Brendan O'Connor (media personality)

Brendan O'Connor (born 23 January 1970) is an Irish media personality and comedian.

He presents the Current Affairs panel show Cutting Edge on RTÉ.

During the 1990s he appeared on Don't Feed the Gondolas, as well as on a number of other TV programmes.

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.

O'Connor, as a member of the band Fr Brian & The Fun Loving Cardinals, produced a single, "Who's in the House?", 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:

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, and the popularity of the song led to its release, and subsequent chart position.

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.

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".

The show was cancelled after the 2008 season.

In many of his newspaper articles on Irish politics, O'Connor strongly supports Fianna Fáil.

He was also a supporter of Bertie Ahern and has described Ahern as "a great Taoiseach".

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 presented The Saturday Night Show on RTÉ from 2010 to 2015, 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 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.

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.