Paddy Mythen (Wexford) 1911-

Paddy Mythen’s claim to fame is that he refereed the All-Ireland football finals of 1943 and 1944 when Roscommon won their only senior football All-Irelands. In 1943 they defeated Cavan in a replay and in 1944 they overcame Kerry. Paddy was in charge of all three games.

Paddy was a very good footballer with the Wexford county teams of the 1920s and 1930s, and he won county championships with Clann Loinsigh in minor and in 1933, 1936 and 1937 in senior with Starlights of Enniscorthy. He played in the 1932 Leinster senior final in which Dublin beat Wexford, coming in as a substitute for the injured Jack Fane the first day and he also played in the replay. His displays earned him a place on the Leinster Railway Cup team of 1934. He played senior football for ten years, 1932-1942, with Wexford

One of the highlights of his playing career was, in his own words ‘Scoring a goal for Wexford against Dublin at Croke Park in the Leinster championships in 1932 – not because I scored the goal, but because I did it against Johnny McDonald, the Dublin goalie, whose brother was full-back.’

His greatest claim to fame as a referee, apart from the fact of refereeing successive All-Irelands, was sending off a player in the replayed final of 1943. Again, in his own words: ‘Cavan’s Joe Stafford committed a bad foul early in play, and I had no hesitation in ordering him to the line – something of a very big thing in All-Irelands in those days. And, I still think, except for his rash action that day, Cavan would have won the match.’