Brendan O'Connor

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (March 2009)

Brendan O'Connor is a journalist, television personality and former comedian who was voted worst irish journalist of 2007 by elevator.ie^[5]. He works as a columnist for the Sunday Independent newspaper and is also the editor of the Sunday Independent's Life Magazine.^[4][6] 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.

Early and private life

O'Connor grew up in the Bishopstown area of Cork City, County Cork, in the Republic of Ireland.^[7][8] 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 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 one child, a daughter, born in early 2008.^[9][10] He has described himself as "a rocker, a raver and a lover."^[4]

Career

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.^[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] 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.^[4]

O'Connor, as a member of the band "Fr. Brian & The Fun Loving Cardinals", produced a single, Who's In The House?,^[11] 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."^[12]

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,^[13] 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 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. Subsequently, 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".^[11]

Journalist with Sunday Independent

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, public sector workers and students.^[4] He dislikes publis sector workers describing them as a 'privaleged elite'^[14]. The average public sector wage is €46,000.^[15] Mr O'Connor has a journalsim job and appears on a number of irish television shows. 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.^[4] He was also a supporter of Bertie Ahern and remains so. O'Connor has described Bertie Ahern as "a great Taoiseach".^[16]

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).

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.^[4] O'Connor has also criticised Ahern at times, like in his article in the Sunday Independent, 9 May 2004, where he wrote:

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."^[17] He also referred to her as a "principled woman".^[17]

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:

However, on Wednesday, 2 April 2008, Bertie Ahern announced he would be resigning as Taoiseach and did so on 6 May 2008.^[19] Investigations into payments Ahern received are ongoing.

Property

O'Connor has been bullish on subject of the Irish property market. In July 2007, 4 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".

However, 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. ^[21]

Other

O'Connor supported the 2003 invasion of Iraq.^[4]

He 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'.

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

O'Connor has also been accused of racism, especially against travellers and immigrants.

References

External links

• Profile on UCC Philosoph's wiki project
• O'Connor's Sunday Independent article about "Who's In The House?"