Confirmed: John Keenan handed All-Ireland hurling final duties

Keenan is set to officiate the decider. 

CALL-UP: Referee John Keenan. Pic: ©INPHO/Bryan Keane

UPDATED: John Keenan has been named as All-Ireland senior hurling final referee, as flagged on Examiner Sport. It will be his first senior final.

His linemen on the day will be Galway’s Liam Gordon and Wexford’s James Owens, with Gordon nominated as the standby referee. The sideline official will be Shane Hynes from Galway.

The umpires for the final will be Tommy Redmond (Tinahely) and Eddie Leonard (St Patrick’s), Paul Reville (Turin) and David Clune (Delvin).

Wicklow man Keenan reffed last year’s extra-time Munster SHC decider between Limerick and Clare, and last took charge of the All-Ireland quarter-final between Galway and Tipperary in TUS Gaelic Grounds last month.

The GAA are delighted to confirm that John Keenan from @wicklowgaa will be the referee for the 2023 GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship Final on July 23rd between @LimerickCLG and @KilkennyCLG in what will be John's first Senior Final. #GAABelong

— The GAA (@officialgaa) July 13, 2023

Aughrim clubman Keenan also officiated this year’s Waterford-Clare and Tipperary-Waterford Munster SHC round games in Thurles as well as the Antrim-Dublin Leinster opener in Belfast.

In the Allianz Hurling League, the former Wicklow hurler was the man in the middle for the Kilkenny-Cork semi-final in UPMC Nowlan Park.

In previous years, Keenan refereed the 2019 Wexford-Kilkenny Leinster final as well as Limerick’s Munster SHC opener against Cork last season. He also supervised the Limerick-Waterford All-Ireland semi-final in 2021 when he sent off Peter Casey. 

However, the suspension was later overturned on the basis of video evidence and the Limerick forward lined out against Cork in the decider.

The July 23 game could be Keenan’s final senior inter-county game as he will hit the age limit of 50 in 2024. However, there are suggestions that the cap could be lifted due to a shortage of elite referees. 

Paud O’Dwyer is also about to hit the mandatory retirement age, while Fergal Horgan stepped away before the start of this season.