[1] His parents were trade-union activists, while his grandfather was the soldier, solicitor, and politician Peadar Cowan, who had fought in the Irish War of Independence.
[4] After being made redundant in 1992, he was asked to book an act for a venue that would bring in similar crowds to those that had accompanied Mr Pussy and Dignam; and suggested O'Carroll.
[3][5] As a result, Cowan, despite never having acted in front of an audience before, was asked to take on the role by O'Carroll, and his camp performance quickly became the definitive portrayal.
[4] On 16 June 2017, Cowan gave O'Carroll his resignation notice,[6] and the following month announced he had quit Mrs Brown's Boys.
[1][4] In December 2016, Cowan was a victim of homophobic online abuse on Twitter, which led to police reports being filed and an official investigation launched by the Gardaí.