The midfielder was originally due to be part of Giovanni Trapattoni's 23-man squad for the tournament in Poland and Ukraine but the Italian revealed at a press conference on Monday that McCarthy had made the decision to withdraw.

"Last week, he called me. He told me what happened in his family," Trapattoni told the assembled press.

"I said to him 'I'm sorry, I'm very, very sorry'. He has decided to stay at home because he has a very heavy duty to his parents."

Trapattoni assured McCarthy, 21, that he will be part of Ireland's World Cup qualification campaign which begins in September.

"I said, 'You are in our plans for the future'," Trapattoni said.

McCarthy issued a statement on Monday regarding his father's health.

"I have made the difficult decision to withdraw my name from selection for the Euro 2012 squad following the diagnosis of my father with cancer and on-going requirement for treatment," the statement read.

"I have discussed this with the manager. He was very understanding and I thank him sincerely for that.

"I take this opportunity to re-affirm my complete commitment to playing for the Republic of Ireland. It is a huge honour and a source of great pride for me and my family.

"Despite not being present, I would like to wish the manager and my team-mates every success at the tournament and I hope the Irish fans can understand the reason for my decision at this difficult time."