THE creative mind behind the Kabin Studio has been named the Cork Person of the Year at a gala event at the city’s Metropole Hotel.
Garry McCarthy was recognised for providing mentoring and recording services to young songwriters and rappers.
Known creatively as GMC, Garry has been a prominent figure in the music scene for over 20 years.
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He is most widely recognised for leading The Kabin Studio, a not-for-profit community music space in Knocknaheeny in Cork city that offers mentoring and recording services to young songwriters and rappers.
The studio is the birthplace of the hit song The Spark, which has amassed over 1.5 billion views on TikTok and nine million views on YouTube.
The track was performed by children aged nine to 12 from the Kabin Crew and a number of children from the Lisdoonvarna Crew, based in a direct provision centre in Co. Clare.
The Kabin Studio recently opened a second creative space in Knocknaheeny to meet growing demand for their services
Beyond his viral success, Garry has also facilitated more than 2,500 musical workshops through his GMCBeats and Song-in-a-Day projects.
His recent work also includes virtually mentoring young international artists and composing the soundtrack for the award-winning Irish film, Christy.
Garry was selected as Cork Person of the Year from the esteemed list of recipients of Cork Person of the Month awards throughout 2025 by judges Valerie O’Sullivan, chief executive, Cork City Council, and Moira Murrell, chief executive, Cork County Council.
At the awards ceremony Joe Duffy, who stepped down from his role as RTÉ Radio One’s Liveline presenter last year, was named an honorary Cork person.
Former CEO of Barnardos Fergus Finlay, was inducted into the Cork Person of the Year Hall of Fame, in recognition of his contribution to public life and social justice.
The Dixies drummer Joe McCarthy (89), affectionately known as Joe Mac, received a Supreme Cork award in recognition of his decades of contributions to Cork music.
2025 Cork Person of the Month recipients included Geoff Gould, founder of the West Cork Fit Up Theatre, and Kinsale-based Prof Rónán Collins, a distinguished consultant in geriatric and stroke medicine.
