David O'Connor is an Irish singer and former racing jockey from

Ferns The ferns (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta) are a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. They differ from mosses by being vascular, i.e., having specialized tissue ...

, County Wexford. He participated in the fifth series of

RTÉ One RTÉ One is an Irish free-to-air flagship television channel owned and operated by RTÉ. It is the most-popular and most-watched television channel in the country and was launched as ''Telefís Éireann'' on 31 December 1961, it was renamed ''R ...

television talent show ''

You're a Star ''You're a Star'' is an Irish music competition series broadcast by RTÉ One from 2002 to 2008. Produced by the broadcaster and Screentime ShinAwiL, the series was similar to formats such as '' Idol'' and ''The X Factor''. For its first three ...

'', finishing as the series winner on 18 March 2007. During the show he charted in Ireland with a recording of one of his live performances. O'Connor previously had a racing career and on one occasion represented Ireland in the Karaoke World Championships.

Early life

His parents are Willie and Martina from Páirc Mhuire. O'Connor engaged in public performance whilst working as a barman. He was a member of Ferns Dramatic Society, with which he took part in some musicals and variety shows.

Racing

O'Connor, whose passions include horses, was previously a jockey, and has worked with the renowned trainer

Colm Murphy Colm Murphy (18 August 1952 – 18 April 2023) was an Irish republican who was the first person to be convicted in connection with the Omagh bombing, but whose conviction was overturned on appeal.

. His career was shortened by a back injury in 1998 but he still maintains an active interest as a trainer. In 2008 he was reported to have set up his own training yard.

Singing

Karaoke World championships

O'Connor finished sixth in the Karaoke World Championships held in

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

in 2004.

''You're a Star''

O'Connor won the fifth series of ''You're A Star'' which was held in The Helix in Dublin from 2006–2007. He beat rock band 21 Demands in the final, following the semi-final loss of Maeve O'Donovan. His prizes included a recording contract, a publishing contract and musical equipment to the value of €10,000. O'Connor auditioned in

Monaghan Monaghan ( ; ) is the county town of County Monaghan, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It also provides the name of its Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish and Monaghan (barony), Monaghan barony. The population of the town as of the 2022 cen ...

where he sang "

Two Out of Three Ain't Bad "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad" is a power ballad performed by the American musician Meat Loaf. It is a track off his 1977 album '' Bat Out of Hell'', written by Jim Steinman. It spent 23 weeks on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, peaking at No. 11, and ea ...

" by

Meat Loaf Michael Lee Aday (born Marvin Lee Aday; September 27, 1947 – January 20, 2022), known professionally by his stage name Meat Loaf, was an American singer and actor. He was known for his powerful, wide-ranging voice and theatrical live shows. ...

and secured his place in the live shows by coming second in the public vote when the audition was broadcast on 10 December 2006. The two acts with the highest number of votes from each audition progressed to the live finals. He had entered the competition as a way of paying tribute to the recent death of a close friend. O'Connor performed "

Second Violin The string section of an orchestra is composed of bowed instruments belonging to the violin family. It normally consists of first and second violins, violas, cellos, and double basses. It is the most numerous group in the standard orchestra. In ...

" and

The Verve The Verve were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Wigan in 1990 by lead vocalist Richard Ashcroft, guitarist Nick McCabe, bass guitarist Simon Jones (musician), Simon Jones and drummer Peter Salisbury. Guitarist and keyboard player Sim ...

song "

The Drugs Don't Work "The Drugs Don't Work" is a song by English Rock music, rock band the Verve. The song was written by Richard Ashcroft and is featured on their third studio album, ''Urban Hymns''. It was released on 1 September 1997 as the second single from th ...

" in the semi-final on 17 March 2007, whilst his rivals and eventual runners-up 21 Demands performed the U2 song "

I Will Follow "I Will Follow" is a song by Irish rock music, rock band U2. It is the opening track from their debut album, ''Boy (album), Boy'', and it was released as the album's second single (music), single in October 1980. Lead singer Bono wrote the lyrics ...

" and "

Footloose ''Footloose'' is a 1984 American musical drama film directed by Herbert Ross and written by Dean Pitchford. It tells the story of Ren McCormack (Kevin Bacon), a teenager from Chicago who moves to a small town, where he attempts to overturn a b ...

". O'Connor performed "Love Grows" and "On Borrowed Wings" in the final, whilst 21 Demands performed "In The Morning" and "Courtesan". O'Connor sang the

Bryan Adams Bryan Guy Adams (born November 5, 1959) is a British and Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, record producer, and photographer. He is estimated to have sold between 75 million and more than 100 million album, records and Single (music), si ...

and

Eliot Kennedy Eliot Kennedy (born 29 March 1969) is an English songwriter and record producer based in Sheffield. He has worked with artists such as Céline Dion, Rebbie Jackson, Billie Piper, The Spice Girls, Aretha Franklin, Mary J. Blige, Donny Osmond, Br ...

song " On Borrowed Wings" in the play-off. This was released as a downloadable digital single in Ireland one week after his victory. O'Connor also enjoyed chart success during the series itself. The week prior to the final, his version of the

Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; : oases ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment Don't Look Back in Anger "Don't Look Back in Anger" is a song by English rock band Oasis. It was written by the band's lead guitarist and chief songwriter Noel Gallagher, and produced by Gallagher and Owen Morris. Released on 19 February 1996 by Creation Records as th ...

" charted in Ireland's top twenty. This was beaten only by 21 Demands who entered the chart at number two. Tracks by both act were made available for download, alongside one each by Maeve O'Donovan and fourth-placed Scuba Dice. This was the first occasion on which songs from a talent show in Ireland or abroad were made available for download before the series had finished.

Post ''You're a Star''

O'Connor released the single "Complicated" in December 2007, followed that with another single in February 2008 and launched an album in March 2008. He reported to have been receiving sales of 2,000 as he performed live shows. He began an Irish tour on 6 April 2008 in the Riverside Park Hotel; he was accompanied by a five-piece band, a brass section and a string quartet.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oconnor, David Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Irish jockeys Irish male singers Musicians from County Wexford Singing talent show winners Equestrians from County Wexford People from Ferns, County Wexford