Bright spark Garry honoured with Cork Person of the Month award

The creative director behind a northside community music project which sparked a viral global hit has been named Cork Person of the Month for September.

Garry McCarthy, known creatively as GMC, has been recognised for his significant work facilitating workshops for youths and his contribution to Cork’s rap music community.

Mr McCarthy, who has been creating rap music for over two decades, is best known as the creative director Knocknaheeny’s The Kabin Studio.

The Kabin is a not-for-profit community music space which offers mentoring and recording services to young rappers and songwriters in Cork city and also delivers workshops with other local musicians.

The Spark

It was The Kabin which fostered the viral global hit The Spark, which has amassed over eight million views on YouTube and over 1.5 billion views on TikTok.

The drum’n’bass track was performed by children aged between 9 and 12 from both the Kabin Crew from Cork and the Lisdoonvarna Crew, a group of children living in refugee accommodation in the Clare town.

The Kabin Crew also performed the track alongside English pop sensation Becky Hill at her gig in Virgin Media Park last June.

Most recently, Mr McCarthy has virtually mentored MC Abdul, a young rapper from Gaza, and also composed music for the soundtrack for the award-winning Irish film Christy.

Multiple accolades 

He has received multiple accolades and awards in recognition of his work towards creating a more inclusive society, including two Show Racism the Red Card Awards and three Drugs.ie awards.

Awards organiser Manus O’Callaghan congratulated Mr McCarthy on his contribution across the last two decades.

“By engaging with young people in a relatable and innovative manner, through the immensely popular mediums of rap and hip-hop music, he has successfully broken down barriers between communities and created a unique and valuable experience for youths in Cork and beyond,” he said.

Mr McCarthy’s name will now go forward, alongside the other monthly winners, for possible selection as Cork Person of the Year at the annual gala awards lunch to be held in January, 2026.