Former senior inter-county hurling referee Paud O'Dwyer. Photo by Ray McManus/Sportsfile
By Cian O’Connell
Paud O’Dwyer laughs about the hectic schedule. Training teams and refereeing matches is simply what he does.
To be preparing for a Carlow SFC final as joint Palatine manager alongside his friend Eddie McGarry means so much to O’Dywer.
Just over two and a half decades ago, he started playing for Palatine, and the time has flown by. “I played all my underage and played up until I was about 23 at home in Wexford,” O’Dwyer says.
“The job I was in at the time was managing a bar in Carlow town. I couldn't get home for training to Wexford, a lot of the Palatine guys were frequenting the bar I was working in, they persuaded me to go out there. That was in 1997 and I haven't left yet.”
Sunday’s Netwatch Cullen Park decider against Rathvilly carries intrigue. O’Dwyer, who was the man in the middle in the 2023 showpiece, is delighted to be involved on the sideline on this occasion. “There is a great buzz around alright, we had a disappointing year last year,” O’Dwyer says.
“Through a number of circumstances we ended up in a relegation final. So, to turn that around, to go from there to this year's senior final, it is a great achievement, and it is creating a good buzz around the club.”
Why has there been such a dramatic change for Palatine? “Last year we were in the toughest group as we were this year,” O’Dwyer responds.
“We were unfortunate in our first game last year, momentum went against us after that. This year, we got over the first game, built a bit of momentum from it, and we've kept that going.”
Referee Paud O'Dwyer with Tinryland captain Shane Redmond and Éire Óg captain Jordan Morrissey before the 2023 Carlow SFC Final. Photo by Matt Browne/Sportsfile
O’Dwyer knows the value of competing for top honours in Carlow. As a player O’Dwyer was part of Palatine’s cherished 2006 triumph. “I was on that team with my fellow joint manager Eddie McGarry,” O’Dwyer recalls.
“We were both on that '06 team. It was a special one for the club because the previous victory before that was in 1952. That particular team had been beaten in about four county finals. We eventually fell over the line. It was a huge relief for everyone involved and the club itself.
“We built from that then. We were unlucky for a couple of years, we lost maybe three or four more county finals before winning again in '15 and '16 and winning then two years ago.
“It has been a good last couple of decades with a lot of hard work behind the scenes, building up to where we are now.”
The work being carried out in the juvenile ranks is critical according to O’Dwyer. Palatine adopted a different approach a while back, and it has served them well. “We changed our whole underage structure around about 10 or 12 years ago,” O’Dwyer explains.
“We made a decision in the club to have no parents involved with teams from U14 up. That was a conscious club decision that was put down. Since then, we've turned a lot around. That isn't to say there wasn't great parents involved for years, of course there was.
“We've developed our own coaches within the club to take over those particular teams. Since then, we've had a big turnaround in our underage fortunes. We currently are in the minor final for this year, we're one game away from the U16 final which we were in last year too.
“We've found that it has helped. We won the U14 final already this year. We're doing an awful lot of hard work at underage, we've three teams at U12, two at U14, two at U16, and two at minor. So, a lot of hard work has been put in, and it is starting to pay dividends.”
Kenny Lyons, Westmeath, and Paud O'Dwyer, Carlow, in Leinster SFC action in 1999. Photo by Damien Eagers/Sportsfile
O’Dwyer acknowledges it was a brave decision by the club and it took time and patience to implement. “It did, certainly,” O’Dwyer replies.
“We had to get a big buy in from the parents when we discussed it first. We explained the reasons and what we felt would be the good things for it and the benefits of it. Obviously, not everyone would have agreed, but it was voted on, and it has proved successful. We've parents involved U6, U8, U10, and U12, naturally some of them want to keep going with their kids.
“We just feel it is better to be listening to different coaches, we try to make sure the same coaches aren't with the same teams for more than two years, that they move around. So, everyone is listening to different voices. It seems to be benefitting us.”
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As an inter-county hurling referee Paud O’Dwyer became used to officiating in high profile fixtures. His refereeing story commenced because he wanted to ensure Palatine retained their All-Ireland finals ticket allocation. “Back around '06 the County Board were putting pressure on clubs, threatening to pull All-Ireland final tickets if clubs didn't provide a referee,” O’Dwyer says.
“At the time Palatine didn't have a referee. A very good friend of mine, who was in charge of the All-Ireland final tickets within the club, Paul Treacy, who has umpired for me every year since then, he persuaded me to just go in there, to do a few games, that we'd be grand.
“So, I went in, did the course, and did a few games. I started to enjoy it. I decided to stay at it then. I was playing senior up until '08. I played junior for years after.
“I was trying to do a bit of both at the same time. I just found that I really enjoyed it, the more you progressed up the ladder, the more you enjoyed it. The bigger the game, the better it was.”
O’Dwyer quickly made an impact as a referee in both codes in Carlow. “I did juvenile games until I finished playing senior,” O’Dwyer says.
Palatine joint manager Eddie McGarry in action for Carlow in 2001. Photo by Damien Eagers/Sportsfile
“My first year reffing senior was '09, I did the senior hurling semi-final in '09, and I reffed the senior football final in 2010, after playing in it in 2008. So, I progressed fairly quickly within Carlow, and then moved on to Leinster, and national after that.”
Was the fact O’Dwyer had played at a high level a help refereeing? “It was, I wouldn't be knocking anyone who didn't play, but certainly when I started off first doing senior games in Carlow, lads would listen a bit more at the start because they realised this lad is fit, he is up with play, and he knows what is going on,” O’Dwyer says.
“Now, over the years lads would get fed up listening to you too. It definitely helps, you've a fair idea of the dark arts going on. I played in the backs my whole life, in both hurling and football, so I knew exactly what the corner backs were up to.”
Sport is a commitment, but there is real enjoyment for O’Dwyer. “My wife never sees me, that is why we get on so well,” he chuckles.
“Eddie and myself either coached or played with every single one of the players on the panel.”
Assisting players development is important. “A few of the older lads we'd have played with and between the two of us we'd have coached every single one of the younger lads,” he adds.
“We went from U12 up all the way through the grades on separate teams. The starting midfield we'll have on Sunday is Finbar Kavanagh and Cillian Duff. I coached the two of them at U12 for example on a very average team at the time.
“It is very fulfilling to see the two of them go the whole way up. Now, they're starting midfielders for us on Sunday. Little things like that give you great fulfilment.”
