James McCarthy (born 1 March 1990) is a Gaelic footballer who plays for the Ballymun Kickhams club and, formerly, for the Dublin county team. He is widely regarded as one of Dublin's greatest ever players.[1][2]
 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sport | Gaelic football | ||
| Position | Midfield | ||
| Born |
1 March 1990 Dublin, Ireland | ||
| Occupation | EBS | ||
| Club(s) | |||
| Years | Club | ||
| Ballymun Kickhams | |||
| Club titles | |||
| Dublin titles | 2 | ||
| Leinster titles | 1 | ||
| Colleges(s) | |||
| Years | College | ||
| DCU | |||
| College titles | |||
| Sigerson titles | 1 | ||
| Inter-county(ies) | |||
| Years | County | Apps (scores) | |
2010–2024 | Dublin | 22 (1-2) | |
| Inter-county titles | |||
| Leinster titles | 14 | ||
| All-Irelands | 9 | ||
| NFL | 5 | ||
| All Stars | 5 | ||
Early life
editHe was a student at Sacred Heart BNS Ballygall and St Kevin's College in Ballygall.
Playing career
editDCU
editHe attended DCU where he was a defender for the Gaelic football team.[3] In 2012, he won the Sigerson Cup and the O'Byrne Cup with the college.
Ballymun
editHe won two Dublin Senior Football Championships in 2012 and 2020 with Ballymun. He added a Leinster Senior Club Football Championship to his collection in 2012. The team went on to beat Dr. Crokes in the All-Ireland semi-final before losing the 2013 All-Ireland Senior Club Football Final to St Brigid's GAA (Roscommon).
Dublin
editUnder-21
editHe won the 2010 Leinster Under-21 Football Championship and All-Ireland Under-21 Football Championship with Dublin.
Senior
editHe made his championship debut for Dublin against Laois in the quarter-final of the 2011 Leinster Championship,[4] winning his first Leinster Senior Football Championship against Wexford at Croke Park in July that year.[5] Dublin progressed to an All-Ireland final against Kerry,[6] and McCarthy won the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship. The game finished on a scoreline of 1-12 to 1-11.[7] McCarthy was nominated for GAA GPA Young Player of the Year for his performances.[citation needed]
On 4 November 2024, McCarthy announced his retirement from inter-county football, ending his 14-year senior career. In a released statement he said "I have decided to retire from representing Dublin GAA at inter-county level, this decision hasn't been an easy one to make but I feel it's the right time."[8][9][10]
Personal life
editHis father John was a senior footballer with Dublin who won the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship on three occasions.
As of 2020, he was employed by AIB and lived within two kilometres of Poppintree Park, Albert College Park and Johnstown Park.[11]
Honours
edit- Dublin
- All-Ireland Senior Football Championship (9): 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2023 (c)
- Leinster Senior Football Championship (14): 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
- National Football League (5): 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018
- All-Ireland Under 21 Football Championship (1): 2010
- Leinster Under-21 Football Championship (1): 2010
- Ballymun Kickhams
- Leinster Senior Club Football Championship (1): 2012
- Dublin Senior Football Championship (2): 2012, 2020
- DCU
- Sigerson Cup (1): 2012
- O'Byrne Cup (1): 2012
- Individual
- All Star (5): 2014, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2023
- All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final Man of the Match (1): 2017
- The Sunday Game Team of the Year (1): 2023
- The Sunday Game Footballer of the Year (1): 2023
- In May 2020, the Irish Independent named McCarthy at number eighteen in its "Top 20 footballers in Ireland over the past 50 years".[12]
References
edit- ^ "Brian Fenton on James McCarthy: 'The greatest Dublin player we will ever see'". Irish Examiner. 4 November 2024. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
- ^ "GAA Legends Pay Tribute To James McCarthy But Kildare Star Is Pick Of The Bunch". Balls.ie. 4 November 2024. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
- ^ Keane, Paul (28 March 2016). "Donegal turn blind eye to James McCarthy incident". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
It was McCarthy's tangle with Donegal substitute Martin McElhinney, ironically an ex-team-mate at DCU, that was particularly controversial as the Dublin defender's left hand made contact with McElhinney's eye area.
- ^ Hill 16 – The Official Dublin County Board Website. Hill16.ie (2011-06-05). Retrieved on 2011-10-12.
- ^ Hill 16 – The Official Dublin County Board Website. Hill16.ie (2011-07-10). Retrieved on 2011-10-12.
- ^ "News".
- ^ "News".
- ^ "Dublin great James McCarthy retires from inter-county game". RTÉ News. 4 November 2024. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
- ^ "End of an era for Dublin GAA as James McCarthy announces inter-county retirement". Irish Independent. 1 November 2024. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
- ^ "JAMES MCCARTHY ANNOUNCES INTER-COUNTY RETIREMENT". Dublin GAA. 4 November 2024. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
- ^ O'Brien, Kevin (7 April 2020). "'There are times you're going to lose motivation. It's normal to have those bad days'". The42.ie.
- ^ Breheny, Martin (30 May 2020). "Revealed: The Top 20 footballers in Ireland over the past 50 years". Irish Independent. Independent News & Media. Retrieved 30 May 2020.