The referees for the ESB All Ireland minor and Guinness All-Ireland senior hurling championship finals on 3 September have been confirmed.
The senior final, between Kilkenny and Cork, will be refereed by Barry Kelly of Westmeath. It is Kelly's first time to referee an All-Ireland senior hurling final. However, he brings much experience to his refereeing role. A major intercounty assignment early in his career was the 2000 All-Ireland minor final.
He is a member of the St Oliver Plunkett's club in Mullingar and played football and hurling. Mr Kelly refereed the AIB All-Ireland club senior final of 2004 and was the man-in-the-middle at last year's Munster senior decider between Cork and Tipperary.
He has been regularly on duty in the Allianz League and earlier this summer was in charge of the Tipperary v Waterford Guinness All-Ireland hurling quarter-final.
Dominic Connolly of Kilkenny will take charge of the minor decider between Galway and Tipperary. From the Mooncoin club, Connolly is in his third season as an intercounty referee. Last year, his programme included the Leinster minor final between Dublin and Wexford and early this year he refereed the All-Ireland club junior hurling semi-final between Fr O'Neill's, Cork, and Castleblayney at Carlow.
He was also on duty in the Allianz League and recently refereed the final of the Nicky Rackard Cup.
