Brendan O'Connor (journalist)
| Brendan O'Connor | |
|---|---|
| Born | 23 January 1970 Cork, Ireland |
| Residence | Dublin, Ireland |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Education | University College Cork (UCC) |
| Occupation | Columnist, television presenter |
| Employer | Sunday Independent, Raidió Teilifís Éireann |
| Known for | |
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (193 cm) |
| Spouse(s) | Sarah Caden |
| 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 for his columns in the Sunday Independent newspaper. He is also editor of the newspaper's Life Magazine.
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.
O'Connor grew up in the Bishopstown area of Cork in County Cork. He is a past pupil of Coláiste an Spioraid Naoimh, Bishopstown, Cork. 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) — where he was Recording Secretary of the UCC Philosophical Society. He famously lost the Minutes Book of the "Golden Age" at a party.
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. He moved to Dublin in the mid-1990s. Soon after this, he started freelance work with the Sunday Independent, one of Ireland's best-selling newspapers. At the same time he also performed a comedy routine at a well-known Dublin venue. 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. O'Connor was one of the team captains on the panel, and after 2 seasons took over as host.
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