William McCarthy (1936 – 10 December 2023) was an Irish hurler and Gaelic footballer. He played at club level with Lees and St Brendan's, Ardfert and at inter-county level with the Kerry junior teams in both codes.[1]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Irish name | Liam Mac Cárthaigh | ||
| Sport | Hurling | ||
| Position | Left corner-forward | ||
| Born |
1936 Dublin, Irish Free State | ||
| Died |
10 December 2023 (aged 87) Ardfert, County Kerry, Ireland | ||
| Occupation | Veterinary surgeon | ||
| Club(s) | |||
| Years | Club | ||
|
Lees St Brendan's, Ardfert | |||
| Club titles | |||
| Kerry titles | 2 | ||
| Colleges(s) | |||
| Years | College | ||
1953–1955 1955–1959 |
University College Cork University College Dublin | ||
| College titles | |||
| Fitzgibbon titles | 1 | ||
| Inter-county(ies) | |||
| Years | County | ||
1956–1969 1958 |
Kerry (JH) Kerry (SF) | ||
| Inter-county titles | |||
| Munster titles | 0 | ||
| All-Irelands | 0 | ||
| NHL | 0 | ||
Career
editBorn in Dublin but raised in Cork, McCarthy first played hurling as a schoolboy at St Finbarr's College and was part of the college's Harty Cup team. As a student at University College Cork, he won a Fitzgibbon Cup medal in 1955. McCarthy later lined out in the Fitzgibbon Cup with University College Dublin, while he also won two Dublin SFL medals.[2]
McCarthy first appeared on the inter-county scene for Cork as a dual player at minor level. His two-year tenure in this grade saw him lose three Munster finals across both codes in 1953 and 1954.[3][4] McCarthy later declared for Kerry and was part of the Kerry junior team that won their first ever Munster JHC title in 1956.[5] His performances earned his selection for the Munster team in 1957 and he became the first Kerryman to win a Railway Cup medal following a defeat of Leinster in the final.[6][7]
After adding the first of two National Hurling League Division 2 medal to his collection, McCarthy was called up to the Kerry senior football team for a period. He made appearances against Wexford and Kildare in the early rounds of the 1958–59 league.[8] McCarthy won an All-Ireland JHC medal after being one of the goalscorers in Kerry's defeat of London in the 1961 All-Ireland final.[9]
McCarthy won a Kerry SHC medal with St Brendan's, Ardfert in 1967. He went on to captain the Kerry juniors to a defeat by Warwickshire in the 1968 All-Ireland final, before bringing his inter-county career to an end after a similar defeat in 1969. By that stage McCarthy won a second Kerry SHC with St Brendan's as player-manager in 1975.[10]
Death
editMcCarthy died on 10 December 2023, at the age of 87.[11]
Honours
edit- University College Cork
- Fitzgibbon Cup: 1955
- Lees
- St Brendan's, Ardfert
- Kerry Senior Hurling Championship: 1967, 1975
- Kerry
- Munster
References
edit- ^ "GAA: Billy McCarthy". Terrace Talk website. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
- ^ "Ardfert's Billy McCarthy gets US trip with Munster hurling team". The Kerryman. 2 May 1970. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
- ^ "Cork minor football teams: 1929-1969" (PDF). Cork GAA website. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
- ^ "Cork minor hurling teams: 1928-1969" (PDF). Cork GAA website. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
- ^ "Junior hurling". Munster GAA website. 29 May 2009. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
- ^ "Railway Cup Hurling". Munster GAA website. 11 June 2009. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
- ^ "Medal arrives 45 years late!". Irish Independent. 6 February 2002. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
- ^ "Billy McCarthy". Terrace Talk website. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
- ^ "Diamonds are forever: sixty years on from Kerry's last All Ireland hurling triumph". The Kerryman. 3 October 2021. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
- ^ "Club Titles - Kerry". Hogan Stand. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
- ^ "The death has occurred of William (Bill) McCarthy". rip.ie. 10 December 2023. Retrieved 5 January 2024.