Billa O'Connell

Billa O'Connell is an Irish entertainer from Cork city, Ireland. His career has earned him Freedom of the City[1][2] and an honorary degree from University College Cork.[3][4]

Career

O'Connell is best-known as a performer in pantomime, having made his debut in the Cork pantomime back in 1947.[3] Billa went on to become a regular cast member of the pantomimes produced at the Cork Opera House, as well as Summer Revels, an annual variety show which ran for over two decades.[4][3][5][6] Speaking in The Irish Times, Billa recalls a time when there were "seven or eight" pantomimes operating in Cork, and it was one of the city's most popular forms of entertainment.[7] Also regarded as an accomplished singer, O'Connell recorded a number or records for local charitable organisations.[8]

He frequently appeared on The Late Late Show, produced by RTÉ, Ireland's national broadcaster, as a guest of Gay Byrne.[9]

In 2000, Mercier Press published O'Connell's biography, Just Billa, written by Michael O'Connor.[10] His monologues were archived by the Cork City Library in 2012.[3]

O'Connell has also been an entertainment manager for figures likes Eamon Kelly and Dermot O'Brien.[4]

Personal

O’Connell was born in the Lough area of Cork city on Christmas Day, 1929.[3] Beyond the stage, he spent 30 years working as a sales rep for Beamish and Crawford.[4][9] He is married to former dancer, Nell Cotter,[4] and is the grandfather of Irish academic, [[James O'Sullivan (Irish academic)|James O'Sullivan.[11] He was a close friend of Jack Lynch, twice elected Taoiseach, and Paddy Comerford, a locally-famed performer.[9]

References

  1. ↑ O’Halloran, Georgina (2013). "Cha, Miah and Billa to be given freedom of Cork City". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 2017-06-01.
  2. ↑ "Cork Independent - Dowcha boys freedom gong for corks very own". Cork Independent. 2013. Retrieved 2017-06-01.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Biography: Billa O'Connell". Cork City Libraries. Retrieved 2017-06-01.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Sheridan, Colette (2015). "Billa O'Connell to strut the boards for Cork Opera House gala". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 2017-06-01.
  5. ↑ Hassett, Declan (1990). "Evening Echo" (PDF). Evening Echo. Retrieved 2017-06-01.
  6. ↑ "Summer Revels '90". Cork City Libraries. Retrieved 2017-06-01.
  7. ↑ "A fairytale of old Cork". The Irish Times. 1997. Retrieved 2017-06-01.
  8. ↑ Cork's Own Charm, retrieved 2017-06-01
  9. 1 2 3 O'Rourke, Ciara (2017). "Radio documentary with pantomime legend Billa O'Connell". The Circular. Retrieved 2017-06-01.
  10. ↑ O'Connor, Michael (2000). Just Billa. Dublin: Mercier Press. ISBN 1856352951.
  11. ↑ "Cork's James sees work in print". Cork Independent. 2011. Retrieved 2017-06-01.
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