6 May 2025
By Tom Collins
tom@TheCork.ie
Prof. Gary Murphy, Professor of Politics at DCU’s School of Law and Government, has been honoured as Cork Person of the Month for the excellency of his work as a contributor to RTÉ’s election coverage and his writings, which include “Haughey”, his acclaimed biography of former Taoiseach Charles J. Haughey.
Gary, a city native, was educated by the Christian Brothers at Sullivan’s Quay and U.C.C. Later in his career he acted as a Distinguished Visitor Professor in various universities in the U.S. and serves as a current elected member of the Royal Irish Academy (RIA). Members of the RIA are chosen for their distinguished contributions to scholarship and research and is considered the highest academic honour in Ireland.
He is the author of eight books including “Regulating Lobbying; a global comparison” which is considered the definitive work in this sector. He is widely regarded as an expert on the topic and was an advisor to the Irish Government on the introduction of their Regulation of Lobbying Act 2015. He also has a weekly column in The Sunday Times.
Awards Organiser Manus O’Callaghan said “Gary is one of our great Dublin-based Corkmen and receives this Cork Person of the Month award to mark the excellency of his work studying the politics of modern Ireland. We also honour his authorship of “Haughey”, published by Gill Books, which was widely regarded as one of the books of the year by national newspapers and historians. It is certainly time that we honour Gary in his home place”.
Prof. John Horgan described Gary’s book on Haughey as “a superbly balanced exploration of the life and politics of one of the most fascinating figures in twentieth-century Ireland”. David McCullagh added that it is “an indispensable read for anyone with an interest in modern Irish history”.
Gary’s work has received considerable external recognition and many academic awards. At the Cork Person of the Year presentation in Cork this week, Gary said: “I have had many academic awards over the years, but never one which means as much to me as this“.
Asked to describe his love for Cork, Gary said: “My Cork is the Cork of the city. I grew up in Evergreen Buildings, just off Barrack Street, and a stone’s throw from Beamish & Crawford’s brewery. I went to Sullivan’s Quay primary school. It was a teeming metropolis in the 1970s full of the children of Cork’s working classes. It’s where I learned my love of reading and writing, and perhaps most importantly of all, hurling. My childhood was the Cork of the Lee Baths, Fitzgerald Park, Pairc Ui Chaoimh, Flower Lodge, the city library, and holidays in Crosshaven and Garryvoe.
“To this day I retain that love of Cork sport, outdoor swimming, and the joy of libraries. My adulthood was shaped by the quintessential Cork values of hard work and humility that my parents, from Fair Hill and Blackpool on the northside of the city instilled in me and my brothers and sisters and which has stood us all in good stead.
“Those values saw me through UCC and into the world of academia where I have been lucky enough to interact with so many gifted students and colleagues over the years. Although I have been out of Cork some 32 years I wear it with me every day”, he said.
Gary’s name will now go forward alongside 2025’s other Cork Persons of the Month for possible selection as Cork Person of the Year at the Annual Gala Awards Lunch on January 23rd, 2026 at The Metropole Hotel. The Award Judges will be the CEOs of Cork City Council and Cork County Council and presentations will be made by the Lord Mayor of Cork and the Mayor of the County of Cork.