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Dublin-Born Former Premier League Ref Explains How He Got To Referee Ireland Game

PJ Browne
By PJ Browne
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Nearly 10 years after he last refereed a Premier League game, Dermot Gallagher is still one of the best known officials of the last two decades. The 59-year-old still regularly appears as an analyst for Sky Sports.

Though he worked for the FA, Gallagher was actually born in Dublin.

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In 2002, as he reached FIFA's mandatory retirement age of 45 for international referees, Gallagher got to officiate an Ireland game - a friendly against Russia at Lansdowne Road.

On Wednesday night's Off The Ball, Gallagher explained how it happened.

I was getting to the end of my FIFA career and my adopted uncle - everybody thinks he's my uncle but he's not a blood relative - Paddy Daly arranged with the FAI that they would get permission off FIFA to referee this pre-World Cup game in 2002. So in February 2002, I refereed Ireland against Russia in Landsdowne - couldn't believe it!

Gallagher calls that game one of the greatest moments of his life.

So for the boy born 400 yards down the road [from Landsdowne Road] suddenly refereeing my national team was absolutely surreal.

It was the moment of my life. I remember when the national anthem played, I just looked up to heaven and thought about my Dad and times he'd taken my to Landsdowne Road to watch the players play when I was a young boy and there's nothing I can say to explain it. It was just absolutely surreal.

Picture credit; David Maher / SPORTSFILE

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