A GAA REFEREE has died after collapsing on a pitch in Derry while overseeing a hurling match.

Martin Mulholland, 59, was refereeing at a senior hurling championship quarter final in Swatragh when he suffered a massive heart attack, reports The Irish News (print edition).

A trained first-aider attempted to revive Mr. Mulholland on the pitch, and then a defibrillator was used on him in the changing rooms by an ambulance crew. However, he died on the way to hospital in Coleraine.

UTV reports that tributes are pouring in for Mr. Mulholland, who was a former hurler and football player for Robert Emmet’s GAC in Slaughtneil. Chris Mc Cann from the Derry County Board has said he was “known by everyone and very widely respected across Co. Derry”.

All GAA league and championship matches in Derry this weekend have been postponed as a mark of respect for the referee.

Last weekend another GAA referee collapsed while on the pitch during a senior football match in Newry.

A pitch-side defibrillator was used to revive 46-year-old Gabriel Tumelty. He was brought to hospital for treatment.