In a West Cork Minute - referee Alan Long

One of the top men in black in Cork, referee Alan Long teaches us how an earthquake in Portugal in 1755 was felt all the way in Timoleague. Hands up who knew that …

What’s the one thing you can’t live without? My iPhone but my wife Karen says surely it would have to be her.

What would I find in your fridge right now? I would have to say Irish Yogurts.

Name one element your sport could/should take from another? I would bring back the sin bin like they have in rugby.

What do you think about when you’re alone in your car? 

Depends on where i’m going but normally family, matches, work, etc. 

Who has been the biggest influence on your sporting career? All the coaches who have trained us from an early age at Argideen Rangers. In terms of refereeing, it’s Dec Walsh, Seamus Crowley and Michael Collins.

Pick two celebrities to be your parents: Agnes Brown and Donald Trump – that would be madness.

What do you think cats dream of? How do you know they dream at all.

If you could play any other sport for one day what would it be? Baseball: all that money for hitting and catching a few balls.

If you joined a circus, what would you perform? A juggler. I’ve had plenty of practice, with work, reffing, playing GAA plus a young family, it’s full on.

If you could get rid of one county in Ireland what would it be and why? I’ll let you guess but Cork is the real capital as we all know.

What would you do if you found a penguin in your freezer? Leave Pad Joe’s an hour earlier the next night.

Before we let you go, teach us something that we don’t know: In 1755 an Earthquake occured in Portugal that caused a tsunami the force of which was felt in Timoleague Bay.

We’re fairly sure Timoleague’s Alan Long completed a unique double last Sunday – he won a county final and reffed a county final in the one year! The 36-year-old Production Manager at Irish Yogurts Ltd was the man in the middle for the Cork IFC final last Sunday while back in June he helped Argideen Rangers win the Cork JBFC title.