James Hatton (14 August 1934 – 28 February 2023) was an Irish

Gaelic football Gaelic football ( ga, Peil Ghaelach; short name '), commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA or Football is an Irish team sport. It is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score by kic ...

er, hurler and referee. He played at club level with Kilcoole and was a dual player with the Wicklow senior teams. Hatton also served as a referee at club and inter-county levels.

Playing career

Hatton first played

and

hurling Hurling ( ga, iománaíocht, ') is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic Irish origin, played by men. One of Ireland's native Gaelic games, it shares a number of features with Gaelic football, such as the field and goals, the number of p ...

as a schoolboy with Kilcoole NS and Greystones CBS, winning a North Wicklow Juvenile League title in 1948. He later played at underage levels with Newtownmountkennedy and won a Wicklow U16FC title in 1950. Hatton later had a lengthy career at senior levels with the Kilcoole club. He won a Wicklow SFC title in 1954, while he also lined out in several Wicklow SHC finals. Hatton also spent a decade as a dual player with Wicklow. He won an O'Byrne Cup title in 1957 and a Leinster JHC medal in 1964.

Post-playing career

Hatton began refereeing at club level in 1957. He had the distinction of refereeing 11 All-Ireland finals at club and inter-county levels in both hurling and Gaelic football. These include eight All-Ireland finals at senior level, including both senior finals in 1966. Hatton also refereed the inaugural All-Ireland club final in 1971. Hatton also served in various administrative roles with the Kilcoole club. He was a team selector when Wicklow won the Leinster JFC title in 1969 and when the Wicklow senior hurlers won Division 2 of the

National Hurling League The National Hurling League is an annual Inter county, inter-county hurling competition featuring teams from Ireland and England. Founded in 1925 by the Gaelic Athletic Association, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation within the l ...

in 1976.

Personal life and death

Hatton worked as a company rep for a clothing company. He married Rose Reilly in 1965 and the couple had four children; two boys and two girls. She predeceased Hatton in 2017. Hatton died on 28 February 2023, at the age of 88.

Honours

;Newtownmountkennedy *Wicklow Under-16 Football Championship: 1950 ;Kilcoole * Wicklow Senior Football Championship: 1954 *West Wicklow Senior Football Championship: 1954 ;Wicklow * O'Byrne Cup: 1957 * Leinster Junior Hurling Championship:

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hatton, Jimmy 1934 births 2023 deaths Dual players Kilcoole Gaelic footballers Kilcoole hurlers Wicklow inter-county Gaelic footballers Wicklow inter-county hurlers Gaelic football referees Hurling referees All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final referees