Rory McCarthy

{{Infobox Gaelic Athletic Association player

| code= Hurling

| sport = Hurling

| image =

| name = Rory McCarthy

| irish = Ruairi Mac Cárthaigh

| feet = 7

| inches = 9

| occupation = School deputy principal

| county = Wexford

| province = Leinster

| club = St Martin's

| clposition = Half-back

| clubs =

| clyears =

| clapps(points) =

| clcounty = 2

| clprovince=

| clallireland =

| colleges = University of Limerick

| fitz = 0

| counties = Wexford

| icposition = Right wing-forward

| icyears = 1994-2007

| icapps(points) =

| icprovince = 3

| icallireland = 1

| nhl = 0

| allstars = 1

| clupdate =

| icupdate =

| birth_date={{Birth date and age|1975|09|04|df=yes}}

| birth_place=Murrintown,
County Wexford, Ireland

}}

Rory McCarthy (born 4 September 1975) is a retired Irish sportsperson.{{cite news|url=http://www.hoganstand.com/Wexford/ArticleForm.aspx?ID=44493|title=McCarthy Rory|date=30 August 1996|accessdate=19 May 2011}} He played hurling with his local club St Martin's and with the Wexford senior inter-county team. He played in the half-back line.

Career

McCarthy first played hurling and Gaelic football to a high standard as a student at St Peter's College in Wexford. He lined out in all grades as a dual player during his time there, and was part of the team that won the Leinster Colleges SFC title after a defeat of Portarlington CBS in 1992.{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.ie/regionals/wexford/sport/gaa/twenty-five-years-have-elapsed-since-sole-crown/35391836.html|title=Twenty-five years have elapsed since sole crown|publisher=Wexford People|date=28 January 2017|access-date=2 January 2025|first=|last=}} McCarthy later studied at University of Limerick and lined out in the university's Fitzgibbon Cup team beaten by University College Cork in the 1996 final.{{cite web|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/a-stylish-ucc-emerge-from-one-sided-final-1.34165|title=A stylish UCC emerge from one-sided final|publisher=Irish Times|date=11 March 1996|access-date=2 January 2025|first=|last=}}

At club level, McCarthy first played for the St Martin's club in the juvenile and underage grades before progressing to adult level. He won his first Wexford SHC title in 1999 following a 1-11 to 1-09 defeat of Rathnure in the final.{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.ie/sport/wexford-shock-as-martins-triumph/26134875.html|title=Wexford shock as Martin's triumph|publisher=Irish Independent|date=11 October 1999|access-date=2 January 2025|first=|last=}} McCarthy added a second SHC medal to his collection in 2008 after a 1-13 to 1-08 win over Oulart–The Ballagh.{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.ie/regionals/wexford/sport/mighty-martins-spring-surprise/27484323.html|title=Mighty Martin's spring surprise|publisher=Irish Independent|date=5 November 2008|access-date=2 January 2025|first=|last=}}

McCarthy first appeared on the inter-county scene with Wexford during a two-year tenure with the minor team. He progressed to under-21 level and won a Leinster U21HC medal before facing defeat by Galway in the 1996 All-Ireland under-21 final. McCarthy made his senior team debut in 1994 and quickly became a regular member of the starting fifteen.{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.ie/regionals/wexford/sport/gaa/perfect-gift-for-rorys-21st/40869478.html|title=Perfect gift for Rory's 21st|publisher=Wexford People|date=21 September 2021|access-date=2 January 2025|first=|last=}} He won a Leinster SHC medal in 1996, before playing at right wing-forward when Wexford beat Limerick in the 1996 All-Ireland final.{{cite web|url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/gaa/arid-40370429.html|title=A player-by-player guide to Wexford's All-Ireland 25 years on: 'We laughed as much as we hurled'|publisher=Irish Examiner|date=1 September 2021|access-date=2 January 2025|first=|last=}} McCarthy ended the season with an All-Star award.

A second Leinster SHC medal followed for McCarthy in 1997, when Wexford retained the title after a defeat of Kilkenny.{{cite web|url=https://leinster.clubandcounty.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/33/2017/03/P40-69-%E2%80%93-Snr-%E2%80%A6rling-Finalis.pdf|title=Leinster Senior Hurling Finalists|publisher=Leinster GAA website|date=|access-date=2 January 2025|first=|last=}} He claimed a third Leinster winner's medal as a substitute in 2004.{{cite web|url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/gaa/arid-10107694.html|title=Wexford and Offaly stick with winning combinations|publisher=Irish Examiner|date=30 June 2004|access-date=2 January 2025|first=|last=}} McCarthy retired from inter-county hurling in 2007.{{cite web|url=https://www.hoganstand.com/article/index/94174|title=McCarthy rules out Model return|publisher=Hogan Stand|date=5 May 2008|access-date=3 January 2025|first=|last=}}