The GAA’s first female inter-county referee reveals elite ambition

Maggie Farrelly didn't have much time to try and bask in the glory of her history making turn in the annals of the GAA last night.

The Cavan native had to get up for work just hours after she became the first ever woman to referee a senior inter-county clash in last night's Dr McKenna Cup. She took charge of the encounter between Fermanagh and St Mary's with huge praise for her efforts and temperament afterwards. The referee was not involved in any major controversial moments despite sending off St Mary's Matthew Fitzpatrick, and afterwards she was widely praised for her history making  role in a sporting contest by Fermanagh boss Pete McGrath,

"I think Maggie handled the game very well. The players, I think, handled the situation of a female referee very well. They didn't show her any respect that she wasn't due, they showed her the respect that any referee is due. I think she has certainly made a very good start to her inter-county career."

https://twitter.com/bbcchampionship/status/685082262279471104 The inter-county referee made history in 2015 when she ran the line in the Allianz football league clash between Dublin and Kerry in Croke Park. After the game last night she revealed that she would love to continue her ascent, and perhaps become an example for other women to get involved in refereeing,

"At the moment, since joining the Ulster GAA Academy in 2011, through to 2013, I came out of that and joined the National Support Panel and I am presently on that. That's a massive learning curve and it's a massive experience to be out with the inter-county referees at senior Championship games." "You are learning all the time from that. Again, this is just a McKenna Cup game. It's just the next step up the ladder. You just have to take every day as it comes."

Certainly there was lost of her admiration for her last night. https://twitter.com/TyroneGAALive/status/685048317533884417 https://twitter.com/mickylavelle/status/684889213129617408 https://twitter.com/AliceAmcnally94/status/684874842093522944 https://twitter.com/Tracey_Cork/status/684815768807182336 https://twitter.com/tullymuck88/status/685008878963159040