Barry Kelly walks the line in a long goodbye

Barry Kelly hasn’t retired. Not officially, anyway. The 2017 season was his last as an inter-county referee but not as a match official.

“If you say you’ve retired then lads are surprised to see you doing the line. Lads have copped that I’m not refereeing but I have been linesman.”

As he has done already this year for the likes of John Keenan, Seán Stack and, most recently, Colm Lyons in the Wexford-Kilkenny Division 1 semi-final, four-time All-Ireland final referee Kelly has made himself available to carry a flag this summer.