Offaly referee Carthage Buckley, who took charge of the infamous Leinster SFC clash between Wicklow and Laois in 1986 - which became known as the 'Battle of Aughrim' - has hung up his whistle after 35 years due to a back injury.

A native of Ballycumber who has been living in nearby Clara for many years where he runs a butcher's shop, Buckley required a Garda escort out of the picturesque Wicklow venue after he sent off three Laois players. Wicklow's 2-10 to 1-9 victory was considered a huge upset with Laois having claimed their first NFL title just a few weeks earlier.

While Buckley was overlooked for major inter-county games after that, he remained the top football official in his native county and took charge of no fewer than nine county SFC deciders. He was also the 'man in the middle' for the drawn 2006 SHC final between Birr and Coolderry and has refereed finals and games at all grades in the Faithful County, including intermediate, junior, under 21 and minor.

At inter-county level, his big assignments included the All-Ireland U21 and MFC finals in 1985 and 1986, the drawn All-Ireland SFC semi-final and replay between Cork and Galway in 1987, two NFL semi-finals in 1986 and 1992, five All-Ireland U21FC semi-finals and the Railway Cup final of 1992. Tweet

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