Ross O'Carroll-Kelly
Fictional Irish character
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ross O'Carroll-Kelly is a satirical fictional Irish character, a wealthy South County Dublin rugby union jock created by journalist Paul Howard.[1][2] The character first appeared in a January 1998 column in the Sunday Tribune newspaper and later transferred to The Irish Times. The series comprises twenty-one novels, three plays, a CD, two other books, a weekly podcast, and the newspaper column, as of 2023.[2]
First appearance
Sunday Tribune column, January 1998CreatedbyPaul Howard
Genre
HumourPublisher
Sunday Tribune, The O'Brien Press, Penguin Books, The Irish Times| Ross O'Carroll-Kelly | |
|---|---|
Statue of Ross O'Carroll-Kelly, Easons Headquarters, O'Connell Street, Dublin | |
First appearance | Sunday Tribune column, January 1998 |
| Created by | Paul Howard |
Genre | Humour |
Publisher | Sunday Tribune, The O'Brien Press, Penguin Books, The Irish Times |
Media type |
|
| In-universe information | |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation |
|
| Family | List of Ross O'Carroll-Kelly characters |
| Spouse | Sorcha Eidemar Françoise O'Carroll-Kelly (née Lalor) |
| Children | Ronan Masters, Honor O'Carroll-Kelly, Brian O'Carroll-Kelly, Jonathan O'Carroll-Kelly, Leo O'Carroll-Kelly |
| Relatives |
|
| Religion | Lapsed Catholic |
| Nationality | Irish |
Works in the series
| Medium | Title | Release | Plot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newspaper column | Ross O'Carroll-Kelly | Sunday Tribune, January 1998 – July 2007 | The life and loves of Ross |
| The Irish Times, 1 September 2007 – present | |||
| Novel | The Miseducation of Ross O'Carroll-Kelly (revised edition titled The Miseducation Years) |
Sunday Tribune, 2000 | Ross's last two years at Castlerock College and his Leinster Schools Rugby Senior Cup victory |
| Novel | Roysh Here, Roysh Now… The Teenage Dirtbag Years (revised edition titled The Teenage Dirtbag Years) |
Sunday Tribune, 2001 | Ross's first year at UCD and holiday in the US |
| Novel | The Orange Mocha-Chip Frappuccino Years | The O'Brien Press, March 2003 | Ross's parents force him to fend for himself as an estate agent |
| Novel | PS, I Scored the Bridesmaids | The O'Brien Press, April 2005 | Ross and Sorcha get married |
| Spoken-word album | The Twelve Days of Christmas | Magpie Productions Ltd, November 2005 | A comedy album about the lead-up to Ross's Christmas |
| Novel | The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nightdress | Penguin Books, June 2006 | Ross discovers that he is a father |
| Novel | Should Have Got Off at Sydney Parade | Penguin Books, May 2007 | Sorcha falls pregnant |
| Play | The Last Days of the Celtic Tiger | Premiered at the Olympia Theatre, November 2007 | Plot is similar to that of This Champagne Mojito Is The Last Thing I Own |
| Mock travel guide | Ross O'Carroll-Kelly's Guide to (South) Dublin: How To Get By On, Like, €10,000 A Day | Penguin Books, May 2008 | A mock-travel guide to "SoCoDu." |
| Novel | This Champagne Mojito Is the Last Thing I Own | Penguin Books, June 2008 | Ross's father is imprisoned and his assets seized. |
| Novel | Mr S and the Secrets of Andorra's Box | Penguin Books, October 2008 | Ross becomes coach of the Andorra national rugby union team. |
| Compilation | Ross O'Carroll-Kelly and the Temple of Academe | Penguin Books, February 2009 | Contains The Miseducation Years and The Teenage Dirtbag Years |
| Book of mock-interviews | We Need to Talk About Ross | Penguin Books, June 2009 | A book of mock-interviews in which characters from the series discuss the protagonist. |
| Novel | Rhino What You Did Last Summer | Penguin Books, September 2009 | Ross goes Stateside to win Sorcha back. While there, he ends up starring in a reality TV show. |
| Novel | The Oh My God Delusion | Penguin Books, 7 October 2010[4][5] | Ross faces genuine poverty as the Irish economy nosedives. |
| Play | Between Foxrock and a Hard Place | Premiered at the Olympia Theatre, 15 October 2010[6] | Ross's parents sell their house, and the O'Carroll-Kelly family fall victim to a tiger kidnapping. |
| Novel | NAMA Mia! | Penguin Books, 6 October 2011 | Ross sees a turning point in the recession, for himself at least. |
| Novel | The Shelbourne Ultimatum | Penguin Books, 27 September 2012 | Ross refuses to change his ways, while all around him are affected by the Recession. |
| Novel | Downturn Abbey | Penguin Books, 26 September 2013 | Ross becomes a grandfather; Honor shows she's Ross's daughter. |
| Play | Breaking Dad | Premiered at the Gaiety Theatre, 25 April 2014[7] | The year 2022. Ross is horrified upon meeting Honor's new boyfriend, who is very similar to a young Ross. |
| Novel | Keeping Up with the Kalashnikovs | Penguin Books, 11 September 2014 | Sorcha is pregnant again and Ross must come to Fionn's rescue. |
| Novel | Seedless in Seattle | Penguin Books, 15 September 2015 | Ross is forced to get neutered. |
| Novel | Game of Throw-ins | Penguin Books, 8 September 2016 | Ross plays for a struggling Seapoint rugby team. |
| Novel | Operation Trumpsformation | Penguin Books, 21 September 2017 | Charles aims to emulate Donald Trump; the triplets take up soccer. |
| Play | Postcards from the Ledge | Premiered at the Gaiety Theatre, 25 October 2017[8] | In 2029, Ross revisits his childhood home and old memories. |
| Novel | Dancing with the Tsars | Penguin Books, 13 September 2018 | Ross and Honor aim to win a dance contest. |
| Novel | Schmidt Happens | Penguin Books, 9 September 2019 | Ross is unexpectedly contacted by the national team coach. |
| Novel | Braywatch | Sandycove, 3 September 2020 | Ross is hired to coach a school in Bray. |
| Compilation | RO'CK of Ages | Sandycove, 1 April 2021 | Compilation of Irish Times columns, 2007 to 2020. |
| Novel | Normal Sheeple | Sandycove, 19 August 2021 | Honor goes to the Gaeltacht; Ross takes up Gaelic football; Charles as Taoiseach attempts to seize even more power. |
| Novel | Once Upon a Time in… Donnybrook | Sandycove, 1 September 2022 | Ross becomes manager of the Ireland women's rugby team. |
| Novel | Camino Royale | Sandycove, 17 August 2023 | Ross and his rugby teammates walk the Camino de Santiago; Sorcha wants a divorce; Sorcha's sister may be pregnant with Ross' baby. |
| Novel | Don't Look Back in Ongar | Sandycove, 22 August 2024 | Ross returns from the Camino with Sorcha seeking a divorce and Ronan working for Hennessy. |
Characters
Cultural impact
Ross O'Carroll-Kelly was something of a craze in Ireland,[9] and his name has become a byword for all that is perceived to be wrong in Celtic Tiger Ireland. Though it is largely viewed as satire, there are those who view Ross O'Carroll-Kelly as a role model or an idol. Paul Howard has claimed some people have imitated Ross's friends pastime of driving through disadvantaged areas in expensive cars, shouting "Affluence!" at passers-by and throwing €5 notes out the window.[2] Following Ross's move to The Irish Times, the Irish Independent began a similar column, OMG! featuring a female counterpart to Ross, in its Weekend supplement on 22 September 2007.[10]