Brendan O'Connor (media personality)

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Brendan O'Connor
Born 23 January 1970[1]
Cork, Ireland
Residence Dublin[2]
Nationality Irish
Education University College Cork (UCC)
Occupation Columnist, television presenter
Employer Sunday Independent, Raidió Teilifís Éireann
Known for <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
Height 6' 4" (1.93 m)[3][4]
Spouse(s) Sarah Caden[4]
Children 2

Brendan O'Connor (born 23 January 1970) is an Irish media personality, columnist, comedian and retired pop star. Presenter of The Saturday Night Show on RTÉ One since 2010, he is also known as for his columns in the Sunday Independent newspaper.[5] He is also editor of the newspaper's Life Magazine.[4][6]

O'Connor's pop career included a time as a member of The Frank and Walters. He had one-hit wonder as Fr. Brian & The Fun Loving Cardinals, the comedy song "Who's in the House?", reaching number 3 in the Irish charts.

O'Connor has pursued varied media career over several decades in Ireland. During the 1990s he appeared on Don't Feed the Gondolas, as well as on a number of other TV programmes. During the 2000s he served a member of the judging panel on Raidió Teilifís Éireann's (RTÉ) You're a Star TV talent contest before presenting The Apprentice: You're Fired! and The Saturday Night Show. With a salary of €228,500 in 2011, he is one of RTÉ's highest paid stars.[7]

Early life

O'Connor grew up in the Bishopstown area of Cork in County Cork.[8][9] He is a past pupil of Coláiste an Spioraid Naoimh, Bishopstown, Cork.[3][4] During his time there as a student, he was runner-up in the All-Ireland Schools' Debating Competition. He is also a graduate of University College Cork (UCC)[3][4] — where he was Recording Secretary of the UCC Philosophical Society.[4] He famously lost the Minutes Book of the "Golden Age" at a party.

"Who's in the House" and Don't Feed the Gondolas

Initially, O'Connor attempted to become a comedian and was also a singer in a number of bands while still a student at UCC, but with limited success, including the band that eventually became The Frank and Walters.[4] He moved to Dublin in the mid-1990s.[4] Soon after this, he started freelance work with the Sunday Independent,[4] one of Ireland's best-selling newspapers. At the same time he also performed a comedy routine at a well-known Dublin venue.[4] He was noticed by TV producers from RTÉ and joined Don't Feed the Gondolas, a comedy television programme broadcast by RTÉ that ran for four seasons.[4] O'Connor was one of the team captains on the panel, and after 2 seasons took over as host.[4]

O'Connor, as a member of the band Fr. Brian & The Fun Loving Cardinals, produced a single, "Who's in the House?",[10] which spent 12 weeks in the Irish Singles Chart, peaking at number 3. The song was a novelty number that played on the popularity of the TV series Father Ted. O'Connor sang it while dressed as a trendy Roman Catholic priest (Fr. Brian) and it featured such lines as:

  • "What's the time? It's time for God",
  • "At the age of 33 he was nailed to a cross - some call him Jesus, I call him boss",
  • "Who’s in the house? The Lord is in the house", and
  • "We're putting the dick back in Benediction."[11]

The name "Fun Lovin' Cardinals" is itself a pun on the band Fun Lovin' Criminals. The character Fr. Brian had appeared on Don't Feed the Gondolas,[12] and the popularity of the song led to its release, and subsequent chart position.

You're a Star TV talent contest

In 2005, O'Connor made his debut as a judge on Charity You're a Star, a charitable version of the You're a Star TV talent contest. Subsequently, he appeared as a judge on the main series of You're a Star. This was a televised talent show which selected what is deemed to be the best Irish act from among many. The winner was awarded a cash prize and groomed for a career in the entertainment industry. It had a niche following - primarily teenagers. Much of the show's popularity was attributed to the robust manner with which O'Connor treated many of the contestants - many of whom were gullible young hopefuls. He frequently evoked controversy with his comments on the show. However, on You're a Star, O'Connor claimed that he was "only saying what the people at home are thinking".[10] The show was cancelled after the 2008 season.

Sunday Independent column

O'Connor is known for his conservative, anti-intellectual, right-wing political views, and puts these across in his articles in the Sunday Independent. Regular targets of O'Connor's ire are Sinn Féin, anti-war protesters (whom he labels disparagingly as "anti-American"), travellers, public sector workers and students.[4] He dislikes public sector workers describing them as a "privileged elite".[13]

In many of his newspaper articles on Irish politics, O'Connor strongly supports Fianna Fáil. He also regularly uses his newspaper articles to heap praise upon powerful figures in Irish life.[4] He was also a supporter of Bertie Ahern and has described Ahern as "a great Taoiseach".[14]

O'Connor frequently writes an article that appears on the bottom corner of the front page of the Sunday Independent. He also edits the paper's Life magazine, a glossy supplement to the paper. Articles by O'Connor also appear throughout many other sections of the paper. He writes on an extremely broad range of topics—which can include any subject. He regularly writes on subjects such as politics, travel, entertainment and gossip (primarily relating to well-known figures in Irish life).

His writing has been described as shallow, bipolar and at times racist. Irish political magazine The Phoenix, has criticised his journalism, saying:

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O'Connor appeared to believe that jokes and jibes in the Sindo about the elderly, Romanians, travellers, environmentalists, anti-war protesters and Republicans as well as individuals who were perceived as disrespectful to the newspaper, amounts to comic relief.[15]

Support for Bertie Ahern and Fianna Fáil

O'Connor frequently refers to Bertie Ahern in his articles simply and affectionately as "Bertie". His "relationship" with Ahern has been tense. In August 2003 he had a row with Ahern on a flight returning from Ahern's daughter's wedding in France, when Ahern refused to grant him an interview.[4] O'Connor has also criticised Ahern at times, like in his article in the Sunday Independent, 9 May 2004, where he wrote:

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Bertie is a party leader who has knowingly promoted crooked colleagues in the past. He is a party leader who has been notoriously slow to take sanctions against colleagues who've been up to their necks in all kinds of serious, deliberate, premeditated corruption.[16]

In this same article O'Connor lamented the expulsion of Beverley Flynn, a TD, from the Fianna Fáil Party for the second time arising out of corruption charges, stating that she was "indeed a class act and is someone we need more of in Irish politics."[16] He also referred to her as a "principled woman".[16]

Criticism of Ahern by O'Connor has been minimal, overall O'Connor has backed Ahern, especially when such support was most needed. O'Connor, along with Eoghan Harris, strongly supported Bertie Ahern during the 2007 general election and during his appearances before the Mahon Tribunal. Ahern subsequently appointed Harris as a Senator.

As pressure grew on Bertie Ahern due to revelations from the Mahon Tribunal (regarding unexplained payments Ahern had received in the 1990s), O'Connor called for the Tribunal to be shut down:

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It should be shut down. It should be shut down now. There is no appetite for it, no real interest in it. We cannot afford it in financial terms and we can no longer afford the virtual paralysis of affairs of state it has visited on us.[17]

On Wednesday, 2 April 2008, Bertie Ahern announced he would be resigning as Taoiseach and did so on 6 May 2008.[18] Investigations into payments Ahern received are ongoing.

On Friday, 19 February 2010, Fianna Fáil TD Willie O'Dea resigned as Minister for Defence for committing perjury in front of the High Court. Two days later in his weekly column in the Sunday Independent, O'Connor entered into a vitriolic attack on the politicians who called for his resignation, especially Green Party Senator Dan Boyle:

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And no matter what anyone says, it was a Boyle flounce that led us to the sorry pass at which we find ourselves this weekend.[19]

Property

O'Connor has been bullish on subject of the Irish property market. In July 2007, four months after the peak of the Irish property bubble, O'Connor wrote an article urging his readers to invest in property, saying that "the really smart and ballsy guys are the guys who are buying when no one else is"[20] and "if I wasn't already massively over-exposed to the property market by virtue of owning a reasonable home. I'd be buying property". (Several years later, O'Connor castigated a journalist who brought up the subject of the article during an interview, claiming that it was a valid opinion originating from original thinking).[21]

In June 2009, O'Connor wrote an article blaming the governor of the Irish Central Bank, John Hurley, and his "cronies" for being responsible for "excessive lending" and for O'Connor and others being in negative equity.[22] In January 2010 O'Connor wrote of the media's role in the Irish property market when he said "we curse the politicians, the banks and the media that encouraged the madness".[23]

Other

O'Connor supported the 2003 invasion of Iraq by the United States government.[4]

He wrote frequent articles about the model Katy French, who died on 6 December 2007. French publicly announced her disdain for O'Connor, deeming him a "gutter journalist."[citation needed].

In early 2004, O'Connor enraged some of his work colleagues by strongly supporting management during an industrial relations crisis over forced redundancy.[4]

The Saturday Night Show

In 2010, O'Connor began hosting TV chat programme The Saturday Night Show on RTÉ One. His controversial interview with Michael Barrymore brought him to the attention of the British press.[24][25] His interview with Oliver Callan, during which the impressionist announced he was gay, brought him to the attention of the international press.[26][27][28][29][30]

On 1 February 2014, O'Connor had a high profile interview with two of the Russian dissidents from punk rock band Pussy Riot. The interview was generally considered to have been poorly conducted by O'Connor and the result was an awkward and cringe inducing conversation. [31]

On 14 March 2015, O'Connor announced without warning live on air his resignation as host of The Saturday Night Show and that the show would finish for good at the end of that series on 30 May 2015.[32]

In July 2015 he took over the John Murray vacated Radio 1 slot.[33]

Personal life

O'Connor married Sarah Caden in 1999.[3] She is also a journalist with the Sunday Independent and she is the daughter of John Caden, an independent television producer.[4] The couple have two children, a daughter, born in early 2008, Anna and a daughter born in August 2010, Mary.[34][35] O'Connor wrote about her diagnosis with Down syndrome in his Sunday Independent column in September 2010, drawing a warm response from readers.[36][37]

His favoured books include De Niro's Game, which he described as "a real page turner" that "fairly rocks along for a book that won a prize".[38]

See also

References

  1. ↑ https://www.tribune.ie/archive/article/2006/dec/03/judge-dreadful/
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  26. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  27. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  29. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  30. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  31. ↑ http://www.dailyedge.ie/pussy-riot-irish-interview-brendan-oconnor-1298508-Feb2014/
  32. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  33. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  34. ↑ The Late Late Show. (RTÉ One), Friday, 18 January 2008. Here it was stated during his appearance on the program that his wife was expecting a baby soon - Click here to watch the video on RTÉ's Website (Scroll down to 'YOU'RE A STAR HOPEFULS & JUDGES' and click on the link). Retrieved 21 May 2008.
  35. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  36. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  37. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  38. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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