Thaddeus "Teddy" McCarthy (1 July 1965 – 6 June 2023) was an Irish hurler and Gaelic footballer who played as a midfielder at senior level for the Cork county football and hurling teams. In an eleven-year senior inter-county playing career, McCarthy played for the Cork senior hurling and football teams, winning major honours with both. He is the only male dual player to win All-Ireland senior hurling and football medals in a single year.
McCarthy joined the Cork senior football team in 1985. Between then and 1996 he won two All-Ireland medals, six Munster medals and one All-Star. McCarthy's ten-year career with the Cork senior hurlers saw him win two All-Ireland medals, three Munster medals and one National Hurling League medal.
At club level McCarthy played for Sarsfields and Glanmire.
In retirement from playing McCarthy moved into coaching and team management. At club level he served as manager of the Sarsfield's and Bandon hurling teams. At inter-county level he was a selector for both the Cork senior hurling and football teams. McCarthy also served as manager of the Laois senior hurling team.
His son, Cian McCarthy, was a member of the Cork senior hurling team between 2010 and 2016.
Early life
Born and raised in Glanmire, County Cork, McCarthy first played Gaelic games to a high standard as a student at the North Monastery. He was a member of the North Mon team that won the Harty Cup title in 1981.
Playing career
Club
McCarthy played his club hurling with Sarsfields and his club football with Glanmire. He also lined out with divisional side Imokilly.
In 1984 he was a member of the Imokilly team that reached the final of the football championship. A 1–14 to 2–7 of double hopefuls St. Finbarr's gave Imokilly the victory and gave McCarthy a championship medal.
Imokilly failed to retain their title, however, the divisional team reached the county final once again in 1986. Once again it was St. Finbarr's who provided the opposition, however, this time they were the reigning champions. McCarthy won a second championship medal following a narrow 2–4 to 0–9 victory.
In 1987, Glanmire's footballers reached the final of the intermediate championship. A 3–5 to 0–6 win over Fermoy gave McCarthy a championship medal in this grade.
Inter-county
McCarthy first played inter-county football at underage levels for Cork. He won a Munster medal in the minor grade in 1983 following a 1–11 to 1–5 defeat of Tipperary. McCarthy later lined out in the All-Ireland final, however, Derry won by 0–8 to 1–3.
McCarthy later joined the Cork under-21 team where he had more successes. He missed Cork's victory in the Munster final of 1984, however, he came on as a substitute against Mayo in the subsequent All-Ireland final. Cork won that game by 0–9 to 0–6 giving McCarthy an All-Ireland medal.
1985 saw McCarthy find a regular place on the Cork under-21 starting fifteen. He added a Munster medal to his collection following an eleven-point win over Clare. The subsequent All-Ireland final saw McCarthy play at centre-forward against Derry. Cork avenged their defeat at minor level two years previously by beating Derry by 0–14 to 1–8. It was McCarthy's second All-Ireland medal in the under-21 grade.
In 1986, Cork continued their provincial success at under-21 level. A narrow one-point win over Tipperary gave McCarthy his second Munster medal. He later played in a third successive All-Ireland final with Offaly providing the opposition. The game saw Cork win convincingly on a score line of 3–16 to 0–12. It was McCarthy's third consecutive All-Ireland medal and his last game in the under-21 grade.
By this stage, McCarthy had been noticed by the Cork selectors and he was named as a substitute on the Cork senior team for the 1986 Munster final against Clare. Cork won on that occasion making it five-in-a-row of Munster titles, however, McCarthy was an un-used substitute. Following that victory, he went on holidays and missed Cork's All-Ireland semi-final against Antrim. Cork were "less than convincing" in that match and McCarthy was surprised on his return to Ireland to find that he was to make his championship debut in the All-Ireland final against Galway. While Galway were favourites to take the title, Cork won on a scoreline of 4–13 to Galway's 2–15. This four-point win gave Cork the title and gave McCarthy his first senior All-Ireland medal.