Brendan O' Connor's article about his daughter in the Sindo

Brussels Sprout

Ok, first up I hate the Sunday Independent and along with Eoin Harris and Barry Egan, Brendan O' Connor is one of the main reasons why. Years ago when he first came on the scene he was very funny and I liked his articles. But then I noticed that he started to change the slant of his writing as he became more opinionated on serious matters. A classic example was his cheer-leading of Bush and Blair before and during the invasion of Iraq back in 2003.

So, yesterday when my mother told me to read the piece he wrote about his daughter I was reluctant. However I did so and I'm glad that I did. Two weeks ago his wife gave birth to a baby with Down's Syndrome which was a massive shock to both of them. In a full page article he talks about the experience in an extremely candid and thought provoking way. I'd recommend anyone to have a read off it if they have the paper lying around at home.

escape

I would be a fan of Brendan O'Connor, i enjoy reading his weekly logs and "brendan bites" in the life section and in general enjoy his articles. Last week Barry Egan (back page of the living section - social diary) mentioned that Brendan and his wife Sarah had a second baby girl Mary, all well etc. So i was shocked to read the headline of his articlein yesterdays indo - it bought a tear to my eye as he described the last 2 weeks of his life and how he and his family are coming to terms with the new addition to their family, It is well worth a read as it is so honest, straight from the heart. Whether you are a fan or not i don't think you could not be touched by the piece.

Micky Dolenz

No jokes please.

Nevyn

http://www.independent.ie/opinion/analysis/a-prayer-for-my-daughter-2334557.html

AckwelFoley

Micky Dolenz wrote: »

No jokes please.

[/thread]

Is he the mace advert guy?

Rubik.

snyper wrote: »

[/thread]

Is he the mace advert guy?

Yeah.

I don't usually read anything by O'Connor, he just irritates me too much, but I agree this article is worth reading.

Banned Account

Whilst I am sure that some people who have been touched in some way by Down's Syndrome will undoubtedly find the article of interest, I personally couldn't give a flying fúck about Brendan O'Connors innermost feelings. I have seen snippets of him demeaning members of the public on various talent shows when they were obviously not 100% at the races.

In this light, a bleeding heart article will not make me think that he's suddenly become a more decent person overnight. Perhaps he may now re-think the way he deals with others.

stovelid

Like many here, the thought of reading a BOC article would normally bring my bile up but it's a very touching article and my heart goes out to any family affected by this, no matter how I feel about them.

mecanoman

He's still a big pile of steaming sh*te.

Kurtosis

Fitzcaraldo wrote: »

Whilst I am sure that some people who have been touched in some way by Down's Syndrome will undoubtedly find the article of interest, I personally couldn't give a flying fúck about Brendan O'Connors innermost feelings. I have seen snippets of him demeaning members of the public on various talent shows when they were obviously not 100% at the races.

In this light, a bleeding heart article will not make me think that he's suddenly become a more decent person overnight. Perhaps he may now re-think the way he deals with others.

To be honest, I don't think the fact Brendan O'Connor has written this article should be counted against it. Simply taken as a piece written by a father of a newborn who has Down's syndrome, it is a touching and thought provoking article. The identity of the author doesn't really matter.

arybvtcw0eolkf

mecanoman wrote: »

He's still a big pile of steaming sh*te.

You missed this, didn't you?...

Micky Dolenz wrote: »

No jokes please.

Have some respect please.

Quality

I wouldnt be a fan of Brendan O'Connor, but I read his piece yesterday and found it very moving.

I am sure it was very difficult for him to put down on paper, exactly what him and his wife were going through when they found out and how they have been trying to come to terms with it.

His reactions to the "do Gooders" and the way people say things when they hear such news, was an eye opener. It has me change my attitude to the way I would normally respond in this circumstance.

I wish him and his family the best, we are all put on this earth for a reason and I hope he can enjoy many happy years with his young baby Mary.

orourkeda

I find it extremely difficult to take anything that guy writes seriously, even if it is on a serious subject.

He should consider himself lucky to have the platform of a national newspaper. The other parents of children with Downs aren't so lucky. Not that it makes any difference to his predicament

Minstrel27

Liam Ripe Pointer wrote: »

You missed this, didn't you?...



Have some respect please.

Looked to be more of a factual statement than a joke to me.

TomD101

Brussels Sprout wrote: »

Ok, first up I hate the Sunday Independent and along with Eoin Harris and Barry Egan, Brendan O' Connor is one of the main reasons why. Years ago when he first came on the scene he was very funny and I liked his articles. But then I noticed that he started to change the slant of his writing as he became more opinionated on serious matters. A classic example was his cheer-leading of Bush and Blair before and during the invasion of Iraq back in 2003.

So, yesterday when my mother told me to read the piece he wrote about his daughter I was reluctant. However I did so and I'm glad that I did. Two weeks ago his wife gave birth to a baby with Down's Syndrome which was a massive shock to both of them. In a full page article he talks about the experience in an extremely candid and thought provoking way. I'd recommend anyone to have a read off it if they have the paper lying around at home.

could have wrote that post myself OP. I had a low opinion of Brendan O'Connor as a journalist (along with the rest of the Sindo collection) but that article yesterday was outstanding writing. The honesty with how he expressed his emotions was inbelievable and I would recommend to everyone to have a read of it. One of the best pieces of writing I've ever seen.

mikom

TomD101 wrote: »

One of the best pieces of writing I've ever seen.

Really?

deisedevil

Liam Ripe Pointer wrote: »

Have some respect please.

Sorry but is that you in your avatar?

ibarelycare

I read that article yesterday and was very touched by it. It's very close to the hearts of those in my house as my stepsister had a down's baby four years ago. Of course it was a huge shock but maybe we got over it easier than some, because my stepbrother also has DS. My step-nephew now goes to a "normal" playschool with his little brother, he's just become a big brother for the second time to his baby sister, and next year he'll be going to "normal" school with his older brother. Children born with Down's Syndrome these days have far more opportunities than children born with it 20 years ago. However people in general still find it difficult to know how to react...but the last thing parents want is sympathy...that little baby is still their beautiful child.

onway

I'm not a Brendan O Connor fan either but thought the article was really touching.

Mr. Incognito

Lets face it, Brendan is as he describes himself a scribbler. He is not a writer or a serious journalist, just a hyped up personality writing for a rag that hypes up personalities,

However, although he is a poor writer the emotion of the situation must be overwhelming for him and credit where it is due for him to attempt to articulate in an honest fashion the ups and downs of the personal situation.

i can't help but feel pity, and hope in that article. Of course though that's the Indo style. The cult of me me me. Sometimes though people go through amazing experiences and it is a triumph that superficial writing can give way to thought provoking and challenging articles like that.

It's a shame that it had to happen to him before he could grasp the nettle of any serious issue. You wouldn't have caught him writing about down syndrom and it's affects in a million years if it hadn't happened to him personally.

Best of luck to the both of them and I hope they enjoy each other for many years to come.

skywalker

Like most Im not a big fan of his personally, but that was a very well written, touching article.

kmick

There is a semblance of a good writer in that article.

Id say the weekly pressure of writing 7 "sarcastic" articles for that paper is the reason why he normally turns out a load of rubbish. His food articles are the only good ones as you can see he is passionate about food.

Good luck to him and his family though.

Dudess

Can't stand his media persona and this event in his life doesn't change that one little bit. However, only those close to him know what he's really like as a person (I also doubt it's a coincidence that all the more "high-profile" Independent Newspapers employees take the "anti liberal" line - seriously agenda-pushing group of newspapers) and this is a difficult place for anyone to be in. I found the article very moving and heartfelt too and it made me separate BO'C the journo and BO'C the dad.

Celly Smunt

am i the only one reading all these replies in brendan o'connors voice?

PeterIanStaker

This doesn't change my opinion of him. However, his child will have good support and opportunities that weren't available we'll say three decades ago. Having worked with special needs kids in the past I gained small insight into how hard it is on their parents.

arybvtcw0eolkf

deisedevil wrote: »

Sorry but is that you in your avatar?

I don't get you?.

ebixa82

TomD101 wrote: »

could have wrote that post myself OP. I had a low opinion of Brendan O'Connor as a journalist (along with the rest of the Sindo collection) but that article yesterday was outstanding writing. The honesty with how he expressed his emotions was inbelievable and I would recommend to everyone to have a read of it. One of the best pieces of writing I've ever seen.

:eek::eek::eek:
You need to read more!

He's a tabloid journalist with an attitude ffs..

Ms. Chanandler Bong

Got the impression (right or wrong) that he had sat at the computer & simply typed. It may not be the best written column ever but you can tell it's from the heart (as opposed to his normal stuff, I know!) which is what makes the article I think.

Novella

I'm indifferent to Brendan O'Connor - I don't love him, I don't hate him. Sometimes I read his column, sometimes I don't. I'm glad I read this particular article though. Imo, it's moving and heart-warming.

I had a cousin, Melissa. She had DS and she died in 2009, aged fifteen. I always remember when we were kids, myself and my cousins would play together on our grandparents farm, collecting eggs and things and Melissa could never really join in. She had difficulty with movement and with speech too.
I can still recall thinking to myself how sad it was that she couldn't play with us. I used to wonder if she was sad as well, watching from the sidelines. With hindsight, I know that she was never saddened. She didn't seem to ever think about things she couldn't do, and only focused on those that she could.

When Melissa died and I witnessed the grief, not only experienced by her own family, but honestly by everyone who ever met her, I saw things completely differently. Everyone had a story to tell. Her funeral day wasn't just one filled with tears, it was filled with laughter too, the laughter of a million memories.

As a child, I thought she was living out the outskirts, missing out, but the reality is, she brought goodness and happiness everywhere she went and the only thing that is missing out now is the world, without her in it.

Brendan O'Connor has a beautiful new baby girl who, no doubt, will bring him copious amounts of joy. Maybe she'll make him see things differently. I think she already has and she's only two weeks old.

ballsymchugh

i'm pretty sure there was a bit of uproar a few years ago when mary ellen synon or emer o'kelly had a go at the special olympics. how i would pay to see a water cooler moment between whichever it was and brenday o'connor now. so what if he's a dick, i wish him and his family all the best with their new addition.

Cavehill Red

Good ole Beefy - he'll get a page in the Sindo out of any topic whatsoever.

Asmodean

This ****ing bugs me big time. The only time people give a damn about a 'cause' is when a celebrity endorses it. As if anyone else that has a child with any sort of disorder can't articulate and talk about the matter as "amazingly" as that smug prick.

ricero

I thought he was a big time homosexual quite shocking to see he's married

amacachi

Don't like him at all but he seems to have handled this remarkably well and (ugh, hate this term) really learned from the whole thing.

mrsdewinter

Ugh. Just when I'd given up on the Sindo, along comes something that's actually worth reading. Grr.

amacachi

Asmodean wrote: »

This ****ing bugs me big time. The only time people give a damn about a 'cause' is when a celebrity endorses it. As if anyone else that has a child with any sort of disorder can't articulate and talk about the matter as "amazingly" as that smug prick.

True yeah, I don't give a **** about the people who are struggling to get by and live with some semblance of normality when they have a situation like a Downs baby arrive in their lives, it's only because a media figure who I don't particularly like has had it happened to him that I give a ****. [/sarcasm]
You do realise that people have thoughts other than "causes" to worry about in their day-to-day lives and that constantly thinking about such things would be a sign that something was wrong with them and that maybe, just maybe, it's fairly logical that an article by a well-known person and/or appearing in a widely-read publication would bring those thoughts to the fore? Maybe I'm wrong, maybe the only thought that ever goes through your head is "I wonder what it would be like to have a child with DS."

Grow up.

mrsdewinter

ballsymchugh wrote: »

i'm pretty sure there was a bit of uproar a few years ago when mary ellen synon or emer o'kelly had a go at the special olympics. how i would pay to see a water cooler moment between whichever it was and brenday o'connor now. so what if he's a dick, i wish him and his family all the best with their new addition.

The writer was Mary Ellen Synon - and the article was about the paralympics, not the Special Olympics. Completely different issue to anything related to Down Syndrome or the Special Olympics.

ballsymchugh

mrsdewinter wrote: »

The writer was Mary Ellen Synon - and the article was about the paralympics, not the Special Olympics. Completely different issue to anything related to Down Syndrome or the Special Olympics.

thanks for the clarification!

Jev/N

Asmodean wrote: »

This ****ing bugs me big time. The only time people give a damn about a 'cause' is when a celebrity endorses it. As if anyone else that has a child with any sort of disorder can't articulate and talk about the matter as "amazingly" as that smug prick.

First, this isn't about a celebrity 'endorsing' a cause at all, FFS that's the most flippant view of the situation you can have.

Secondly, the idea that someone in a similar situation couldn't do the same doesn't bring any credence to your argument. I'm sure many other people could do the same, that's not the issue at stake. It's the fact that, with regard to his other roles in the media, this has (for most at least) cast him in a different light.

Asmodean

First, this isn't about a celebrity 'endorsing' a cause at all, FFS

Ah it is though in all fairness. If Joe Soap down the road had written that no-one would give a damn.

bigpink

Take some time off work and spend it with your family instead of writing about it in a national paper

Dave!

Terrific article

goose2005

Hmm. BOC was a cheerleader for FF and the housing bubble, and now they've destroyed the economy, meaning that there's less funding for ... Down syndrome kids. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/0910/1224278570194.html An odious man - if you're going to have sympathy for a parent of a disabled child, have it for the unemployed tiler whose kid has lost her SNA.

me_right_one

Read it, nothing noteworthy about it. A whiny dickhead has what he sees as a problem. Meh.

amacachi

goose2005 wrote: »

Hmm. BOC was a cheerleader for FF and the housing bubble, and now they've destroyed the economy, meaning that there's less funding for ... Down syndrome kids. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/0910/1224278570194.html An odious man - if you're going to have sympathy for a parent of a disabled child, have it for the unemployed tiler whose kid has lost her SNA.

Luckily for me I got into hospital before the economic collapse for an elective surgery to increase my capacity for feeling sympathy, though I can see why someone may feel the need to ration sympathy.

mecanoman

He think he's a particularly not nice person.

General Zod

The only thing I didn't agree with in his article was his opinion that he won't become a "campaigner".

I don't think he's under any obligation to become one, but give it a few years when his child is trying to get an education and you'll see him campaign (and it'll be the first time I'll ever support something he's done).

Dudess

Novella wrote: »

I'm indifferent to Brendan O'Connor - I don't love him, I don't hate him. Sometimes I read his column, sometimes I don't. I'm glad I read this particular article though. Imo, it's moving and heart-warming.

I had a cousin, Melissa. She had DS and she died in 2009, aged fifteen. I always remember when we were kids, myself and my cousins would play together on our grandparents farm, collecting eggs and things and Melissa could never really join in. She had difficulty with movement and with speech too.
I can still recall thinking to myself how sad it was that she couldn't play with us. I used to wonder if she was sad as well, watching from the sidelines. With hindsight, I know that she was never saddened. She didn't seem to ever think about things she couldn't do, and only focused on those that she could.

When Melissa died and I witnessed the grief, not only experienced by her own family, but honestly by everyone who ever met her, I saw things completely differently. Everyone had a story to tell. Her funeral day wasn't just one filled with tears, it was filled with laughter too, the laughter of a million memories.

As a child, I thought she was living out the outskirts, missing out, but the reality is, she brought goodness and happiness everywhere she went and the only thing that is missing out now is the world, without her in it.

That's really lovely Novella. I especially like the bolded bit.

ballsymchugh wrote: »

i'm pretty sure there was a bit of uproar a few years ago when mary ellen synon or emer o'kelly had a go at the special olympics. how i would pay to see a water cooler moment between whichever it was and brenday o'connor now. so what if he's a dick, i wish him and his family all the best with their new addition.

I find Mary Ellen Synon contemptuous but I think the concern she was expressing in that article is that the participants are perhaps being exploited.

bigpink wrote: »

Take some time off work and spend it with your family instead of writing about it in a national paper

That's what he's paid to do?

Asmodean wrote: »

This ****ing bugs me big time. The only time people give a damn about a 'cause' is when a celebrity endorses it. As if anyone else that has a child with any sort of disorder can't articulate and talk about the matter as "amazingly" as that smug prick.

goose2005 wrote: »

Hmm. BOC was a cheerleader for FF and the housing bubble, and now they've destroyed the economy, meaning that there's less funding for ... Down syndrome kids. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/0910/1224278570194.html An odious man - if you're going to have sympathy for a parent of a disabled child, have it for the unemployed tiler whose kid has lost her SNA.

This isn't a sympathy competition. Someone's newborn child has Down's Syndrome, it's sad for them, simples. Too much focus on the father by you too, and not the child herself and the difficulties she will face.

lods

General Zod wrote: »

The only thing I didn't agree with in his article was his opinion that he won't become a "campaigner".

I don't think he's under any obligation to become one, but give it a few years when his child is trying to get an education and you'll see him campaign (and it'll be the first time I'll ever support something he's done).

He hasn't a clue what its like to have child with special needs. its a bit early for him to be burning bridges.:mad:

Zadkiel

Novella wrote: »

I can still recall thinking to myself how sad it was that she couldn't play with us. I used to wonder if she was sad as well, watching from the sidelines. With hindsight, I know that she was never saddened. She didn't seem to ever think about things she couldn't do, and only focused on those that she could.

When Melissa died and I witnessed the grief, not only experienced by her own family, but honestly by everyone who ever met her, I saw things completely differently. Everyone had a story to tell. Her funeral day wasn't just one filled with tears, it was filled with laughter too, the laughter of a million memories.

As a child, I thought she was living out the outskirts, missing out, but the reality is, she brought goodness and happiness everywhere she went and the only thing that is missing out now is the world, without her in it.

Brendan O'Connor has a beautiful new baby girl who, no doubt, will bring him copious amounts of joy. Maybe she'll make him see things differently. I think she already has and she's only two weeks old.

Thats really nicely put Novella, my brother was born with DS 7 weeks premature and they never thought he'd last a week. Then they thought he'd never walk, then never talk, then never go to school. He did all of those things and has far exceeded anyone's original expectations.
He's my best friend and i'm full to bursting with being so proud of him.
I hope that BOC will see things differently to how he does, he has been given a special gift and responsibility though he may not see that yet.

IvyTheTerrible

Zadkiel wrote: »

Thats really nicely put Novella, my brother was born with DS 7 weeks premature and they never thought he'd last a week. Then they thought he'd never walk, then never talk, then never go to school. He did all of those things and has far exceeded anyone's original expectations.
He's my best friend and i'm full to bursting with being so proud of him.
I hope that BOC will see things differently to how he does, he has been given a special gift and responsibility though he may not see that yet.

I suppose it can take time to come to that realisation, the child is only a few weeks old and it must have been a shock.