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Irish Independent

Professor Gary Murphy announced as the April Cork Person of the Month

Mr Murphy has been selected due to 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. Professor Murphy who is a city native, was educated by the Christian Brothers at Sullivan's Quay and UCC. Later in his career he acted as a Distinguished Visitor Professor in various universities in the US 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. Mr Murphy 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. Cork Person of the Month organiser Manus O'Callaghan paid tribute to Mr Murphy. 'Gary is one of our great Dublin-based Cork men and receives this award to mark the excellency of his work studying the politics of modern Ireland. We also honour his authorship of 'Haughey', 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.' At the Cork Person of the Year presentation Mr Murphy said: 'I have had many academic awards over the years, but never one which means as much to me as this. 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,' said Professor Murphy. '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, Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Flower Lodge, the city library, and holidays in Crosshaven and Garryvoe.' ADVERTISEMENT Learn more Professor Murphy said he still retains 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 added. Mr Murphy's name will now go forward for possible selection as Cork Person of the Year at the annual gala awards lunch on January 23 at The Metropole Hotel.