Panti Bliss: 'People thought I'd hate Brendan O’Connor after the Saturday Night Show interview'

Rory O’Neill – aka ‘Panti Bliss’ – sparked a national conversation about homophobia earlier this year following an interview with Brendan O’Connor on The Saturday Night Show. When pressed to name journalists he felt were homophobic, O'Neill obliged, resulting in the state broadcaster issuing an apology a fortnight later. A rousing speech O'Neill gave from the stage of the Abbey in the aftermath went viral around the world.
Speaking to Olaf Tyaransen in the Hot Press Annual 2015, O’Neill describes how he felt during the fallout and the ignition of national debate.
"A lot of people probably think I’m going to hate Brendan O'Connor, and hate the people on The Saturday Night Show, and of course I don’t because, to be honest, I think that they are all on my side and, really, all the decisions were taken above their heads. I think they just felt awkward."
O’Neill certainly hadn’t expected the backlash surrounding the appearance.
"It was so out of the blue, and I never would have anticipated it. For days after, whenever people asked me how the TV thing had gone, I just went 'Oh, it went fine,' you know?
"It just seemed so innocuous to me," he continues. "So all of that was totally out of the blue. I don’t think anybody could have anticipated what happened."
For more on Rory O’Neill and a host of other big names, pick up the Hot Press Annual 2015, in shops now and available to purchase online here. Enjoy!