# Cathal McCarthy (footballer)
**Cathal McCarthy** (born 2006) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a center-back and defensive midfielder for [Scottish Premiership](https://www.edgepedia.org/scottish-premiership) club [Kilmarnock](https://www.edgepedia.org/kilmarnock), on loan from Premier League club Hull City.[1](https://kilmarnockfc.co.uk/news/cathal-mccarthy-joins-on-loan-from-hull-city/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 2006, Caragh, County Kildare, Ireland[2](https://www.oncloudseven.com/1184-cathal-mccarthy/) |
| Position | Centre-back, also defensive midfielder; right-footed, 185 cm[1](https://kilmarnockfc.co.uk/news/cathal-mccarthy-joins-on-loan-from-hull-city/) • [3](https://fafifa.com/player/cathal-mccarthy) |
| Clubs | UCD (2024–2025), Hull City (2025–), Kilmarnock (2026–27, loan)[2](https://www.oncloudseven.com/1184-cathal-mccarthy/) |
| Hull City record | 8 first-team appearances, 0 goals; 6 came in the 2025/26 promotion season[1](https://kilmarnockfc.co.uk/news/cathal-mccarthy-joins-on-loan-from-hull-city/) |
| International | Republic of Ireland U19 and U21; U21 debut September 2025 against Andorra[2](https://www.oncloudseven.com/1184-cathal-mccarthy/) |
| EA FC 27 rating | Overall 60, potential 76, as a center-back for Kilmarnock[4](https://www.ea.com/games/ea-sports-fc/ratings/player-ratings/cathal-mc-carthy/79579) |
## Early career at UCD
McCarthy was born in Caragh, a village in [County Kildare](https://www.edgepedia.org/county-kildare) about three miles west of Naas, and joined the academy at [University College Dublin](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-college-dublin) (UCD) as a teenager.[2](https://www.oncloudseven.com/1184-cathal-mccarthy/) He made his first-team debut in the League of Ireland First Division in May 2024 against Athlone Town, having twice sat as an unused substitute earlier that month.[2](https://www.oncloudseven.com/1184-cathal-mccarthy/) In his fourth appearance of the 2024 season he was sent off for two yellow cards in the first half of a match against Wexford FC.[2](https://www.oncloudseven.com/1184-cathal-mccarthy/)
## Hull City
McCarthy joined Hull City in February 2025 and was immediately loaned back to UCD until June 2025, finishing his UCD career with 20 senior appearances.[2](https://www.oncloudseven.com/1184-cathal-mccarthy/) Back at Hull, he made his debut on 23 August 2025 against Blackburn Rovers in the Championship, aged 18 years and 357 days, during a center-half injury crisis.[2](https://www.oncloudseven.com/1184-cathal-mccarthy/) In December 2025 he replaced Ryan Giles after six minutes against [Middlesbrough](https://www.edgepedia.org/middlesbrough) and gave an assured performance that raised his reputation considerably.[2](https://www.oncloudseven.com/1184-cathal-mccarthy/)
Hull won promotion from the Championship to the Premier League in the 2025/26 season, and six of McCarthy's eight first-team appearances for the club came during that promotion campaign.[1](https://kilmarnockfc.co.uk/news/cathal-mccarthy-joins-on-loan-from-hull-city/) In August 2026 he signed a new long-term contract with Hull City.[2](https://www.oncloudseven.com/1184-cathal-mccarthy/)
## Loan to Kilmarnock
On 18 August 2026 Kilmarnock announced the season-long loan signing of McCarthy, subject to Scottish FA approval, as the club's ninth summer arrival under manager Neil McCann.[1](https://kilmarnockfc.co.uk/news/cathal-mccarthy-joins-on-loan-from-hull-city/) He took the number four shirt at Rugby Park.[1](https://kilmarnockfc.co.uk/news/cathal-mccarthy-joins-on-loan-from-hull-city/) McCann said the club had tracked him since January and described him as a defender with pace who reads the game well and loves to defend.[1](https://kilmarnockfc.co.uk/news/cathal-mccarthy-joins-on-loan-from-hull-city/)
In the 2026/27 [Premiership](https://www.edgepedia.org/premiership) season McCarthy had made 6 appearances, all starts, for 540 minutes with no goals or assists and two yellow cards by mid-October 2026.[5](https://www.fotmob.com/en-GB/players/1683723/cathal-mccarthy) His passing numbers in that spell included 234 successful passes at 82.1 percent accuracy, 34 clearances, and 15 interceptions.[5](https://www.fotmob.com/en-GB/players/1683723/cathal-mccarthy)
## International career
McCarthy made his Republic of Ireland Under-19 debut in September 2024 in a 3–1 win over [Kazakhstan](https://www.edgepedia.org/kazakhstan), scored against Greece Under-19s a month later, and had 5 Under-19 appearances by March 2025.[2](https://www.oncloudseven.com/1184-cathal-mccarthy/) In September 2025, shortly after his Hull City debut, he made his first Ireland Under-21 appearance against Andorra, adding further caps against Slovakia in October 2025, Kazakhstan in March 2026, and Slovakia and Kazakhstan in September 2026.[2](https://www.oncloudseven.com/1184-cathal-mccarthy/)
## Playing style and assessment
A February 2026 scouting report by European Football Scout, written after observing Hull City against Chelsea in the [FA Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/fa-cup), described McCarthy as a modern center-back with good one-v-one qualities who is comfortable in possession, and rated him currently as a C-grade rotational player with the potential of a first-eleven player, a B grade, judged against a mid-table English Championship standard.[6](https://eufootballscout.substack.com/p/scouting-report-cathal-mccarthy-dmcb) In the [EA Sports FC 27](https://www.edgepedia.org/ea-sports-fc-27) database he is rated 60 overall with a potential of 76, and his best-rated positions are center-back and the holding roles in midfield.[4](https://www.ea.com/games/ea-sports-fc/ratings/player-ratings/cathal-mc-carthy/79579) • [3](https://fafifa.com/player/cathal-mccarthy)
## References
1. [Cathal McCarthy joins on loan from Hull City, Kilmarnock FC, 18 August 2026](https://kilmarnockfc.co.uk/news/cathal-mccarthy-joins-on-loan-from-hull-city/)
2. [1184 Cathal McCarthy, On Cloud Seven](https://www.oncloudseven.com/1184-cathal-mccarthy/)
3. [Cathal McCarthy, FAFIFA](https://fafifa.com/player/cathal-mccarthy)
4. [Cathal McCarthy EA Sports FC 27 Player Ratings, EA](https://www.ea.com/games/ea-sports-fc/ratings/player-ratings/cathal-mc-carthy/79579)
5. [Cathal McCarthy, FotMob](https://www.fotmob.com/en-GB/players/1683723/cathal-mccarthy)
6. [Scouting Report: Cathal McCarthy – DM/CB Hull City, European Football Scout, 24 February 2026](https://eufootballscout.substack.com/p/scouting-report-cathal-mccarthy-dmcb)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football people and teams › People › Men's footballers of the British Isles (modern era) › Republic of Ireland footballers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license