John Dowling (18 November 1931 – 9 February 2002) was a

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 ...

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 ...

referee, who served as the 29th president of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). He was born in Tullamore,

County Offaly County Offaly (; ga, Contae Uíbh Fhailí) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe. It was formerly known as King's County, in hono ...

, and became the first Offaly man to hold that office.

Career

Dowling refereed five All-Ireland finals, including both hurling and football All-Ireland senior finals in 1960. That year he officiated

Down Down most often refers to: * Down, the relative direction opposed to up * Down (gridiron football), in American/Canadian football, a period when one play takes place * Down feather, a soft bird feather used in bedding and clothing * Downland, a ty ...

's first All-Ireland SFC title win. Dowling refereed Connacht, Leinster,

Munster Munster ( gle, an Mhumhain or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the south of Ireland. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" ( ga, rí ruirech). Following the ...

and Ulster finals as well as league finals. At his death, suddenly at the age of 71 in February 2002, he was described as "arguably the greatest ever GAA referee". He was part of the team that founded the original Tullamore Harriers Club. He went on to serve as club secretary, county secretary and chairman of the Leinster Provincial Council. In his time as county secretary, first the Offaly county football team in the 1970s and then the

Offaly county hurling team The Offaly county hurling team represents Offaly in hurling and is governed by Offaly GAA, the county board of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The team competes in the Joe McDonagh Cup and the National Hurling League. Offaly's home ground is ...

in the 1980s came to prominence, with Dowling credited for his part in this. When Offaly defeated

Kilkenny Kilkenny (). is a city in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region and in the province of Leinster. It is built on both banks of the River Nore. The 2016 census gave the total population of Kilkenny as 26,512. Kilken ...

in the 1980 Leinster Senior Hurling Championship final, Dowling was seen near

Damien Martin Damien Martin (born 2 October 1946) is an Irish former hurler who played as a goalkeeper for the Offaly senior hurling team. Born in Banagher, County Offaly, Martin first arrived on the inter-county scene when he first linked up with the Offa ...

's goal during the second half, urging the team onwards to a first Leinster SHC title. From 1981 to 1983 he served as chairman of GAA's Leinster Council. He was elected 29th president of the Gaelic Athletic Association, taking office in 1988 and serving until 1991. As GAA president he negotiated land to help develop

Croke Park Croke Park ( ga, Páirc an Chrócaigh, ) is a Gaelic games stadium in Dublin, Ireland. Named after Archbishop Thomas Croke, it is referred to as Croker by GAA fans and locals. It serves as both the principal national stadium of Ireland and he ...

Personal life

From Tullamore, Dowling worked for

An Post (; literally 'The Post') is the state-owned provider of postal services in Ireland. An Post provides a "universal postal service" to all parts of the country as a member of the Universal Postal Union. Services provided include letter post, p ...

. Married to Mae, the couple had two sons and two daughters.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dowling, John 1931 births 2002 deaths All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final referees All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final referees Chairmen of Gaelic games governing bodies Gaelic games club administrators Gaelic football referees Hurling referees Leinster Provincial Council administrators Offaly County Board administrators Sportspeople from Tullamore, County Offaly Presidents of the Gaelic Athletic Association Secretaries of county boards of the Gaelic Athletic Association