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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Irish name | Mícheál Mac Cárthaigh | ||
| Sport | Gaelic football | ||
| Position | Left corner-forward | ||
| Born |
8 May 1965 Skibbereen, County Cork, Ireland | ||
| Died |
5 February 1998 (aged 32) Wilton, Cork, Ireland | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||
| Nickname | Small Mick | ||
| Occupation | Oil company area manager | ||
| Club(s) | |||
| Years | Club | Apps (scores) | |
1982-1998 1983-1985 |
O'Donovan Rossa → Carbery |
36 (15-170) 5 (1-10) | |
| Club titles | |||
| Cork titles | 1 | ||
| Munster titles | 1 | ||
| All-Ireland Titles | 1 | ||
| Inter-county(ies) | |||
| Years | County | Apps (scores) | |
1985-1993 | Cork | 17 (3-22) | |
| Inter-county titles | |||
| Munster titles | 4 | ||
| All-Irelands | 2 | ||
| NFL | 1 | ||
| All Stars | 0 | ||
Michael McCarthy (8 May 1965 – 5 February 1998) was an Irish Gaelic footballer. At club level he played with O'Donovan Rossa and divisional side Carbery and was also a member of the Cork senior football team.
Born and raised in Skibbereen, County Cork, Mick first played as a schoolboy in various juvenile competitions at St. Patrick's Boys' National School before later lining out as a student at St. Fachtna's De La Salle College in Cork. He was a member of the first St. Fachtna's team to win the Simcox Cup in 1981 before claiming the Corn Uí Mhuirí title in 1982.[1]
McCarthy began his club career during a four-year tenure with the O'Donovan Rossa under-12 team. After winning every available divisional title during that time, he also claimed a Cork U14FC title in 1977. McCarthy progressed through the various underage grades before winning a South West JAFC title in his first year at adult level in 1982.[2] His performances in this grade earned selection to the Carbery divisional team from 1983 to 1985. McCarthy enjoyed further success with O'Donovan Rossa when he won a Cork U21FC title after a one-point defeat of St. Finbarr's in 1984.
After losing consecutive Cork IFC finals in 1983 and 1984, McCarthy was on the winning side when O'Donovan Rossa beat Glanmire by 3-11 to 0-08 in the 1985 final.[3] He also ended the championship as top scorer with 0-30. After seven years in the senior grade, McCarthy was team captain when O'Donovan Rossa beat Nemo Rangers by five points to win the 1992 Cork SFC final.[4] After securing the Munster Club Championship title after a defeat of St. Senan's, he guided O'Donovan Rossa to a defeat of Éire Óg in the 1993 All-Ireland club final replay.[5] McCarthy was top scorer at county, provincial and national level throughout the 1992-93 season after scoring 6-60 across all three competitions.[6]
McCarthy was top scorer for the 1994 Cork SFC campaign which eventually ended with O'Donovan Rossa being beaten by Castlehaven in the final.[7][8] His last championship game for the club was an 11-point defeat by University College Cork in the 1997 second round.
McCarthy began a two-year association with the Cork minor football team in 1982. After little success in his first year on the team, he won a Munster MFC medal the following year before losing the 1983 All-Ireland minor final to Derry.[9][10] After leaving the minor grade, McCarthy was immediately drafted onto the under-21 team. He never lost a game during his three-year tenure with the team and won three consecutive All-Ireland U21FC medals from 1984 to 1986.[11][12] During this time, McCarthy was also drafted onto the Cork junior football team and he claimed a winners' medal in that grade after a 22-point defeat of Warwickshire in the 1984 All-Ireland junior final.[13]
McCarthy earned a call-up to the Cork senior football team while he was still in the under-21 grade when he was listed as a substitute for Cork's 1985 Munster semi-final game against Tipperary. He played in a number of National League games over the following few seasons before soon making the championship starting fifteen. McCarthy scored two points from left corner-forward in the 1988 Munster final defeat of Kerry, but was held scoreless in the 1988 All-Ireland final replay defeat by Meath.[14][15][16]
McCarthy lost his place on the starting fifteen the following year, but won a National League title and a second consecutive Munster SFC medal as a non-playing substitute. He was again listed as a substitute for the 1989 All-Ireland final against Mayo, but collected a winners' medal after coming on as a substitute for Shea Fahy in the 0-17 to 1-11 victory.[17][18] McCarthy was back on the starting fifteen a year later and won a third consecutive Munster SFC medal. He scored two points from left corner-forward as Cork retained the All-Ireland SFC title following an 0-11 to 0-09 win over Meath in the 1989 All-Ireland final.[19][20][21]
O'Donovan Rossa's 1992 county final triumph paved the way for McCarthy to take over the Cork captaincy for the 1993 season. He won a fourth Munster SFC medal after a defeat of Tipperary before leading Cork to a defeat by Derry in the 1993 All-Ireland final.[22]
McCarthy was returning from a hare coursing meeting in Clonmel when he was involved in a road traffic accident at the then-unfinished Dunkettle Interchange in Cork on 4 February 1998.[23][24] He suffered extensive injuries and died at Cork University Hospital on 5 February 1998, aged 33.[25] McCarthy was the first member of Cork's 1989-1990 All-Ireland-winning teams to die.