A man for all seasons
November 30, 2007
Generally when a GAA player reaches the mid 30 mark, thoughts of retirement are seriously considered. However, for some like St Patrick's stalwart Paul Tobin, hanging up the boots is something that has to be put on the back burner for the time being.
Not only is Paul content with helping St Patrick's win the Junior Hurling Championship, but he also lined out for the Meath Over-40's for the second consecutive year. Throw in the fact that the Dublin native is an established referee in the county and you get the sense of feeling that the GAA is an integral part of this man's life.
Having helped the renowned St Vincent's club to numerous titles in hurling and representing the Dubs in the small ball code from 1989 to 1996, the talented forward's career was almost cut short when a broken leg was suffered during a soccer match of all things during 1998.
"It's cringing to admit this, but I broke the leg playing soccer and for a GAA man to do that is not something we like to admit," Paul joked. "I was actually told that I couldn't play again or I could be faced with the possibility of ending up in a wheelchair, so it was a serious enough injury."
At around the same time, the St Patrick's hurling club was established in Stamullen with the aim of promoting the game in an area in which there had been very little hurling down through the years.
To have his hurling career cruelly cut short like that left Paul with a void filled and a conversation with an old friend lead to him picking up the referee's whistle.
"I kind of didn't know what to do with myself until one day I met Croke Park Chief steward John Leonard in Dublin and he asked would I consider refereeing. I'd always liked the idea of doing that as it gives me the opportunity to give something back.
The opportunity to referee saw Paul rise swiftly through the ranks and it wasn't too long before his services were required in more than one county.
"I was fast tracked through a referee's course and started refereeing at adult level in Dublin. Since then I've officiated at matches in Dublin, Louth and Meath. I was an inter-county referee for four years, but this took up too much effort as you could be sent to any part of the country on a Sunday or even during the week," he revealed.
Nonetheless, despite being told that his hurling career was finished, a move to Bellewstown in November 2000 paved the way for Paul to reacquaint himself with the sport that is his first love.
"The St Patrick's chairman Kevin McLoughlin asked if I would be interested in playing with the side. I had really missed playing and jumped at the chance. It took a few years to get the team established, but since we have gone from strength to strength.
"A couple more lads joined from St Vincent's, Phil Harney and Mark Scanlon and they made a huge difference. In 2004, we won the junior 2 hurling final when we beat Killyon and that was a massive achievement for a club of our size."
The following year, Kildalkey were put the sword in the junior final. The game looked to be out of St Pat's reach until a certain Mr Tobin blasted a 20-metre free to the back of the net, when many may have opted to take a point, but the decision proved how strong a character this man was.
"Reaching the intermediate grade was brilliant and was made all the more special by the fact that the club was only a few years in existence. It was a huge step up for us as we found the skill level and speed to be a lot quicker. We lost the majority of our matches narrowly and with a bit more luck could have stayed up, but the experience we gathered from playing in the grade was immense."
Despite, only surviving in the IHC for just one season, St Pat's were to bounce back quickly and the belief was in the squad from a very early stage.
"We knew we were good enough to win the junior championship. It was just a matter of playing to our potential. Kilmessan were the opposition in the final and we already had beaten them in an earlier round, but you could not take them for granted. Luckily, things went well for us on the day and we were deserved winners.
"I believe the catalyst for our success was the appointment of Rebecca Kirwan as coach. It is unusual to find a woman coaching a team, but she proved that she was more than capable of doing so. She brought in new drills and just changed the structure of the training a little, which kept everyone interested."
Having lined out for Meath in junior hurling, and indeed helped the county to All-Ireland success in 2004, when at full-forward, Paul scored 1-2 in the win over Down, he was then asked to play with the Royals in the Over-40's championship and he duly obliged. However, this year he was left with a conflict of interests as both Meath and his native county Dublin searched for his services.
"I was asked to play for both counties this year, but I decided to stay with Meath. We had a great craic last year and there are a good bunch of lads. It is all a bit of fun and hopefully it will continue to be played every year."
As playing, training and refereeing takes up a considerable amount of his free time, Paul is fortunate to have a very understanding family that support him in every way possible.
"My wife Ann-Marie puts up with a lot as I'm nearly always out in the evenings, especially during the summer. I have two kids Eva and JJ. No matter what games or training I go too, Eva always comes along and has a great interest in sport. JJ is still very young, but already he is kicking a ball around at home and I'm sure it won't be long before he's coming along too."
Paul works in the Planning Division of Fingal County Council. The local authority for Fingal, provides an extensive range of infrastructure services, and plays an active role in the development of the area's industry, business, social, arts, heritage and cultural affairs. It also functions as the regulatory body for certain matters at local level.
"My role as inspector of planning is to monitor what stage a development is at and to look after the financial aspects of the projects."
Local Authorities perform both a representational and an operational role because the Irish system of Local Government encompasses both democratic representation and public administration.
Time has not slowed Paul Tobin down and he continues to lead the line for St Patrick's and Meath Over-40's, while plying his trade as one of the top officials in the county with the smile of an enthusiastic teenager. The GAA is built around such characters.
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