Cork basketball legend Timmy McCarthy releases memoir after cancer battle

Timmy McCarthy, a prominent figure in Irish basketball and former CEO of several major companies, has published his memoir Boomshakalaka: Winning Against the Odds, detailing his life and his 2018 prostate cancer diagnosis.

The book, which began as a personal account of his cancer experience, expands to cover McCarthy’s varied career. He designed graphics and statistics for The Sunday Game in the 1990s and 2000s and was involved in coaching St Finbarr’s to a Cork senior hurling title while also playing junior soccer.

McCarthy’s sporting achievements include leading the Blue Demons and the Irish national basketball team during a golden era, and his business roles have spanned CEO positions at An Post Direct, Ulster Bank and Hello.ie.

Born on Cork’s northside in the 1960s, he was the third of five children of William and Margaret McCarthy. He left school at 15, worked as a labourer for Munster Furniture and later made yoghurt for CMP before rising to senior executive posts.

In his memoir he reflects on his upbringing in Gurranabraher, the support of his family and community, and how overcoming cancer became just one chapter in a life marked by ambition and resilience.

Source: Irish Examiner. Photo: David Riand / Pexels.