'He'll never be forgotten': Midleton pay tribute to Darragh McCarthy in championship push

Midleton's Darragh McCarthy died in March following a fall from the upper storey of student accommodation in Cork city. The club have retired the number 10 jersey, the one Darragh wore in last year's U21 county title victory, for the 2025 county championship. 

David Cremin, Midleton, wearing the number 10 jersey at the Cork Premier SHC semi-finals media day. Pic: Jim Coughlan.

David Cremin was the Midleton representative at last week’s Cork Premier SHC semi-finals media afternoon. For photography purposes, players were asked to attend in their club colours. David arrived into Páirc Uí Chaoimh wearing the Midleton No.10 shirt.

As a mark of respect to the late Darragh McCarthy, who passed away earlier this year at the age of 21, Midleton have retired the No.10 shirt for the 2025 county championship. That's the No.10 shirt Darragh wore when Midleton won last year’s county U21 title. He was also at right-half forward for the previous year’s U21 success.

David Cremin was also a forward starter on those U21 winning teams. In the absence of the retired shirt on the opening weekend of this summer’s Cork hurling championship, it was David, named at right-half forward, who wore No.30 on his back.

He is only too happy to chat and remember one of his “best buddies”. Darragh is and “never will be forgotten”, David adds. It is why he’s wearing the No.10 jersey on this Tuesday afternoon.

Darragh’s passing in March, following a fall from the upper storey of student accommodation in Cork city, was David’s first exposure to losing someone so close and of the same age. A life lesson encountered far too young.

“Darragh was one of my best buddies and you'd miss him when you're training down the club, and when going out as well. You know when you're playing that he's looking down at you, same with Ger Fitzgerald,” said David, full-forward on Cork’s U20 All-Ireland winning team in 2023.

“There is a lot to say about how we've rallied around one another in the past few months since that tragedy. It's very important to look out for each other on and off the pitch.” 

Midleton manager Micheál Keohane, in a recent conversation with the Irish Examiner, commended the club community for how it had stepped forward to console and care for the grieving families when hardship twice visited their doorstep in March.

“The club is an extension of your family, and Midleton GAA club is an exceptional family,” Keohane remarked.

Cremin can’t but concur. Their first reaction was to look out for one another. They now want to succeed for those no longer soldiering with them.

“We're so close as a panel, and Darragh was a massive part of our panel. So to lose someone like that, it's my first time experiencing something like that. For a few other lads, it's the same. We've all looked out for each other the last few months and hopefully we can do it for them. They'll both be looking down on us definitely on Sunday.

“Darragh was a year ahead of me and we've obviously retired the number 10 jersey this year in honour of him. We've done a few other nice touches as well. His initials are on our gear. He'll never be forgotten. I can’t say enough about him.” 

Sunday’s battle with Blackrock represents Midleton’s third consecutive season reaching the semis. They dethroned the Barrs at this very hurdle in 2023. They narrowly failed to perform the same slaying feat 12 months later against Sars.

The recent quarter-final against Glen Rovers was going swiftly away from them. Seven behind on 40 minutes. The bench rescued them from the brink.

35-year-old Luke O’Farrell sniped a pair, won a converted free, and had an early hand in the construction of their second goal. At the other end of the age and experience spectrum, Cremin won the injury-time free that enabled Conor Lehane to shove them two clear. Evan McGrath, making his senior championship debut, hurled an amount of ball.

“It just shows the depth that we have in our panel,” Cremin continued. “We just have a class panel, we're so tight, and we know that we have the ability to grind games out like that.” 

Having started their opening two group games against Newtownshandrum and Newcestown, the young Magpie found himself having to bide his time in the subsequent victories over Charleville and Glen Rovers. The aforementioned Luke O’Farrell is another who has travelled the same road as this championship has progressed.

There cannot and has not been any sulking.

“You can't throw your toys out of the pram. You have to have a good attitude. I know anyone on the panel would do anything to be starting. I just said to myself, I'll train away and we'll see what happens from there.

“You see from all the inter-county teams and club teams the difference that a good bench makes. Even in training when we're just having internal games, the competition and quality of those games, they can nearly be better than any challenge game you get.” 

To Sunday. Sixty minutes from second final involvement in three years and third in five years. To again put themselves in the conversation for silverware they must first speak the language of consistency.

“Fellas have done it before, they're experienced, and so they know not to panic in these situations. There’s the mental side of it too, you just have to go to a dark place and grind it out yourself.”