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Former St Paul’s star on fast-track to become a top basketball referee

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By Sean Moriarty

A Killarney woman is making a name for herself as one of the few female basketball referees in the country.

OFFICIALS: Emer Buckley with the CEO of Basketball Ireland John Feehan. Photo: Martin Doherty

IN ACTION: Killarney referee Emer Buckley pictured in action on the court.

Emer Buckley, a former Irish International and St Paul’s Killarney star, is enjoying a second career as a Basketball Ireland official.

Emer is the only Superleague referee in Kerry. There are two other Kerry female officials who are on the national league panel.

Last month she was one of the three designated officials to take charge of the Womens’ National Cup Final in Dublin and her ambition is to officiate at Men’s Superleague games in the future.

Her career as a basketball referee started shortly after she hung up her national and club jersey.

Keen to stay involved in the sport that shaped her life, the Ardshanavooly-raised woman started refereeing school matches in the popular town league, about 10 years ago.

“The competitive streak in me meant that I could not carry on playing just for fun, I had to get involved on the inside,” she told the Killarney Advertiser. “Breeda O’Neill rang me one time and said she was desperate for a referee for a juvenile town league game – it kind of took off from there.”

OFFICIAL SIDE

The local town league matches sparked an interest in the official side of the sport and after taking a few Basketball Ireland courses she started to referee local county matches in Kerry.

Her work rate and sense of fairness on the court attracted the attention of Paul Dempsey, one of Ireland’s top Basketball officials and FIBA (International Basketball Federation) National educator, and he encouraged Muckross-based Buckley to take national league level courses.

She officiated her first national league game back in 2012 under her mentor, Emma Perry, another top senior Irish basketball official.

Perry is a driving force behind getting more woman involved at an official capacity and guided Buckley along her journey.

All through lockdown, she spent hours on Zoom calls and other online courses to continue educating herself and to improve as an official. These courses were led by FIBA national educators from all over Europe.

This resulted in her being selected as one of the three match officials for the national semi-finals and finals last month.

For the average spectator in the stands, it looks like the referees just turn up on the day of game, take charge and go home once it is over.

PREPARATION

A typical national match would involve hours of pre-event preparation. Buckley studies videos of previous matches involving both teams so she can get an understanding of their style of play.

She must build off-court relationships with club managers and team officials and once it is all over she is subjected to peer assessments who comment on what she did right or wrong during a game.

She must remain physically fit too. An average basketball match could last over an hour and a half including time-outs and overtime and while team players rotate during the game the officials must remain physically and mentally alert for the duration.

“I try and go for three to four runs a week which could be between 5 or 10kms on a good week,” she added.

It is a serious commitment, she works full-time and has to find time for her children Michaela (22), Jack (18) and Emily (12).

“They are my number one supporters. When they tell their friends they are going to a match, their friends ask "What team are you supporting?", and they say "We are supporting the ref",” Buckley said.

She has received a lot of support throughout her career as an official and in turn Emer is passing her knowledge to all local league officials as she is also the development officer for the Kerry Officials Association.

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Newstalk Summer Tour arrives in Killarney

Newstalk’s 2025 Summer Tour, in association with ESB, is making its way to Killarney this week, bringing live broadcasts from the town. On morning, Friday, June 20, Newstalk Breakfast with […]

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Newstalk’s 2025 Summer Tour, in association with ESB, is making its way to Killarney this week, bringing live broadcasts from the town.

On morning, Friday, June 20, Newstalk Breakfast with Ciara Kelly and Shane Coleman will be live from the Café du Parc in the Killarney Plaza Hotel and Spa, kicking off at 7 am.
Ciara and Shane are scheduled to speak with local Kerry figures and take a trip on Killarney’s jaunting cars to see the sights.
Kelly said: “I am so excited to head to Killarney. I have had some fantastic memories as a child visiting Kerry and can’t wait to go back for Newstalk’s Summer tour!”
Coleman added: “Kerry is a wonderful place to visit and I am looking forward to seeing its natural beauty, vibrant culture and rich history.”
The week-long tour is taking the full Newstalk experience to towns across Ireland, featuring live shows, special guests, and conversation.

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Ring of Kerry Cycle to honour founder Paddy O’Donoghue

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This year’s Ring of Kerry Charity Cycle, scheduled for July 5, will be run in memory of Paddy O’Donoghue, a founding member of the event.

Mr O’Donoghue, aged 81, from Muckross, passed away following a road collision in Kilgarvan on Tuesday, this week.

Paddy was a retired Kerry County Council engineer, affectionately known as ‘Paddy the Engineer’.

He was a driving force behind the annual charity cycle since its inception in 1982, regularly participating and fundraising for various causes. Beyond his cycling contributions, the Glenflesk native was also a notable footballer, having been part of the East Kerry team that secured the first All-Ireland Senior Football Championship in 1971.

Cathal Walshe, PRO of the Ring of Kerry Cycle said: “On behalf of the Ring of Kerry Charity Cycle I wish to extend sincere sympathy to Brenda and the O’Donoghue family on the sad and sudden loss of Paddy.

“He was a fantastic supporter of the annual charity cycle since it’s inception back in the 80s. A regular participant and wonderful fundraiser for whatever charity he chose. Paddy loved a challenge in whatever he undertook and was the epitome of what the event was all about. We miss the banter and craic but he won’t ever be forgotten. This year’s event will be dedicated to his memory on July the 5th. His likes will never be seen again. Slan Abhaile our friend.”

Tributes have been paid to Mr O’Donoghue, including from his local Glenflesk GAA club, who stated, “Glenflesk GAA would like to offer our sincere condolences to the family and friends of Paddy O’Donoghue on his sad passing. He was a true Glenflesk stalwart as a player, mentor and lifelong supporter.”

Paddy is survived by his wife Brenda, children Florence, Áine, Denise, Brenda, Báirbre, Patrick, and Alice, 17 grandchildren, his brother John, sisters Margaret, Kathleen, and Anna, and a wide circle of relatives and friends.

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