John O'Donohue

John O'Donohue, Ph.D., was born in County Clare in 1956. He spoke Gaelic as his native language and lived in a remote cottage in the west of Ireland until his untimely death in January 2008. A highly respected poet and philosopher, he lectured in Europe and America and wrote a number of international bestsellers: Anam Cara, Eternal Echoes, Divine Beauty and Benedictus, which he completed shortly before he died. He also wrote two collections of poetry, Conamara Blues and Echoes of Memory, his first published work.

Ronan O'Gara

Ronan O'Gara was born in 1977 in California and brought up in Cork. He was a star player at Presentation Brothers College, University College Cork and Cork Constitution, and soon became a key member of the Irish national rugby squad. Since making his international debut in 2000, O'Gara has gone on to win a record 128 caps and score more points for Munster and Ireland than any player in history. He was the leading points scorer in the Six Nations championship in 2005, 2006 and 2007, capturing the Triple Crown with Ireland three times, and the Grand Slam in 2009, and won the European Cup with Munster in 2006 and again in 2008.

Colm O'Regan

Colm O’Regan is a critically acclaimed stand-up comedian, columnist and broadcaster. He writes a weekly column for the Cork News and has written for the Irish Times and BBC Online Magazine. Colm is a regular contributor on Irish radio and on the BBC World Service. As a stand-up comedian, Colm has performed to sell-out crowds all over the world from Tokyo to Cape Town and including the Edinburgh Fringe, the Cat Laughs and the Montreal Just For Laughs Festival. His stand-up has also featured on RTÉ’s Late Late Show and on Comedy Central. From Dripsey in County Cork, Colm now lives in Dublin (but he’ll ring home on a Sunday evening for news).

Mark O'Sullivan

Jason O'Toole

Jason O'Toole has worked as a staff journalist with the Irish Mail on Sunday and The Evening Herald. He has also written for other publications, including The Sunday Times, In Dublin, Film Ireland, Empire, The Star and the Daily Mail. He is currently the Senior Editor at Hot Press magazine.