{{Short description|Gaelic football referee}} {{For|the Australian journalist|Barrie Cassidy}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2022}} {{Use Hiberno-English|date=March 2022}} '''Barry Cassidy''' is a Gaelic football referee. An inter-county championship referee since 2012,<ref name=big_breakthrough/> Cassidy has been described as the top referee in Ulster.<ref name=get-nervous/> A member of the Derry GAA club Bellaghy, Cassidy refereed the inaugural Tailteann Cup final. Barry is an experienced GAA official. He's a familiar face at GAA games either in the middle or on the line. He takes on many championship games in Ulster and throughout the country.
==Career== Cassidy refereed his first Derry Senior Football Championship final in 2010, Coleraine v Ballinderry Shamrocks.<ref name=big_breakthrough/> He also refereed the 2013 Derry SFC final, won by Ballinderry Shamrocks against Ballinascreen.<ref name=big_breakthrough/>
Cassidy worked on the 2011 All-Ireland Minor Football Championship, as a linesman.<ref name=big_breakthrough/>
His first National Football League game came the following year (when he had to be escorted away by stewards after annoying Mayo supporters whose loss that game was).<ref name=big_breakthrough/>
He was given charge of the 2018 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship semi-final between Dublin and Galway, though he had never previously refereed even a quarter-final before that year, when he had taken charge of Galway v Kerry in the 2018 Super 8s.<ref name=big_breakthrough>{{cite news|url=https://www.irishnews.com/sport/gaafootball/2018/08/09/news/cassidy-s-big-breakthrough-1403256/|title=Referee Barry Cassidy's big breakthrough|work=The Irish News|first=Padraig|last=Kelly|date=9 August 2018 }}</ref>
Cassidy refereed the 2020 Ulster Senior Football Championship final between Cavan and Donegal.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.northernsound.ie/sport/referee-announced-ulster-championship-final-166914|title=Referee announced for Ulster championship final|publisher=Northern Sound|first=Sean|last=McCaffrey|date=17 November 2020}}</ref>
He took charge of the 2021 Munster Senior Football Championship final between Cork and Kerry.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/gaa/arid-40341305.html|title=Barry Cassidy to take charge of Kerry-Cork Munster SFC final|work=Irish Examiner|first=Stephen|last=Barry|date=20 July 2021}}</ref>
Even though Maurice Deegan had originally been announced as the 2022 Tailteann Cup Final referee, Cassidy ended up taking charge in Deegan's absence.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.westmeathindependent.ie/2022/07/06/change-of-referee-for-tailteann-cup-final/|title=Change of referee for Tailteann Cup final|work=Westmeath Independent|first=Kieran|last=Galvin|date=6 July 2022}}</ref> Deegan had a sickness, said Brian Gavin in his analysis of that game.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/gaa/arid-40915133.html|title=The GAA should be demanding immediate answers over HawkEye fiasco|work=Irish Examiner|first=Brian|last=Gavin|date=11 July 2022}}</ref> He had contracted COVID-19 and this ruled him out of what would have been his final inter-county game.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.leinsterexpress.ie/news/home/863626/deegan-blows-his-final-whistle-maurice-deegan-interview.html|title=Laois GAA ref blows his final whistle Maurice Deegan Interview|work=Leinster Express|first=Tom|last=Gannon|date=18 July 2022}}</ref>
Cassidy was then named as linesman for the 2022 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://roscommonherald.ie/2022/07/13/roscommon-referee-part-of-team-for-all-ireland-football-final/|title=Roscommon referee part of team for All-Ireland football final|date=13 July 2022}}</ref>
Barry makes many crucial calls in many games. One example was the qf of the 2025 championship between armagh and antrim. Barry managed to spot Ethan Rafferty stopping a goal scoring opportunity. This was the crucial and correct decision.
==Personal life== Cassidy's father was a referee.<ref name=get-nervous>{{cite news|url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sunday-life/sport/oisins-tales-with-barry-cassidy-referees-get-nervous-and-feel-pressure-like-any-player-39378500.html|title='Referees get nervous and feel pressure, like any player'|work=Belfast Telegraph|date=19 July 2020}}</ref> He is a married man, Claire being the wife.<ref name=get-nervous/>
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cassidy, Barry}} Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Living people Category:Gaelic football referees Category:Place of birth missing (living people)