A man who has mentored and recorded the work of young rappers and songwriters has been announced as the Cork Person of the Year. Garry McCarthy was given a standing ovation when he received the accolade at the 33rd annual awards ceremony in the Metropole Hotel on Friday. Joe Duffy, who stepped down from his role as RTÉ Radio One Liveline presenter last year, was named an 'Honorary Cork person’ and former Barnardos chief executive Fergus Finlay was inducted into the Cork Person of the Year Hall of Fame. Meanwhile, the legendary The Dixies drummer Joe Mac, who is approaching his 90th birthday, was presented with a ‘Supreme Cork’ award in recognition of his decades of contributions to Cork music. This surprise presentation was made by previous Cork Person of the Year winner Shane Casey aka Billy Murphy of The Young Offenders.

Source: Irish Examiner January 23, 2026 22:00 UTC