IT WOULD be all too easy for Rory O'Connor to nod his head and play along when fans comment on his incredible good fortune at carving out a comedy career. Over the past five years the Meath man has become an internet sensation with his parodies of Irish life – Rory's Stories – earning him over 500,000 Facebook followers.
And this weekend, the 32 year old dad-of-two celebrates a milestone in his relatively short career, headlining at Vicar Street in Dublin with his own stand-up show.
But it's not luck or fate that's brought him to this point. Rory set out to succeed and isn't afraid to admit it.
“Getting a gig at Vicar Street is the big one,” he says. “It's pretty much the pinnacle of Irish comedy. I get people saying to me all the time 'Sure isn't it gas? You only started uploading those videos on Facebook for the craic. Now look at you.' But that was never the case. This was always my ambition.
“I always thought I'd make a good comedian or actor but this is a country where it's not normal to be outspoken about our ambitions. You're expected to keep quiet until you succeed. People were laughing at me at the start but I just thought, 'We'll see'.
“I'm a firm believer in visualisation and the law of attraction. I knew what I wanted to do and where I wanted to be.”
Rory's Stories began life in 2014 as a series of wry online parodies of life within GAA circles. A keen player himself from childhood and a member of Donaghmore Ashbourne GAA, his life pretty much revolved around the sport.
And for Rory, it was a great source of comedy. The characters he met in this world were affectionately mocked in his internet skits – the super sub, the pushy mum on the sidelines... The sketches took off, winning him many followers and it wasn't long before he was branching out into other areas of Irish life.
“I spotted a bit of a niche there with the GAA,” Rory says. “If you think about it, there's no other organisation as bonkers or passionate about an amateur sport. People spend their lives with one club, it's all they talk about. They make sacrifices for it, become totally engrossed in it. The level of commitment is unbelievable.”
Comedy hasn't just been Rory's career but his escape and salvation. The year before he launched his Facebook page, he found himself in a dark place, battling depression and a gambling addiction. He knew he wasn't doing himself any favours, chasing the highs of a bet, but it was almost part of the sporting culture.
After the highs, came the lows and having already lost his 23-year-old cousin to suicide, he knew he had to speak up. Someone at the Rutland Centre addiction treatment organisation advised him to find a distraction; the following year, Rory's Stories came to life.
These days he does motivational speaking about mental health and the importance of being open and has included some videos online talking about his own experiences.
While most of the feedback to his work has been positive, Rory has been the subject of online abuse. He accepts that this comes with the job and a high profile but still found it shocking when he found himself subjected to Twitter abuse last year.
Rory and fellow comic Enya Martin, who plays his partner in Rory's Stories, had uploaded a relationship sketch that triggered accusations of portraying domestic violence in a comedic light.
“I couldn't believe what I was reading on Twitter,” Rory says. “It was vicious. I have a thick skin but I wasn't myself for a few days after that. What I was portraying was a normal relationship. People argue. The fans thought it was gas. I did doubt myself for a few days but I got over it.”
What's more important to Rory than validation is knowing his public stance on mental health is having an impact. After the All Ireland final, as he was leaving Croke Park, a middle-aged man approached him, hugged him and thanked him for saving his life. He didn't have to say anything else; Rory knew what he meant.
“I don't care if people find me funny or not,” he says. “But if I can use social media to stop someone putting a gun to their head, then that's all that matters to me.”
:: Rory's Stories 2019 Autumn Tour: Ardhowen Theatre, Enniskillen, October 24, the Market Place Theatre, Armagh, October 25 and St Enda's GAA Club, Omagh, November 9.
