Emma O'Driscoll
Encyclopedia
Emma Louise O'Driscoll is a former Irish
pop star
, turned children's television
presenter
and reality television
personality. She rose to fame in the 2001–2002 RTÉ One
television series Popstars, in which she was selected as a member of the band Six
. After the band's swift demise, O'Driscoll replaced Geri Maye as presenter of the morning branch of children's show The Den
, (later and currently RTÉ Junior
), which she co-hosted alongside Socky. She has also starred in the RTÉ reality television shows, Charity 252 (in which she was runner-up), Celebrity Bainisteoir
and Celebrity Jigs 'n' Reels
, and made appearances on The Cafe
and Dustin's Daily News
.
Badge and has won hip hop
and freestyling
championship titles in Ireland and Europe
. Whilst attending the Presentation Secondary School in Sexton Street, Limerick, she began her initial move to enter Popstars. She spent her spare time in the Dominican Choir and the Bunratty Castle
Singers, learning her dance skills at Shape Dancing School and as a member of the Limerick dance troupe, High Voltage. She initially wished to be a primary school teacher before she discovered she had been chosen as a member of Six. Her interest in teaching led to her working as a Special Needs Assistant in Our Lady Queen of Peace National School.
in the Point Theatre
, Dublin, where she performed in front of 8000 people. Six released two multi-platinum selling singles, both of which reached #1 in the Irish Singles Chart
, and also had a top five album in Ireland. Their first single, "Whole Lot of Loving" is still the fastest-selling single in Irish musical history. Six did an arena tour with Westlife
in England
, playing a total of sixty-six shows, and two nationwide tours of Ireland.
. During the Christmas
period, O'Driscoll played herself in the pantomime
Snow White
in the University Concert Hall in Limerick. In 2006, O'Driscoll featured in Celebrity Jigs 'n' Reels. Her time in children's television has seen her present The Disney Club and Den Tots. In 2009, O'Driscoll participated in RTE
's reality sports show Celebrity Bainisteoir
. She bought her team to the semi-finals of the competition. In 2010, she appeared as a Guest Judge on The All Ireland Talent Show
, with John Creedon
for the South's regional auditions round.
and Anne Doyle
.
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
pop star
Celebrity
A celebrity, also referred to as a celeb in popular culture, is a person who has a prominent profile and commands a great degree of public fascination and influence in day-to-day media...
, turned children's television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
presenter
Presenter
A presenter, or host , is a person or organization responsible for running an event. A museum or university, for example, may be the presenter or host of an exhibit. Likewise, a master of ceremonies is a person that hosts or presents a show...
and reality television
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
personality. She rose to fame in the 2001–2002 RTÉ One
RTÉ One
RTÉ One is the flagship television channel of Raidió Teilifís Éireann , and it is the most popular and most watched television channel in Ireland. It was launched as Telefís Éireann on 31 December 1961, it was renamed RTÉ Television in 1966, and it was renamed as RTÉ One upon the launch of RTÉ...
television series Popstars, in which she was selected as a member of the band Six
Six (band)
Six were an Irish pop group who formed on the television programme Irish Popstars in 2002. The programme aired on RTÉ One on Sunday nights in the autumn and winter of 2001-02...
. After the band's swift demise, O'Driscoll replaced Geri Maye as presenter of the morning branch of children's show The Den
The Den (television)
The Den was the brand of the children's television strand on Irish public broadcaster RTÉ Two. It first broadcast on 29 September 1986 on RTÉ One, before moving to RTÉ Two in September 1988. The strand began to diversify throughout the late 1990s and the 2000s...
, (later and currently RTÉ Junior
RTÉ Junior
RTÉ Junior is a digital radio station of the Irish public-service broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann. It plays children’s music, and is Ireland's first children's radio station. It broadcasts from 07:00 to 21:00, and time-shares its DAB slot with RTÉ Chill...
), which she co-hosted alongside Socky. She has also starred in the RTÉ reality television shows, Charity 252 (in which she was runner-up), Celebrity Bainisteoir
Celebrity Bainisteoir
Celebrity Bainisteoir is a prime-time reality programme produced for Radio Telefís Éireann, which was produced by Animo Television/Kite Entertainment...
and Celebrity Jigs 'n' Reels
Celebrity Jigs 'n' Reels
Celebrity Jigs n' Reels is an Irish reality entertainment television show broadcast on RTÉ One. It is produced by Mind The Gap Films.-Format:The series started out with seven celebrities paired with professional Irish dancers...
, and made appearances on The Cafe
The Cafe (chat show)
The Cafe was an Irish chat programme aimed at youthful persons. It was broadcast on RTÉ Two as part of the TTV strand each Friday evening at 19:00, having switched from its previous location in the Thursday scheduling from 7 November 2008....
and Dustin's Daily News
Dustin's Daily News
Dustin's Daily News is an Irish television chat/comedy show, broadcast on RTÉ Two. The show is hosted by Dustin the Turkey of The Den, with his assistant Sinéad Ni Churnain as a co-host. Two series have been produced. The first series began on 19 September 2005 and ran until 29 April 2006...
.
Early life
O'Driscoll was born in Limerick and raised there alongside her two sisters, Julie and Georgina and her brother, Stephen. She developed an early interest in song and dance. She has received a Blue PeterBlue Peter
Blue Peter is the world's longest-running children's television show, having first aired in 1958. It is shown on CBBC, both in its BBC One programming block and on the CBBC channel. During its history there have been many presenters, often consisting of two women and two men at a time...
Badge and has won hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
and freestyling
Freestyle rap
Freestyle rap commonly refers to rap lyrics which are improvised through a acapella or with instrumental beats, i.e. performed with no previously composed lyrics, or "off the top of the head"...
championship titles in Ireland and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. Whilst attending the Presentation Secondary School in Sexton Street, Limerick, she began her initial move to enter Popstars. She spent her spare time in the Dominican Choir and the Bunratty Castle
Bunratty Castle
Bunratty Castle is a large tower house in County Clare, Ireland. It lies in the centre of Bunratty village , by the N18 road between Limerick and Ennis, near Shannon Town and its airport. The name Bunratty, Bun Raite in Irish, means the 'bottom' or end of the 'Ratty' river. This river, alongside...
Singers, learning her dance skills at Shape Dancing School and as a member of the Limerick dance troupe, High Voltage. She initially wished to be a primary school teacher before she discovered she had been chosen as a member of Six. Her interest in teaching led to her working as a Special Needs Assistant in Our Lady Queen of Peace National School.
Six membership
Her first show as a member of Six was at the ChildLine ConcertChildLine Concert
The ChildLine Concert is an annual pop music charity event which has taken place in Ireland since 1997. As the name suggests the money raised by the concert is donated to the young person's charity, ChildLine and many of the attendants are also children...
in the Point Theatre
Point Theatre
The Point Theatre was a concert and events venue in Ireland, that ran from 1988–2007, enjoyed by in excess of 2 million people. It was located on the North Wall Quay of the River Liffey, amongst the Dublin Docklands...
, Dublin, where she performed in front of 8000 people. Six released two multi-platinum selling singles, both of which reached #1 in the Irish Singles Chart
Irish Singles Chart
The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured...
, and also had a top five album in Ireland. Their first single, "Whole Lot of Loving" is still the fastest-selling single in Irish musical history. Six did an arena tour with Westlife
Westlife
Westlife are an Irish boy band established on 3 July 1998. They are to disband in 2012. The group's line-up was Nicky Byrne, Kian Egan, Mark Feehily, Shane Filan, and Brian McFadden . The group are the only act in British and Irish history to have their first seven singles peak at number one...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, playing a total of sixty-six shows, and two nationwide tours of Ireland.
Television career
O'Driscoll was one of seven celebrities who took part in the reality series, Charity 252, performed for the People in Need Telethon in May 2004. They were gifted a radio station to run 14 hours per day, with cameras watching their every move, and their progress was shown each night for a week on RTÉ Network 2. She initially turned down the offer of partaking in the reality television show. The series earned her a radio slot, co-hosting the breakfast show on Live 95FMLive 95FM
Limerick's Live 95fm is a radio station in the Republic of Ireland owned by UTV Radio, broadcasting to Limerick city and county-History:The station was launched from O'Connell Street in Limerick as the "New 95FM" on November 6, 1997 as a replacement for the previous local radio franchise holder...
. During the Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
period, O'Driscoll played herself in the pantomime
Pantomime
Pantomime — not to be confused with a mime artist, a theatrical performer of mime—is a musical-comedy theatrical production traditionally found in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, India, Ireland, Gibraltar and Malta, and is mostly performed during the...
Snow White
Snow White
"Snow White" is a fairy tale known from many countries in Europe, the best known version being the German one collected by the Brothers Grimm...
in the University Concert Hall in Limerick. In 2006, O'Driscoll featured in Celebrity Jigs 'n' Reels. Her time in children's television has seen her present The Disney Club and Den Tots. In 2009, O'Driscoll participated in RTE
Raidió Teilifís Éireann
Raidió Teilifís Éireann is a semi-state company and the public service broadcaster of Ireland. It both produces programmes and broadcasts them on television, radio and the Internet. The radio service began on January 1, 1926, while regular television broadcasts began on December 31, 1961, making...
's reality sports show Celebrity Bainisteoir
Celebrity Bainisteoir
Celebrity Bainisteoir is a prime-time reality programme produced for Radio Telefís Éireann, which was produced by Animo Television/Kite Entertainment...
. She bought her team to the semi-finals of the competition. In 2010, she appeared as a Guest Judge on The All Ireland Talent Show
The All Ireland Talent Show
The All Ireland Talent Show was an RTÉ television series billed as Ireland's biggest-ever talent contest. It was first announced in November 2008 and the first series commenced broadcasting on 4 January 2009, completing on 15 March 2009. Modelled on Britain's Got Talent, it is produced by Tyrone...
, with John Creedon
John Creedon
John Creedon, also known as "Creedo", is an Irish language enthusiast and veteran broadcaster with RTÉ Radio. Host of The John Creedon Show, evenings on RTÉ Radio 1, he has also filled in for Dave Fanning on The Dave Fanning Show....
for the South's regional auditions round.
Appearance on a stamp
Marking RTÉ's 50th anniversary in 2011, O'Driscoll appeared on a postage stamp, part of a set of three that also featured Gay ByrneGay Byrne
Gabriel Mary "Gay" Byrne is a veteran Irish presenter of radio and television. His most notable role was first host of The Late Late Show over a 37-year period spanning 1962 until 1999...
and Anne Doyle
Anne Doyle
Anne Doyle is a newsreader for the Irish broadcaster, Raidió Teilifís Éireann . She currently presents RTÉ News: Nine O'Clock. She is "the most popular television newsreader for a generation" and is regarded as an icon....
.