Higgins hangs up his whistle
November 13, 2014
Derry's James Conway is sent off by referee Martin Higgins during the McKenna Cup Final.
Fermanagh referee Martin Higgins has dropped off the national referees panel after 11 years of service.
Higgins joined the Ulster panel in 2001 and the national panel two years later; he has decided to drop off both with immediate effect.
His first senior intercounty match was the Dr McKenna Cup meeting of Down and Monaghan in January, 2003 and his first appointment from Croke Park took him all the way to the Gaelic Grounds for New York V Tipperary in 2005.
Martin's breakthrough year came in 2006 when he was given three national league games and the Westmeath V London SFC qualifier.
In 2008, he refereed the All-Ireland club IFC final between Moycullen and Fingal Ravens as well as the All-Ireland MFC semi-final between Kerry and Mayo.
From 2010 until 2014, the Fermanagh official was part of the elite Official Referees Panel for senior championship duty. He handled provincial semi-finals in Munster and Connacht, two All-Ireland U21 semi-finals, and had the honour of refereeing all counties with the exception of Cork, Carlow and Kilkenny.
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