Garry McCarthy is a music producer, songwriter, rapper and youth workshop facilitator from Cork who began creating his own music as a teenager. In the mid 2000s, Garry began independently releasing songs and collaborating with other local rap artists and musicians in the early days of the emerging Cork Hip Hop community. Having the vibrant local and pirate radio scene as a launch platform, he has released 3 albums, penned a top 20 hit with “Not Tonight – The Bouncer Song”, performed at Electric Picnic, The Marquee in Cork (opening for Flo Rida), and wrote the Cork GAA anthems “Give us back Sam Maguire” and “Do the Jimmy Barry Murphy”. Garry’s style brings witty, edgy and local lyrics over a wide variety of self-produced beats while remaining true to his accent and identity.

As rap has become an important and accessible channel of expression for Irish youth, Garry is now heavily involved in delivering music workshops around Ireland through his GMCBeats Workshops and Song-in-a-Day programs in schools and youth groups. These inclusive and energetic workshops inspire and empower young people to express themselves lyrically and create music based around their own experiences using the latest in recording and production technology. This has resulted in the creation of almost 1000 songs at over 2500 workshops since 2009.

Garry has worked with and continues to work with organisations like Music Generation Cork City, The HSE, JCSP Libraries program in secondary schools, Foróige, Youth Work Ireland, Youthreach, EPIC as well as hundreds of primary and secondary schools. He also runs the not-for-profit community music space The Kabin Studio in Knocknaheeny Cork mentoring and recording young rappers and songwriters in Cork city as well as delivering workshops there with other local musicians.