Cork and Barrs hurling icon Gerald McCarthy on his incredible career and how the game has evolved

St Finbarr’s GAA club, founded in 1876, has produced many great players over their 150-year history. 

On Sunday, their semi-final against Kanturk will be crucial as they bid for a place in the final of the Cork Senior hurling championship and a chance to win their 27th title.

It is always nice to remember former stars though. And in Gerald McCarthy, they have a man still rated by many as one of the best midfielders ever to wear a Cork jersey.

McCarthy is especially revered for his breathtaking skills which made him a hurling icon during the '60s and '70s, before finishing up in the early '80s.

Gerald was originally from the Bandon Road and born in 1945. It was only natural that he would soon be wearing the blue jersey of St Finbarr’s where he showed huge promise and natural ability at juvenile level.

McCarthy progressed to Cork level but had no great luck playing minor hurling or football, missing out on an All-Ireland at this level. However, he'd go to to deliver all the big prizes from there.

The year 1966 will always be remembered by the Cork hurling faithful as he created history in the sport of hurling.

First of all, he led Cork to an All-Ireland U21 hurling title and in September 1966, he also captained the Cork senior team to victory over a highly fancied Kilkenny team.

To this day, McCarthy stands out in GAA history as being the only player to captain at U21 and senior levels in the one season to All-Ireland glory. Justin McCarthy and Charlie McCarthy, no relation, also brought youthful energy and class to both panels.

McCarthy reflected on that memorable year.

“I will never forget that particular year as I was winning my first All-Ireland medals and in the senior final Kilkenny were strongly fancied to win as they had thrashed us in the national league that season but on the day we matched them in every department."

Iconic

Looking back on his achievement of captaining two teams to All-Ireland glory in the one season, McCarthy was honest in his assessment.

“I do not know if any player will ever captain an U21 and Senior team in my lifetime so I will enjoy the record for now.” 

Gerald had to wait for four years for his next senior All-Ireland when Cork, captained by Paddy Barry, defeated Wexford in the 1970 decider.

There was another bleak few years for Cork at inter-county level but they bounced back in 1975 to regain the Munster title, the start of five in a row, and also collected an All-Ireland three-in-a-row from 1976 to '78. 

In achieving that magical treble, they franked themselves as one of the greatest Cork teams ever. 

McCarthy was the All-Ireland final Man of the Match in 1978, the season he won his only All-Star. That never bothered him though

“I have only one All-Star but that is fine as awards are really for team effort and you should always remember that you are receiving them on behalf of your team.” 

However, the 1969 All-Ireland defeat to Kilkenny is something that still lurks in McCarthy’s mind as one of the saddests day of his career.

“Con Roche hit a wonderful point in the second half that gave us a seven-point lead but amazingly in last quarter, we remained static and ended up losing the game.”

Glory days 

McCarthy’s record at club level is just as impressive as he won his first senior county medal in 1965 and followed up with three more in 1968, 1974, and 1977. All-Ireland club success with the Barrs came in 1975 and 1978 where his outstanding skills at centre-field always played a huge part in his team’s victories.

People in GAA always seem to compare the modern-day game to the standard in the '60s, '70s and '80s but Gerald reckons that the sport has evolved for the better, encouraging all hurlers to develop the skills.

I have no doubt the present standard of hurling is a lot better to look at, as players are left to show their true skills.

“In my time, the full-back’s job was to pin his hurley against the back of the full-forward from restricting getting near goal but nowadays the full-back must be the complete player on the team.” 

Gerald was rather philosophical when comparing the modern-day rules to his era.

“The rules when I played encouraged physical play and I would have liked to turn the clock back and play with the modern-day players.” 

McCarthy was coach of the Cork All-Ireland-winning team of 1990, while in 1997 he took over as coach of the Waterford team until 2001, leading them back to the big back. He then had another stint with the Cork hurlers from late 2006 to 2009, having also guided St Finbarr's to a breakthrough county camogie title.

Nowadays, he's enjoying his retirement but for the hurling purist he will always be remembered as a genuine great.

Few in the game would argue that Gerald McCarthy was a master and colossus in the sport. He gave so much over many years both on and off the pitch.