Former Limerick sports star jailed for car-jacking SNA's vehicle

A man who has ‘fallen on hard times’ has been jailed for a car-jacking offence

Published 25th Jul 2026, 04:00 BST Updated 25th Jul 2026, 16:00 BST Former rugby player, Diarmuid McCarthy, pictured above on the pitch at a match, April, 2015 | Former rugby player, Diarmuid McCarthy, pictured above on the pitch at a match, April, 2015 A man who has ‘fallen on hard times’ has been jailed for a car-jacking offence Sign up to our Limerick Live newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know you can manage your profile, and explore all of the available newsletters from Limerick Live within your account.

A “PROMISING rugby player” has been jailed for stealing and crashing a woman’s car.

Diarmuid McCarthy, 36, of no fixed abode, formerly played with the Ireland’s Men’s 7s, and the under 18 Munster rugby team.

Limerick Circuit Court heard that Mr McCarthy entered a woman’s car without permission as she was calling her daughter while pulled over on Ballinacurra Road on August 24, 2024.

Prosecuting Barrister John O’Sullivan, detailing the facts of the case at a sentencing hearing with Garda Michael O’Neill, said that Mr McCarthy shouted at the woman and put her under duress to leave the car.

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Mr McCarthy became aggressive with the victim - who is in her 60s - and told her to give him her keys.

During the incident, Mr McCarthy told the woman that her car is “only an old banger anyways”. The victim then retreated from the car, and the accused drove away at high speed towards the city centre.

At the city centre, Mr McCarthy then crashed the car into bollards at Foxes Bow. Garda O’Neill confirmed that pedestrians saw the car flying past, and a loud bang could be heard as he crashed. After crashing the car, Mr McCarthy fled the scene.

A Victim Impact Statement read to the court detailed that the victim suffers from PTSD and anxiety after the incident. The woman detailed that she works as an SNA and has “applied to the school board to reduce my hours on compassionate grounds.” The statement said the incident left her “petrified”.

“My car was a write-off. I lost my no claims bonus, my insurance has almost doubled,” she wrote.

Mr McCarthy presented at Henry Street Garda Station the same day his offending took place. The man told gardaí that he thought his parents were taken by helicopter to Argentina and he had to save them - which he gave as an explanation for stealing the car.

The man was then charged at a special sitting of Limerick District Court.

The court heard that Mr McCarthy was suffering from mental health issues prior to the incident, and that he started taking drugs at age 11. In an interview, he told gardaí he had succumbed to drug addiction.

Mr O’Sullivan described Mr McCarthy as “a promising rugby player who represented Munster under 18s before falling on hard times”. Barrister Pat Whyms, representing Mr McCarthy, said that his client is sincerely sorry.

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In his sentencing, Judge Colin Daly said McCarthy’s “driving was very dangerous”. The judge stated that Mr McCarthy’s culpability was diminished, as “it appears he was suffering from a psychotic episode at the time”.

The judge proceeded to sentence Mr McCarthy to three years’ imprisonment for the unlawful taking of a Mechanically Propelled Vehicle, and two months for the dangerous driving offence - which is to run concurrently. The final year of the sentence was suspended, and the sentence was backdated to May 29, 2026, when Mr McCarthy entered custody.