[1] O'Connor previously had a racing career and on one occasion represented Ireland in the Karaoke World Championships.
[2] O'Connor, whose passions include horses,[2] was previously a jockey, and has worked with the renowned trainer Colm Murphy.
[3] He beat rock band 21 Demands in the final, following the semi-final loss of Maeve O'Donovan.
[11] O'Connor sang the Bryan Adams and Eliot Kennedy song "On Borrowed Wings" in the play-off.
[1][3] The week prior to the final, his version of the Oasis song "Don't Look Back in Anger" charted in Ireland's top twenty.
[4] 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.