- Date of Birth30 / 01 / 1926
- Died20 / 04 / 2015
- Lions Tours1950
- International CapsIreland
- Lions Origin SchoolsCBC Cork
- Lions Origin ClubsMunster, Barbarians, Dolphin
James Stephen McCarthy was the first Munster player to captain Ireland, doing so on four occasions before going on to be a Munster Rugby and Irish Rugby Writers' Hall of Fame inductee.
His eight Test tries for Ireland was a record when McCarthy played the last of his 28 Tests and his back-row partnership with Bill McKay and Des O’Brien rank among Ireland’s best.
McCarthy was unique for his livewire play across the pitch, he was a tearaway flanker ahead of his time and though he never earned a Lions Test cap, he was integral to the success of the 1950s mid-week side – even scoring four tries in four successive starts in New Zealand.