Derek O'Connor (journalist)
Encyclopedia
Derek O'Connor is an Irish
journalist, blogger, playwright and theatre and television director, perhaps best known by bloggers for his time editing the now-defunct satirical award-winning website blogorrah.com
. He is a regular contributor to a variety of publications, including the Sunday Tribune
and Image
magazine. Following the failure of blogorrah.com he set up a new website, thechancer.i.e. of which he is currently the editor.
O'Connor is the founder of the County Donegal
-based theatre company Mirrorball which has led to his plays being performed at world-renowned festivals. For instance his play Maladjusted/Misappropriated was performed at the 2008 New York International Fringe Festival
and at the Earagail Arts Festival
in Letterkenny
, County Donegal
. O'Connor is also a writer and the programme director of the Darklight Festival. His television work includes writing credits on TV3's successful movie preview show Popcorn and also a recent episode of the BBC
and Jam Media’s forthcoming children’s television series Badly Drawn Roy. He has recently guest-edited the January/February 2009 edition of Film Ireland
.
Whilst editing blogorrah.com, O'Connor praised his former movie reviewer employee Rick O'Shea
(now himself an award-winning and nationally renowned blogger and successful radio presenter on RTÉ 2fm
) describing his style as "a bit of a mix between the protagonist in a Nick Hornby
novel and a hipper Alan Partridge
, and we mean that with the utmost respect. Oh yeah!" and awarding him the accolade of "Blog of the Day" on one occasion. O'Shea responded on his own nationally recognised online blog by saying he might have that statement "bronzed upon a plaque for the desk".
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
journalist, blogger, playwright and theatre and television director, perhaps best known by bloggers for his time editing the now-defunct satirical award-winning website blogorrah.com
Blogorrah.com
bloggorah.com, also known as blogorrah, was a cult award-winning New York City-based Irish website owned by the publishing "empire" of John Ryan. The site was edited by Derek O'Connor in New York. It was known for scathingly satirising well-known social figures in Irish life such as politicians,...
. He is a regular contributor to a variety of publications, including the Sunday Tribune
Sunday Tribune
The Sunday Tribune was an Irish Sunday broadsheet newspaper published by Tribune Newspapers plc. It was edited in its final years by Nóirín Hegarty, who changed both the tone and the physical format of the newspaper from broadsheet to tabloid. Former editors include Conor Brady, Vincent Browne,...
and Image
Image (magazine)
Image is an Irish lifestyle and fashion magazine launched in 1975....
magazine. Following the failure of blogorrah.com he set up a new website, thechancer.i.e. of which he is currently the editor.
O'Connor is the founder of the County Donegal
County Donegal
County Donegal is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Donegal. Donegal County Council is the local authority for the county...
-based theatre company Mirrorball which has led to his plays being performed at world-renowned festivals. For instance his play Maladjusted/Misappropriated was performed at the 2008 New York International Fringe Festival
New York International Fringe Festival
The New York International Fringe Festival, or FringeNYC, is a Fringe theater festival and one of the largest multi-arts events in North America. It takes place over the course of two weeks every August, spread across several neighborhoods in downtown Manhattan, notably the Lower East Side, the...
and at the Earagail Arts Festival
Earagail Arts Festival
The Earagail Arts Festival is an annual festival which takes place in County Donegal, part of the Province of Ulster in Ireland, every June/July...
in Letterkenny
Letterkenny
Letterkenny , with a population of 17,568, is the largest town in County Donegal, part of the Province of Ulster in Ireland. The town is located on the River Swilly...
, County Donegal
County Donegal
County Donegal is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Donegal. Donegal County Council is the local authority for the county...
. O'Connor is also a writer and the programme director of the Darklight Festival. His television work includes writing credits on TV3's successful movie preview show Popcorn and also a recent episode of the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
and Jam Media’s forthcoming children’s television series Badly Drawn Roy. He has recently guest-edited the January/February 2009 edition of Film Ireland
Film Ireland
Film Ireland is a cultural cinema magazine published on a bimonthly basis by Filmbase Centre for Film and Video in Dublin, Ireland. It is Ireland's longest-running film publication.-History:...
.
Whilst editing blogorrah.com, O'Connor praised his former movie reviewer employee Rick O'Shea
Rick O'Shea
Rick O'Shea is an Irish radio personality. He was born in Drimnagh, Dublin 12 and attended and later University College Dublin . He is a DJ on RTÉ 2fm.-Radio:...
(now himself an award-winning and nationally renowned blogger and successful radio presenter on RTÉ 2fm
RTÉ 2fm
RTÉ 2fm, or 2FM as it is more commonly referred to, is Raidió Teilifís Éireann's second national radio station. It broadcasts popular music programming aimed at a young Irish audience.- History :...
) describing his style as "a bit of a mix between the protagonist in a Nick Hornby
Nick Hornby
Nick Hornby is an English novelist, essayist and screenwriter. He is best known for the novels High Fidelity, About a Boy, and for the football memoir Fever Pitch. His work frequently touches upon music, sport, and the aimless and obsessive natures of his protagonists.-Life and career:Hornby was...
novel and a hipper Alan Partridge
Alan Partridge
Alan Gordon Partridge is a fictional radio and television presenter portrayed by English comedian Steve Coogan and invented by Coogan, Armando Iannucci, Stewart Lee and Richard Herring for the BBC Radio 4 programme On The Hour...
, and we mean that with the utmost respect. Oh yeah!" and awarding him the accolade of "Blog of the Day" on one occasion. O'Shea responded on his own nationally recognised online blog by saying he might have that statement "bronzed upon a plaque for the desk".