McCarthy to feature on TG4 handball documentary
Mullingar’s Robbie McCarthy is set to feature in a new handball documentary, which will air on TG4 on October 28.
Liathróid Láimhe was made for handball’s centenary year and follows some of the top players over the season from November to April, including Robbie McCarthy, who ended the year retaining his All-Ireland title.
Robbie has numerous senior singles titles (11 alone at 60x30) and many others in different codes and in doubles, and has won every honour at underage level.
His father, also called Robbie, was a senior player in the past. Robbie is currently a trainee mechanic in the Irish Army.
“One of the big stories over the year was the decision of Cavan’s Paul Brady to come out of retirement. It was the first time since 2013 that he’d played in the all-Ireland, as he moved to play in the US after winning 10 all-Irelands in a row between 2003 and 2013,” said the documentary’s producer, Deaglán Ó’Mocháin.
“Paul got through to the final against Robbie, but had to withdraw through injury when he was up a game, and Robbie was very gracious in his acceptance speech. It’s a great story and we were lucky to capture all the drama in the documentary.”
The documentary also features a section on Robbie and his background in the sport, as well as his work with the Irish Army.
Liathróid Láimhe is being broadcast to coincide with the world championships that are taking place in Croke Park at the end of the month.
“There’s a fantastic new handball centre in Croke Park and there’s players from all over the world arriving. Robbie will be one of the favourites,” said Deaglán.
“Paul Brady is back in action too, hoping to win an unprecedented sixth world title, and it would be amazing to have a rerun of the all-Ireland final.
“We’re very happy with the documentary, it captures the dedication of the players and clubs, and the ambition of the sport as it goes through a bit of a revival,” he concluded. Liathróid Láimhe will air on TG4 on October 28 at 6pm and November 3 at 5.55pm.