Timmy McCarthy (born 7 September 1977) is an Irish retired hurler who played for East Cork club Castlelyons.
From his debut, McCarthy was ever-present as a wing-forward and made a combined total of 91 National League and Championship appearances in a career that ended with his last game in 2009.
[1] McCarthy is one of only a handful of players to have won the complete set of Munster Championship medals - minor, under-21, junior, intermediate and senior.
At inter-provincial level, he was selected to play in one championship campaign with Munster, with his sole Railway Cup medal being won in 2007.
McCarthy also played a key role for the Imokilly divisional team during their most successful period in the senior championship.
McCarthy added a second senior championship medal to his collection in 1998 as Imokilly retained their title with a 1–10 to 1–5 defeat of Blackrock.
The game turned into a rout as Cork easily won by 2–10 to 1–2, giving McCarthy an All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship medal.
With time running out Tipp were leading my two points, however, McCarthy scored a vital goal after a remarkable solo effort to secure a 1–11 to 0–13 victory.
On 13 June 1999 McCarthy made his senior championship debut for Cork in a 0–24 to 1–15 Munster semi-final defeat of Waterford.
Kilkenny could only manage one more score – a point from a Henry Shefflin free – and Cork held out to win by 0–13 to 0–12.
Embarrassing defeats for Cork in 2001 and 2002 saw the team reach rock bottom and call a players' strike just before Christmas in 2002.
In 2003 Cork's players were vindicated in taking a stand as the team won the provincial decider following an exciting 3–16 to 3–12 defeat of Waterford.
[12] After facing a narrow 3–16 to 1–21 defeat by Waterford in one of the greatest Munster finals of all-time in 2004, Cork worked their way through the qualifiers.
[14][15] He later regained his place on the starting fifteen for Cork's All-Ireland final meeting with Kilkenny on 12 September 2004.
The game was expected to be a classic, however, a rain-soaked day made conditions difficult as Kilkenny aimed to secure a third successive championship.
Goalkeeper Donal Óg Cusack stopped two certain goals in the first half to help Cork to a 2–14 to 1–14 victory and a fifth Munster medal for McCarthy.
[19] On 3 September 2006 Cork had the opportunity to become the first side in nearly thirty years to secure three successive All-Ireland champions as they faced Kilkenny in the decider.
A winter of discontent followed for the Cork senior hurling team following the unwanted reappointment of Gerald McCarthy as manager.