The GAA lost a genuine legend earlier this week, with the news that dual star Teddy McCarthy had sadly passed away at the age of 57.
The Cork man remains the only player in the history of the Association to lift the Sam Maguire and Liam MacCarthy trophies in the same year, a feat he achieved with the Rebel County back in 1990. He would win four All-Irelands in total, as well numerous provincial titles.
His passing was met with an outpouring of tributes from GAA circles in recent days, with his funeral taking place in Glanmire earlier today.
A couple of poignant moments took place during the ceremony.
That included an amazing tribute from Tomás Mulcahy and Larry Tompkins, the Cork captains from both codes in 1990, who carried the Liam MacCarthy and Sam Maguires cups to the altar. The gesture was met with a warm applause from those in attendance.
Teddy McCarthy funeral both Tomas Mulcahy and Larry Tompkins carried up both All-Ireland cups won as Cork famous double in 1990.@Corktod @JoeSeward1 @OfficialCorkGAA @SarsfieldsCork @GlanmireGAA @matt_hurley01 @AnalysisGaa @Tracey_Cork @SportingCork pic.twitter.com/TOXZGUrqm1
— Paraic Farrelly 1 (@FarrellyParaic1) June 10, 2023
A lovely moment.
Teddy McCarthy's son Cian would then say a few words to remember his father, describing how his perviously tough exterior had softened in recent years after the arrival of his grandchildren.
We joked about it at home. All his life he was so wound up because he sacrificed his life to GAA. When my two lads were born he really put time in to them, teaching them to play hurling and football. He would be giving out to me for giving out to them.
Myself and (my brother) Niall used to be slagging him saying 'if only he was like that when we were growing up'. It was great to see, because he really took pride in seeing his grandkids getting a kick out of playing games and carrying his legacy to another generation. Well, he was really proud of that.
There was an ongoing slagging. He would call down and he would be looking at Tiernan and saying 'greatness always skips a generation' and he would look over at me then.
Last Monday he came to our game to see us play and we went for a few pints after. It was a fitting day for all he stood for: talking about the game; dissecting the game. He even told Niall he played well, which was another rarity!
We will drive on and stand tall, because that is what he did for us.
A remarkable man and a huge loss to his family, friends, and the GAA as a whole.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.
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