| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 31 August 2006 | ||
| Place of birth | Caragh, County Kildare, Ireland | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Defensive midfielder, centre-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Hull City | ||
| Number | 58 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2025 | UCD | ||
| 2025– | Hull City | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2024–2025 | UCD | 4 | (0) |
| 2025– | Hull City | 2 | (0) |
| 2025 | → UCD (loan) | 15 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2024–2025 | Republic of Ireland U19 | 5 | (1) |
| 2025– | Republic of Ireland U21 | 1 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 19:54, 3 September 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 22:35, 9 September 2025 (UTC) | |||
Cathal McCarthy (born 31 August 2006) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder and centre-back for EFL Championship club Hull City. He also represents the Republic of Ireland at youth level. [1]
McCarthy is from Caragh, County Kildare. [2] He came through the academy ranks at UCD, and broke into the first team in the 2024 season. On 24 May 2024, he made his senior debut away at Athlone Town, appearing as a second-half substitute in a 2–2 draw. [1] [3]
Ahead of the 2025 winter transfer window, Derby County, Everton, Fulham, Millwall, and Norwich City had all expressed interest in recruiting McCarthy. [4] [5] However, he ultimately signed for EFL Championship club Hull City on 1 February 2025, arriving on a two-and-a-half year deal. [1] As part of his contract, McCarthy was loaned straight back to UCD until 30 June to finish his leaving certificate. On 1 July, he returned to Hull and began playing for their U21s. [6]
McCarthy made his senior debut for Hull on 23 August 2025. Amidst a minor injury crisis, he was promoted to start at centre-back alongside fellow-Irishman John Egan against Blackburn Rovers. [7] However, the match was one to forget for McCarthy, as Blackburn ran out 3–0 winners at the MKM Stadium. [8]
McCarthy made his debut for the Republic of Ireland U19s in a 3–1 win over Kazakhstan on 7 September 2024. [1] [9] He scored his first goal in his second cap against Greece on 9 October 2024. [1] [10] On 28 August 2025, he received his first call up to the U21s. [11]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup [a] | League Cup [b] | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| UCD | 2024 | LOI First Division | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 1 [c] | 0 | 5 | 0 | |
| Hull City | 2024–25 | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | |
| 2025–26 | Championship | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 2 | 0 | ||
| Total | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 2 | 0 | |||
| UCD (loan) | 2025 | LOI First Division | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 [c] | 0 | 15 | 0 | |
| Career total | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 22 | 0 | ||