Laois GAA referee to take charge of All-Ireland Junior Football final at Croke Park

The Heath's Séamus Mulhare has been handed the honour of officiating this year's All-Ireland Junior Football Championship Final at Croke Park.

Mulhare will take charge of the decider between New York or Warwickshire and London or Kilkenny, which throws in at 1.30pm on Sunday, July 13 with the finalists confirmed on Friday, July 11. The game will be streamed live on Spórt TG4’s YouTube channel.

It’s another high-profile assignment for Mulhare, who continues to make his mark as one of Laois’ leading referees on the national stage. Well respected for his clear communication and firm control, he’s no stranger to big occasions, and this latest appointment is a reflection of his standing within refereeing circles.

But it’s not just football where he’s been making headlines this week. Mulhare also appeared on the latest episode of The 2 Johnnies Podcast, titled 'Ep. 385: Prison Officers', where he joined two colleagues to speak candidly about life inside Ireland’s prison system.

As a full-time prison officer himself, Séamus offered listeners a behind-the-scenes glimpse into a job that few fully understand, discussing everything from the day-to-day routines to the unique challenges of the role, including the smells, the food, and even the toilets. The episode has drawn a big reaction online, with many praising the trio for their honesty and insight into a vital public service.

“We were asked to do the podcast as part of the upcoming recruitment campaign for the Irish Prison Service,” he explained. “We got across points which some people find interesting and some things that would interest people in joining."

“One of those was how we deal with some of the most violent people in society behind bars. We teach C&R (Control and Restraint) to RPOs (recruit prison officers), and this is a way to control non-compliant prisoners using different types of joint manipulation. In situations like ‘armed violent inmate’ removal or a ‘spontaneous incident’, we would be called to deal with it."

“I have been a control and restraint instructor for over a decade and teach all staff (along with other instructors) across the Irish Prison Service these techniques. Our main aim is to de-escalate situations, but if that fails, we have to use force.”

His appearance comes as the Irish Prison Service launches its latest recruitment drive, which officially opened on Friday, July 4, and is now live on publicjobs.ie.

Mulhare also lined-out in goals for his club, The Heath, against Courtwood in last weekend’s ACFL Division 1 relegation play-off at the age of 44.

Now his attention turns back to Croke Park, as he prepares to take the whistle for this year's Junior All-Ireland Football final.

READ NEXT: ‘The game needed changes’- Laois GAA referee Seamus Mulhare on GAA rules shake-up