Paddy Devlin, who passed away on Sunday, was the man in the middle for two All-Ireland SFC finals.

A native of Armagh, Paddy moved to Omagh in the early 1950s and joined the Omagh St Enda's club, winning a Tyrone SFC medal as a player in 1957 and also serving as both chairman and treasurer. Paddy was also part of the backroom team when the county title was captured again in 1963.

In 1972, Paddy Devlin was referee as Offaly retained the Sam Maguire Cup with victory over Kerry in the All-Ireland final. He returned to Croke Park two years later to take charge of the meeting of Dublin and Galway, which the Dubs won.

According to a statement from Omagh St Enda's published by Tyrone GAA: "Paddy Devlin was a unique character and was one of the most popular men ever to grace the club. He never forgot his Armagh roots however, but as an adopted St. Enda's and Tyrone man, Paddy left an indelible mark on anyone who had the privilege of knowing him. In later years, Paddy always made great efforts to attend various youth training activities in the club and nothing made him more prouder than seeing scores of young boys and girls taking part in games on a weekly basis."

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