Ronan McCarthy

{{Infobox Gaelic games player

| code= Football

| sport = Gaelic football

| image =

| name = Ronan McCarthy

| irish = Rónán Mac Cárthaigh

| fullname = Ronan McCarthy

| feet = 6

| inches = 2

| nickname=

| occupation = Secondary school principal

| county = Cork

| province = Munster

| club = Douglas

| cposition = Full-back

| clubs =

| clyears =

| clapps(points) =

| clcounty = 0

| clprovince=

| clallireland =

| colleges = University College Cork

| sig = 1

| colyears = 1991-1995

| counties = Cork

| icposition = Right corner-back

| icyears = 1997-2002

| icapps(points) = 16 (0-00)

| icprovince = 2

| icallireland = 0

| nfl = 1

| allstars = 0

| clupdate =

| icupdate =

| birth_date = 1973

| birth_place=Douglas, Cork, Ireland

}}

Ronan McCarthy (born 1973) is an Irish Gaelic football manager and former player. At club level he played with Douglas and was a member of and later managed the Cork senior football team. McCarthy usually lined out as a defender.

Playing career

McCarthy first came to prominence as a Gaelic footballer at juvenile and underage levels with the Douglas club. After being overlooked at schools' level for the Coláiste Chríost Rí team, he subsequently won a Sigerson Cup title in 1995 as a student at University College Cork.{{cite news|url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/columnists/arid-20472738.html|title=Cork and Ronan McCarthy can’t afford this insular outlook|publisher=Irish Examiner|date=11 July 2018|access-date=8 September 2021|first=Kieran|last=Shannon}} Two years later he won a County Intermediate Championship title with the Douglas intermediate team. McCarthy first appeared on the inter-county scene as a member of the extended panel of the Cork minor team that beat Mayo in the 1991 All-Ireland minor final.{{cite news|url=https://punditarena.com/gaa/thepateam/cork-senior-football-team-new-manager/|title=The Cork Senior Football Team Have Their New Manager|publisher=Pundit Arena|date=24 August 2017|access-date=8 September 2021|first=|last=}} After being overlooked for the Cork under-21 team, he spent one season with the junior team before making his senior debut during the 1996-97 league. As a member of the team over the following six seasons, McCarthy won two Munster Championship medals and a National Football League title.{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/ronan-mccarthy-named-as-corks-new-football-boss-on-a-three-year-term-36065036.html|title=Ronan McCarthy named as Cork's new football boss on a three-year term|publisher=Irish Independent|date=24 August 2017|access-date=8 September 2021|first=|last=}} He also lined out at right corner-back when Cork lost the 1999 All-Ireland final to Meath.{{cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/cork-appoint-ronan-mccarthy-as-senior-football-manager-1.3197383|title=Cork appoint Ronan McCarthy as senior football manager|publisher=Irish Times|date=24 August 2017|access-date=8 September 2021|first=|last=}}

Coaching career

McCarthy's coaching career began at various levels with the Douglas club, before taking charge of the club's senior team that lost the 2008 final to Nemo Rangers.{{cite web|url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/archives/2008/1006/ireland/four-in-a-row-joy-for-nemo-74079.html|title=Four-in-a-row joy for Nemo|publisher=Irish Examiner|date=6 October 2008|access-date=14 April 2019}} He later became involved with various Cork development squads before becoming a selector with the Cork senior football team during Conor Counihan's last season in charge in 2013. McCarthy was retained by new manager Brian Cuthbert and served as coach of the Cork senior team for a further two seasons. After taking a break from inter-county activity he managed the Carbery Rangers club to their inaugural County Championship title in 2016.{{cite web|url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/gaa/football/magnificent-carbery-rangers-enjoy-finest-hour-426104.html|title=Magnificent Carbery Rangers enjoy finest hour|publisher=Irish Examiner|date=17 October 2016|access-date=10 April 2019|first=Michael|last=Moynihan}} McCarthy returned to the Cork senior team as a selector under Peadar Healy in 2017 before being appointed as manager at the end of that season.{{cite news|url=http://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/ronan-mccarthy-named-as-corks-new-football-boss-on-a-threeyear-term-36065036.html|title=Ronan McCarthy named as Cork's new football boss on a three-year term|publisher=Irish Independent|date=24 August 2017|accessdate=24 August 2017}} His four seasons in charge saw Cork reclaim and secure their National League Division 2 status, while the team also beat Kerry for the first time in eight seasons.{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/kerrys-championship-dreams-destroyed-after-stunning-extra-time-final-act-sees-cork-triumph-39722019.html|title=Kerry's Championship dreams destroyed after stunning extra-time final act sees Cork triumph|publisher=Irish Independent|date=8 November 2020|accessdate=8 September 2021|first=Colm|last=Keys}} In his final season in charge, McCarthy was found to be in breach of COVID-19 restrictions by holding an unauthorised training session on Youghal beach and was handed a 12-week suspension by the GAA's Central Hearings Committee.{{Cite web|last=Moran|first=Seán|title=Challenging Ronan McCarthy ban was fight Cork were always likely to lose|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/challenging-ronan-mccarthy-ban-was-fight-cork-were-always-likely-to-lose-1.4489462|access-date=2021-05-21|website=The Irish Times|language=en}}

Personal life

McCarthy was educated at Coláiste Chríost Rí before completing a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and French at University College Cork. He later qualified as a teacher and spent 20 years at Nagle Community School with his final two years as principal. In October 2016, McCarthy was appointed principal of Glanmire Community College.{{cite news|first=Mark|last=Woods|url=https://www.eveningecho.ie/corksport/Dual-Cork-role-for-new-boss-Ronan-McCarthy-ad17ffe2-5784-470b-8cd8-105cee3a87e2-ds|title=Dual Cork role for new boss Ronan McCarthy|work=Evening Echo|date=25 August 2017|accessdate=25 August 2017}}

Honours

=Player=

;University College Cork

Sigerson Cup: 1995

;Douglas

Cork Intermediate Football Championship: 1997

;Cork

=Management=

;Carbery Rangers

Cork Senior Football Championship: 2016

;Cork

Career statistics

class=wikitable style="text-align: center" \|+ Managerial league-championship record by team and tenure
rowspan=2\|Team !rowspan=2\|From !rowspan=2\|To !colspan=5\|Record
{{abbr\|P\|Matches played}}	{{abbr\|W\|Matches won}}	{{abbr\|D\|Matches drawn}}	{{abbr\|L\|Matches lost}}	{{abbr\|Win %\|Win percentage}}
align=left\|Cork \|align=left\|24 August 2017 \|align=left\|7 September 2021 {{WDL\|38\|20\|1\|17\|decimals=1}}

class=wikitable style="text-align: center"

|+ Managerial league-championship record by team and tenure

rowspan=2|Team

!rowspan=2|From

!rowspan=2|To

!colspan=5|Record

align=left|Cork

|align=left|24 August 2017

|align=left|7 September 2021