Eye-gouging is a serious offence in Gaelic games where a player uses hands or fingers to inflict pain in an opponent's eyes.
Colm O'Rourke, a player from the 1970s onwards, wrote this in 2022 for the Sunday Independent: "I was involved in quite a few skirmishes at club level but at that time there were basic rules of engagement.
[11][12] 2016 National Football League: Dublin again, Croke Park again, this time James McCarthy looking like he is gouging the eye of a Donegal player, Martin McElhinney in an incident that brought back memories of Patrick McBrearty being bitten in 2013.
[13][14][15] McCarthy, who had actually just been shown a red card before he did this, escaped punishment and Dublin manager Jim Gavin said: "To be suggesting there was something malicious, I don't think that's very fair.
[19] Related incidents include Paul Galvin's two-month ban for attacking the face of Eoin Cadogan in the 2010 Munster semi-final replay.