Brendan O'Connor (journalist)

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Brendan O'Connor

Born County Cork, Ireland
Residence Dublin[1]
Nationality Irish Flag of Ireland
Education University College Cork
Occupation Journalist and television personality.
Employers Sunday Independent, RTÉ
Height 6' 4" (1.93 m)[2][3]
Spouse Sarah Caden[3]
Children 1

Brendan O'Connor is a journalist, television personality and former comedian. He works as a columnist for the Sunday Independent newspaper and is also the editor of the Sunday Independent's Life Magazine.[3][4] He is currently a member of the judging panel on Radio Telefís Éireann's (RTÉ) You're A Star TV talent contest. He has also appeared on Don't Feed The Gondolas, as well as on a number of other TV programs.

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[edit] Early and private life

O'Connor grew up in the Bishopstown area of Cork City, County Cork, in the Republic of Ireland.[5][6] He is a past pupil of Colaiste an Spiorad Naoimh, Co. Cork.[2][3] During his time there as a student, he was runner up in the Denny Schools Debating Competition. He is also a graduate of University College Cork (UCC)[2][3] — where he was Recording Secretary of the UCC Philosophical Society.[3]

He married Sarah Caden in 1999.[2] She is also a journalist with the Sunday Independent and she is the daughter of John Caden, an independent television producer.[3] The couple have one child, a daughter, born in early 2008.[7][8]

[edit] Career

[edit] Comedy, TV debut and Hit Single

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.[3] He moved to Dublin in the mid-1990s.[3] Soon after this, he started freelance work with the Sunday Independent,[3] one of Ireland's best-selling newspapers. At the same time he also performed a comedy routine at a well-known Dublin venue.[3] Here he was noticed by TV producers from RTÉ and subsequently appeared on 'Don't Feed The Gondolas', a short-lived comedy program broadcast by RTÉ.[3]

O'Connor, as a member of the band "Fr. Brian & The Fun Loving Cardinals", produced a single, Who's In The House?,[9] which spent 12 weeks in the Irish Single charts, 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 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."[10]

The name "Fun Lovin' Cardinals" is itself a pun on the band Fun Loving Criminals. The character Fr. Brian had appeared on Don't Feed The Gondolas,[11] and the popularity of the song led to its release, and subsequent chart position.

[edit] You're A Star TV talent contest

In 2005 O'Connor appeared for the first time as a judge on 'Charity You're A Star ', a version of the 'You're A Star' TV program organized for charity. Subesquently, he appeared as a judge on 'You're A Star'. This is a televised talent show which selects what is deemed to be the best Irish act from among many. The winner is awarded a cash prize and groomed for a career in the entertainment industry. It has a niche following - primarily teenagers. Much of the show's popularity is attributed to the robust manner with which O'Connor treats many of the contestants - many of whom are gullible young hopefuls. He frequently evokes controversy by his comments on the show. However, on 'You're A Star' O'Connor claims that he "is only saying what the people at home are thinking".[9]

[edit] Journalist with Sunday Independent

[edit] Overview

O'Connor is known for his conservative 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 and students.[3] In many of his newspaper articles on Irish politics, O'Connor strongly supports Fianna Fáil — the largest political party in the Republic of Ireland and a party who have been in power for many years. He also regularly uses his newspaper articles to heap praise upon powerful figures in Irish life.[3] He was also a slavish supporter of Bertie Ahern and remains so. O'Connor has described Bertie Ahern as "a great Taoiseach".[12]

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. However, he regularly writes on subjects such as politics, travel, entertainment and gossip (primarily relating to well-known figures in Irish life).

[edit] 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 had some minor ups and downs at times. 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.[3] O'Connor has also criticised Ahern at times, like in his article in the Sunday Independent, 9 May 2004, where he wrote:

“ 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.[13] ”

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."[13] He also referred to her as a "principled woman".[13]

However, criticism of Ahern by O'Connor has been minimal and, overall, O'Connor has overwhelmingly 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 appeared to panic and actually called for the Tribunal to be shut down — he began his article in the Sunday Independent, 9 March 2008, as follows:

“ 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.[14] ”

However, on Wednesday, 2 April 2008, Bertie Ahern announced he would be resigning as Taoiseach and did so on 6 May 2008.[15] Investigations into payments Ahern received are ongoing.

[edit] Other

O'Connor supported the 2003 invasion of Iraq.[3]

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

O'Connor describes himself as "a rocker, a raver and a lover."[3]

[edit] Controversy

In early 2004 O'Connor enraged some of his work colleagues by strongly supporting management during an industrial relations crisis over forced redundancy.[3]

O'Connor has also been accused of racism - especially against travellers and immigrants. However, he has not limited his comments to these groups alone. A sample of his views can be seen from a story he wrote that appeared in the Sunday Independent of 11 April 2004:

“ I have to say I'm rethinking this whole Iraq business. Now that white people are dying, it's become a much more serious issue. It was grand to be honest when they were all just doing away with each other out there. It was grand when Saddam effectively committed genocide on the Marsh Arabs. Sure, we barely knew the Marsh Arabs.

But now that Americans, who look a bit like us and speak a bit like us, are dying, I'm thinking we should maybe get out. We should just let them at their civil war or whatever it is they're at. And sure, they seem to gravitate towards vicious tyrants anyway so let them slide back to that inevitability themselves. It's really not our problem.[16]

 ”

[edit] References

  1. ^ O'Connor, Brendan. "Yes, I'm going to take my business up, up and away", Sunday Independent, 18 September 2005. Retrieved on 2008-05-24. 
  2. ^ a b c d Biography for Brendan O'Connor. The Internet Movie Database Website. Retrieved on 2008-05-19.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Millar, Scott; Maggie Kenneally and Chekov Feeney. "Making a living from being a boor...His bark is as bad as his bite", Village (magazine), Thursday, 10 August 2006. Retrieved on 2008-05-19. 
  4. ^ "PAPER PROPHET Brendan O’Connor", Sunday Independent, 25 February 2007. Retrieved on 2008-05-22. 
  5. ^ O’Connor, Brendan. "‘We end up in a gay bar, clearly a man's gay bar, because there were no lesbians, and I realise that now that women are allowed into the golf clubs, these places are e last bastiobastions of masculinity'", Sunday Independent, 15 October 2006. Retrieved on 2008-05-21. 
  6. ^ O’Connor, Brendan. "‘I’m surprised that Dita Von Teese, who provided the entertainment, didn't come over to me, and say, "My Granny is here and she'd really love to meet you."'", Sunday Independent, 9 October 2005. Retrieved on 2008-05-21. 
  7. ^ 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 on 2008-05-21.
  8. ^ O’Connor, Brendan. "‘Funny, the things you call babies. I call mine a different one each time I see her: it could be the name of an African tyrant, a cake mix brand, whatever’", Sunday Independent, 6 April 2008. Retrieved on 2008-05-21. 
  9. ^ a b You’re a Star – Judges: Brendan O'Connor. RTÉ Website. Retrieved on 2008-05-19.
  10. ^ Video of Brendan O'Connor singing 'Who's In The House?'. YouTube Website (youtube.com). Retrieved on 2008-05-21.
  11. ^ "How I became a manic street preacher", Sunday Independent, 30 April 2000. Retrieved on 2008-05-21. 
  12. ^ O'Connor, Brendan. "Tearing down a leader is an event to dwell on", Sunday Independent, 13 April 2008. Retrieved on 2008-05-24. 
  13. ^ a b c O'Connor, Brendan. "It’s a sad day for politics when Bev is hunted out", Sunday Independent, 9 May 2004. Retrieved on 2008-05-24. 
  14. ^ O’Connor, Brendan. "Time’s up Mahon, it is getting tedious", Sunday Independent, 9 March 2008. Retrieved on 2008-05-24. 
  15. ^ "Kenny calls for fresh election after Taoiseach resigns", Irish Independent, Wednesday, 2 April 2008. Retrieved on 2008-05-24. 
  16. ^ O'Connor, Brendan. "We should do 'a Rwanda' on Iraq", Sunday Independent, 11 April 2004. Retrieved on 2008-05-22. 

[edit] External links