[1] Despite living in Harrow, O'Connor was surrounded by cèilidh bands and Irish dancing, spending her summer holidays on Banna Strand.
[1] Her plays were often broadcast on BBC Radio 4, such as The Centurions, States of Mind (which was co-written by Straughan), and Becoming the Rose, which won the Arts Council England's Write Out Loud award in 2000.
[1] While living in Cork, O'Connor began writing a full-length stage play, called The Flags.
[1] The play was directed by Greg Hersov and was first performed in Manchester's Royal Exchange Studio, before moving to the main theatre.
[1] In a review in The Guardian by Alfred Hickling, it was given four out of five stars and described as being "as sharp and gritty as the authentic Galway sand covering the floor".
[3] In a 2007 interview with The Irish Times, she expressed her desire not to be seen as a "breast cancer writer", avoiding the topic in her writing due to a fear of being "pigeonholed" into the subject.