For over a decade and a half, William O’Connor has been ploughing away on the PDC ProTour circuit as one of darts’ genuine unsung heroes.
So much so that Willie became one of the very first inductees into the Bang On Target Hall of Fame. Quite frankly, he couldn’t have looked less arsed if I’d presented him with an electricity bill.
Still, sixteen years on tour. That’s mighty stuff from the Irishman who has just turned 40. Yet despite the relentless airports, budget airlines and service station sandwiches, Willie looks remarkably good for his age.
They build them tough in Limerick. A daily routine of bench-pressing ponies, giving tractors a push-start and casually towing combine harvesters out of muddy fields probably helps. Too stereotypical? Probably. Am I stopping? Absolutely not.
So I decided to have a natter with my mate who, in fairness, possesses one of the driest wits in darts. This exclusive interview cost me exactly one Swiss Roll. Raspberry flavour, ideally. I’m shamelessly taking advantage of my phone book these days. Some journalists have confidential sources. I have darts players with a weakness for sponge cake.
WILLIE ON THE O’CONNOR FAMILY
A little bit about Big Willie first. He was keen to point out the nickname is entirely due to his surname and absolutely, categorically nothing whatsoever to do with the size of his penis. Information I neither requested nor particularly wanted.
The Munster man begins by painting a picture that would warm the cockles.
“I’ve been with my wife Bernadette since we were teenagers, having met when we were just 18 and 19 years old. We have two children, Nicole and Liam.”
In an age where some celebrity marriages last about as long as a supermarket meal deal and reality TV couples split up before the closing credits have rolled, it’s refreshing to hear.
As for his son, Liam, the apple clearly hasn’t fallen far from the tree. By that I don’t mean he spends weekends flying around Europe, drinking pints, buying suspiciously affordable horses or developing an unhealthy dependency on Swiss Rolls. Apparently, he’s rather handy with a set of tungsten.
“Yeah. He’s my practice partner and beats me most of the time. He’s actually very good.”
Having lived in Cork for nearly twenty years, I’ve become accustomed to Irish people deploying the word actually in situations where the rest of us would simply be happy with just very.
Quite recently, Willie took Liam to the INDO Youth events in Limerick, keen for him to experience tournament darts without immediately turning into a suitcase with legs.
“I wanted him to get a taste of it but not travelling everywhere just yet.”
Probably sensible. One minute you’re enjoying your first youth tournament, the next you’re eating a £9.80 cheese sandwich in Frankfurt Airport wondering where your childhood disappeared.
A quick check on Darts Connect showed Mr O’Connor Junior reached the quarter-finals before bowing out with a highly respectable 71.77 average. Very decent indeed.
WILLIE ON PUTTING IN THE GRAFT
Now then…the nickname. Willie is known as The Magpie because every morning he wanders down his street pecking shiny foil milk bottle tops with his nose until the neighbours throw him bits of toast. No. Sadly, none of that is remotely true.
I do know the actual reason behind the nickname. Unfortunately it’s nowhere near as entertaining and, if we’re being brutally honest, this version is vastly superior. But as good as O’Connor has been throughout his career, he’d probably be the first to admit there was another level he never fully chased.
“I’ve never really given it everything I had,” he admitted honestly. “My priorities were always my family who came first. Darts was for a long time a bit on the side to make a few extra quid.
“When I needed to keep my Tour Card I’d put more into it, then I’d slacken off again afterwards.”
The Irishman admits that because he rarely skips a ProTour event — the last time being back in 2018 — he spends very little time at home. And when he is home, there isn’t exactly much opportunity to put in the hours he’d like in the oche.
“I’m not here as often as I would like with all the constant travelling. Then when I am, I like to be the family man and also, there’s lots of typical jobs to do like mowing the lawn, fixing things. I hardly get chance to practice.
“Ideally, I’d prefer to be in a position where I could afford to skip a few Pro Tour events and really put the time in. That’s the key word I need to take it to the next level – time.”
So while other professionals might spend six hours polishing their throw in purpose-built practice rooms complete with mood lighting and enough tungsten to sink a battleship, Willie is more likely to be wrestling with a dodgy lawnmower or trying to figure out why the kitchen tap has suddenly decided to recreate Niagara Falls.
The reality? Most weeks it’s airports, hotels where the pillows resemble folded tea towels, sat-navs arguing with you in industrial estates and wondering whether the chicken in the motorway services is actually chicken.
“The PDC isn’t a job,”he said. “It’s an opportunity. If you’re good enough you’ll make it. They’re not there to fill everybody’s pockets.”
It’s a wonderfully simple way of looking at professional darts. No entitlement. No excuses. No social media essays explaining why the universe is unfair. Just: be good enough. It’s difficult to argue with that.
That straightforward outlook has probably helped Willie survive in one of the toughest sporting environments around.
Mind you, it certainly doesn’t help when your career regularly depends on Aer Lingus and Ryanair, two airlines seemingly locked in an annual competition to see who can charge you the most. Forget to download your boarding pass? That’ll be €2 million, please. Then they squeeze you into a seat with just enough legroom for a family of ants flying to Ibiza on a package holiday.
WILLIE ON THE MOVE TO SHOT DARTS
This year, however, has brought one of the biggest changes of O’Connor’s career. After several years with one of the sport’s biggest manufacturers, Winmau, he has made the switch to highly respected New Zealand company, Shot Darts.
Naturally, I had to ask the obvious question.
“So…what happened, mate? Winmau finally refuse to sponsor your horse?”
“Our contract had run its course,” he explained ignoring my proposed reasons. “I wanted something fresh. With Winmau there are so many big players. I just feel Shot can put more focus on me.”
Right. So exactly as I suspected. Nothing whatsoever to do with equine negotiations. So how has life with Shot been?
“Really happy. They do everything they can to help me get better. I’ve no complaints. They’re in constant contact and they go over and above.”
It’s an honest assessment and perhaps explains why Willie speaks so warmly about the move despite a season that, by his own admission, hasn’t quite unfolded as planned. In fact, O’Connor believes something supporters often overlook played a huge part. Equipment.
Most fans think a dart is a dart in much the same way most people a snooker cue is simply a longer stick with a blue chalky bit on the end. Much a muchness.
“I thought this was going to be my biggest year,”he admitted. “I thought I was going to be seeded. But I had a lot of equipment issues.
“At the start of the campaign, I put a lot of time into the wrong equipment and it killed my confidence.”
It’s a fascinating insight into the tiny margins separating success from failure. Supporters often see a missed double. Players sometimes see six months of experimentation disappearing into the nearest treble one.
Thankfully, O’Connor feels those problems are finally behind him.
“I’m doing everything I can and I’m still learning. I’ve an awful lot more left in the tank. Shot is the next step. I’m close… but I’m not there yet.
“But to be honest, it’s only in the past twelve months I’ve kind of gone full-time and really put the effort in. I’d love to be in a position to skip a few Pro Tour events and spend the time practising. Because that’s the key to that next step.”
It all sounds perfectly sensible. Although perhaps if you’d stop arsing around rescuing stranded ponies, repairing agricultural machinery and apparently acting as Limerick’s emergency breakdown service, you’d have a few extra hours to throw at a dartboard.
No reply. Again. I’m beginning to suspect Willie has muted the call. Nope, he’s back. Yet despite admitting he could have given more earlier in his career, there’s still an unmistakable pride in everything he has achieved. And rightly so.
WILLIE ON HIS CAREER
After more than fifteen years competing against the very best players on the planet and remaining one of the circuit’s most respected and most amusing professionals, one statistic still catches many supporters by surprise. William O’Connor has won just one PDC ProTour title.
One. It almost feels wrong. This is a player who has reached major quarter-finals, represented Ireland countless times, qualified for television events year after year and somehow managed to remain relevant in an era where professional darts has become harder to break into than Fort Knox.
Many supporters feel there should have been several more titles. Willie understands exactly why.
“I suppose, considering how long I’ve been around, maybe it is surprising,” he admitted.
Professional sport has an annoying habit of reducing careers to numbers. One ranking title.
What that number never tell you is how many airports you’ve slept in, how many weekends you’ve spent away from your family or how many times you’ve found yourself eating a lukewarm panini in Eindhoven wondering where your life choices took a wrong turn.
Success isn’t always measured by trophies. Sometimes it’s simply surviving.
During our chat, Willie was also keen to pay tribute to one man he believes played an enormous part in keeping his career alive.
“Without Robert Mulcahy, I probably wouldn’t still be playing. He owns a pub nearby and has always backed me financially and offered huge support. Without him, well I probably wouldn’t be doing what I am doing today.”
There’s a sincerity to the way he says it. Professional darts can look glamorous from the outside. Television cameras. Packed arenas. Big prize money. Walk-on music.
The reality is often very different.
Many careers continue because someone quietly believes in you when very few others do. They lend support, open doors, offer sponsorship or simply tell you to keep going when it would be easier to pack it all in and get a proper job involving fluorescent jackets and a pension. O’Connor has never forgotten that. And perhaps that’s one of the reasons he’s remained so grounded throughout his career.
WILLIE ON REPRESENTING IRELAND
Few subjects ignite more passion in Willie than Irish darts. Well…apart from perhaps someone questioning the horsepower of one of his tractors.
Whether it’s representing his country or discussing the state of the game back home, you can hear the pride immediately.
One issue sits particularly close to his heart. The absence of that sole PDC huge tournament staged on their shores and zero European Tour events in Ireland.
“We’ve lost the World Grand Prix and we’ve no European Tour,”he said. “I’d love to see a major tournament back in Ireland. It’s just that we haven’t the venues anymore.”
It’s a frustration shared by plenty of Irish darts fans. Now Willie is far too diplomatic to say what I’m about to, so I’ll happily take the bullet instead.
Let’s just say they probably decided there were easier ways of filling the tills than hosting a week of grown adults shouting “180!” while dressed as inflatable bananas.
WILLIE ON SEEDINGS, BIG TOURNAMENTS IN IRELAND & THE EURO TOUR
Another subject currently dividing opinion throughout darts is the European Tour qualification system. It’s fair to say that, when it comes to both this and the World Cup, O’Connor isn’t exactly president of the fan club. What could be different though?
“Maybe that’s one for Barry Hearn or Matt Porter,”he smiled. “The PDC are trying to sell their brand which is perfectly understandable. People probably aren’t turning up to watch Willie O’Connor. They’re coming to watch Luke Littler and the other big names.”
It’s a fair point. Let’s be honest. If Luke Littler announced he was opening a garden centre next Tuesday, Sky Sports News would probably have someone live outside before breakfast. We are talking brand protection because that’s where the big bucks are.
But … there is another side to it. When some of those biggest names skip European Tour events in favour of lucrative exhibitions, it inevitably leaves supporters wondering exactly what the qualification system is trying to achieve in the first place.
O’Connor himself hasn’t noticed a huge amount changing.
“I don’t really see much difference,”he admitted. “I understand why they want to protect the higher-ranked players. For the PDC, it’s their brand and I get it. Big names draw bigger viewing figures.
“The European Tours can make or break your year. If you’re chasing those events, they’re massive. I just think the PDC could do more to help players get a foothold.”
It’s the perspective of someone who has spent years living just outside darts’ elite. Supporters often only remember who lifted the trophy on Sunday night. Players remember the double they missed on a Friday afternoon in Sindelfingen that cost them a few grand and a dozen twelve ranking places. Professional darts can be wonderfully cruel like that.
WILLIE ON THE WORLD CUP OF DARTS
We eventually moved on to the World Cup.
Ireland, of course, came agonisingly close to lifting the title back in 2019 when O’Connor and Steve Lennon reached the final, only to be denied by Scotland’s Gary Anderson and Peter Wright.
Mention representing Ireland, however, and something changes in Willie. The jokes stop. The answers become shorter. The pride becomes obvious. If we were on Facetime, I’d have probably seen him slowly turn greener than Kermit The Frog.
“It’s something I’m incredibly proud of.”
That pride extends beyond simply pulling on the green shirt. For years, O’Connor has spoken passionately about recognising players from all 32 counties of Ireland rather than simply focusing on the Republic.
Discussing this year’s World Cup partnership with Mickey Mansell, Willie feels some of the outside reaction completely missed the point.
“To be fair, Mickey has been trying for years to get my DartConnect flag changed,”he revealed. “He’s 52-years old now and admitted to me that, before he’d finish playing, representing the Republic of Ireland in the PDC was a feather he wanted in his cap.
“So I was more than proud to play with Mickey. People need to accept it’s Ireland. If people from the North feel they want to play for Ireland, they should be able to. It may have surprised some people that Mansell got in, but for Ireland as a whole it shouldn’t.”
It’s a thoughtful answer. For O’Connor, the green jersey has never really been about borders or politics. It’s about identity. It’s about representing the island. And it’s about standing shoulder to shoulder with players who feel exactly the same sense of pride.
And he is absolutely bang on target with that one.
WILLIE ON HIS THE MATCHPLAY & OPPONENT PHILOSOPHY
One thing that has never changed throughout O’Connor’s career, however, is his attitude towards opponents. Whether it’s Luke Humphries, Luke Littler, Michael van Gerwen or somebody making their PDC debut – the Limerick lad prepares exactly the same way.
Very soon, William O’Connor will walk onto the Winter Gardens stage at the World Matchplay for the very first time in his career.
Remarkable really. For a man with such an apparent affection for small horses, you’d have thought Blackpool would’ve been top of his bucket list years ago. On a warm July afternoon they’re absolutely everywhere, leaving little surprise packages across the promenade like furry biological landmines.
Awaiting Willie on debut is Ryan Searle. Not exactly the sort of draw that has you fist-pumping around the kitchen, but I guess, it could have been worse.
I asked him how he viewed it.
“Ryan is a fantastic player. But it doesn’t matter who I play. There’s not much difference between anyone. You’ve got to play the best sooner or later.”
His philosophy really is wonderfully uncomplicated. No calculators. No conspiracy theories. No spending three days studying opponents like he’s preparing for battle. Just throw your darts.
“I can only focus on what I do. If I play my best and lose, then I’m happy.”
There’s something refreshingly old-school about that attitude. Given the notorious heat inside the Winter Gardens, however, this could be one occasion where Willie’s shortly-trimmed haircut gives him a slight competitive advantage over his much hairier opponent.
The Irishman’s Lloyd Christmas barnet from Dumb & Dumber has remained gloriously unchanged for what feels like eternity. Meanwhile Ryan Searle’s magnificent mop looks like it should be crowd-surfing at Download Festival or banging away in a Mosh Pit rather than pounding a dartboard.
I mentioned none of this to Willie. Again, no reply. At this point I’m convinced my messages are automatically diverted into a metaphorical folder marked “Ignore the idiot who once lived in Cork.”
Maybe he hasn’t seen Dumb & Dumber. Or perhaps, given he’s had that hairstyle for years, Willie actually based the character played by Jim Carrey
The hair, though, isn’t the reason O’Connor has remained on the professional circuit for well over fifteen years. His mentality is.
“Eventually, you’ll have to beat elite players anyway. I’ve never gone into an event thinking I’m the best player there.”
It’s a level of humility that has earned enormous respect throughout the sport.
WILLIE ON THE HARDMAN REPUTATION
Before we wrapped things up, there was one final question I simply had to ask. It’s something that crops up surprisingly often among darts players. Just how hard is William O’Connor?
Whenever professionals start discussing who they’d least fancy meeting in a dark alley, or inside an imaginary UFC octagon, two names appear with remarkable regularity.
Boris Krcmar … and Willie O’Connor. But why?
“I honestly couldn’t tell ya. I’ve never had a fight in my life.”
Well there you have it. The rumours of Willie being some underground kickboxing champion can officially be filed alongside Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster and Jermaine Wattimena losing gracefully.
Personally, I suspect the whole thing began somewhere on the ProTour. Given he spends half his life travelling with Brendan Dolan, Mickey Mansell and the rest of the Irish lads — all renowned for a bit of banter and a decent wind-up. It honestly wouldn’t surprise me if former NASA astronaut Brendan Dolan somehow started the rumour.
Whatever happens in Blackpool, Willie O’Connor will walk onto that famous stage having earned every second of it. Not because he’s shouted the loudest. Not because he’s demanded anything. Not because professional darts owes him a favour.
Simply because he’s quietly grafted for well over fifteen years, represented his country with enormous pride and remained one of the most respected men in the sport throughout.
Best of luck for the rest of the season, my tractor-loving, horse-admiring, Swiss Roll-negotiating friend.
Just don’t prove me wrong by turning up in Blackpool with a completely different haircut. I don’t think I could cope.
