Born without a right hand, he was the first left-hand-only pianist to graduate from the Royal College of Music in London in its 130-year history.

[2] He began his piano studies at 14, and by 17 was accepted into the Junior department at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where he won the annual piano prize, on the proviso that he focus on repertoire written specifically for the left hand.

McCarthy was an original member of the Paraorchestra, an ensemble founded by conductor Charles Hazlewood in 2011, which performed alongside Coldplay during the closing ceremony of the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London in September 2012.

[4] On 23 September 2013 McCarthy spoke of his experiences at a TED conference held at the Royal Albert Hall.

[6] On 4 November 2015, McCarthy appeared on BBC Radio 4's Front Row programme, during which he discussed the recording of his debut album Solo, which had recently reached Number 4 in the classical music charts.