed for an answer, the Loughmore-Castleiney man figures it might be 35 or so.

Who’s counting? He can’t remember his first game, anyway. But his first controversy? Crystal clear.

“I sent off a fella for a certain thing but then I heard from the umpire afterwards that he only retaliated.

“I went into the board then and pleaded for him. He wasn’t there but I didn’t send in the report the way I should have sent it in.

“I was a delegate to the board as club chairman and I was given out to for not sending it in right.

“The man got away with one month rather than being suspended for two months.”

Now at the tender age of 71, Cullen is still on the rota doing football and hurling school games as well as junior and intermediate challenges here and there. Fitness-wise, he maintains he’s still in decent enough condition, walking his dog every day. “Until another animal decides to run after us!” But why is he still at it? “The enjoyment of it and doing it for the GAA, of course. There’d be school matches and what have you and if referees aren’t available so they call on me.”

His son Jonathan, secretary of the Mid Tipperary board, is certainly grateful for his services.

Cullen’s inspiration was the late John Moloney of Bansha, who refereed six All-Ireland senior finals, five football and one hurling.

“Anything I ever learned, I did from him. He was the best referee I ever saw. He used common sense.”

Although, Cullen’s interpretation of common sense has been known to be a mite loose. He recalls being delayed for an intermediate hurling game in Thurles he was down to officiate.

“Our own club happened to be playing junior hurling beforehand and the game went to extra-time. Some of my umpires were playing in a match. Within 10 minutes or quarter of an hour of it going into extra-time, I’d word sent into Thurles that I would be late. When I eventually came out onto the field the crowd started to clap. I bowed to them!”

Cullen, a retired farmer, chuckles at the memory. He never minded the crowds. The heckles, the brickbats — they went in one ear and out the other.

“Most of the time it was only comment. Sometimes it was fair comment and most of the time it wasn’t. Anyway, the day you don’t have a lad shouting from the sideline is the day the GAA won’t be there. The lad who gets into trouble with referees is the fella who has passion for the GAA. The fair weather fella, you won’t hear from him because he’s only there on a fine day. The guy who does everything for the GAA is usually the fella who gets into a small bit of bother. If you’re refereeing you can’t expect to go through life without criticism. When I’m on the sideline I don’t spare referees either. Why should I take umbrage with lads who give out to me!”

Compared to when he started out, he thinks the treatment of the men in black is excellent. “I can’t see any reason why they would need anymore. It’s a tough job but people know that before they started. They’re all talking about getting young referees — my attitude would be to get referees in their 30s when they’re finished playing as they have the experience of playing games.”

He’s not so sure about the inter-county scene, though. Bigger spotlight means bigger target.

“There’s a lot more media coverage of what referees do. I wouldn’t want to be an inter-county ref because everything is chewed over three or four times on The Sunday Game and things like that. There’s no referee so perfect that he’s not going to make some mistake in a match. You have to take the rough with the smooth. If you’re consistent — even if you’re refereeing bad — you can be reasonably satisfied. As long as you blow for the same thing for both teams. That wouldn’t be so bad.”

Cullen guffawed when he read recently of the unsuccessful motion calling for all inter-county umpires to be referees. “I wouldn’t agree with that. If you’re doing referee and doing umpire you’re trying to referee the match as well as trying to judge what is and isn’t a score. so ordinary people are the people to do umpiring for me.”

Cullen describes himself as more of a hurling man but admits he does more to promote football in his dual club. “We’d four lads in the minor footballers that won the All-Ireland last year — the captain and three other lads. What more would you want?”

Back to himself, he claims he’s never treated any game he’s refereed differently.

“They’ve all been important to me whether it’s been an U12 or a county intermediate final, which was the highest grade I did. I never took any account as long as the scores went over and you move onto the next one. Every day you go out is grand and you make new friends. More often than not, you let bygones be bygones.”

The septuagenarian has no plans to retire his whistle just yet either.

“If I keep taking the tablets I’ve some chance! My father lived until he was 99 but I don’t expect to last that long!”