Born in County Armagh, O'Rourke played football with his local club Dromintee St Patrick's GAC.
[citation needed] On 8 October 2012, O'Rourke was named Louth manager for a two-year term, after previous involvement with Kildare and Down as a selector.
[citation needed] After Kevin McStay stood aside as Roscommon senior manager in 2018, O'Rourke was the preferred replacement; however, he withdrew and Anthony Cunningham was appointed instead.
[4] In October 2022, O'Rourke was appointed as head coach of the Donegal senior footballers, under the management of Paddy Carr.
[5][6] O'Rourke was named as Lead Coach, part of Kildare's backroom staff under new manager Brian Flanagan.