John McCarthy (born 1955) is a former Gaelic footballer who played at senior level for the Dublin county team,[1] who making his championship debut in a defeat by Louth in a Leinster SFC Replay in 1973.
He proved to be a real thorn in Kerry's side as he was also fouled for the penalty which led to Dublin's second goal.
He repeated the dose against Kerry in the classic semi-final of 1977 when he plundered Dublin's first goal shortly after half time.
In the final of 1977, McCarthy was part of a Dublin full forward line that amassed all but two of the team's two points in a tally of 5-12 against Armagh.
[citation needed] MCCarthy was a Garda by profession based at Mountjoy and holds a unique record alongside Kerry's Aidan O'Mahony and Tom O'Sullivan within the force of being the only Gardaí to play in six successive All-Ireland finals.