Margaret Farrelly to become first woman to referee senior football final

Margaret Farrelly will become the first woman to referee a senior men's football county final after being appointed to the Cavan final replay.

The match between Gowna and Ramor United will take place on November 14th at Kingspan Breffni.

The two sides played out a 0-10 0-10 draw on Sunday afternoon in the first instalment of the final.

Farrelly also made history in 2015 when she became the first woman to referee a men’s intercounty fixture when Fermanagh and Antrim met in the Ulster minor football final.

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In 2016, she took charge of a senior clash for the first time, Fermanagh and St Mary’s McKenna Cup tie.

At a Sport Ireland webinar that discussed women in officiating earlier in the year, Farrelly spoke of her desire for momentous achievement such as these to soon become the norm:

“What we are hoping for in the future is that we can take these words away, that it is no longer about gender, that it is just a referee that turns up to referee a game, we shouldn’t have to distinguish between male or female referees, that it is just a referee.

“Hopefully that these headlines will be diminished, the glass ceiling is broken, and many more people will follow in the footsteps of the likes of myself.”

Elsewhere on Sunday, for the first time both the Meath men’s and ladies’ county finals were held on the same day.

Dunboyne saw off Seneschalstown to take the ladies’ crown, while Wolfe Tones took home the men’s title.