Ross O'Carroll-Kelly


Ross O'Carroll-Kelly is a satirical fictional Irish character, a wealthy Dublin 4 rugby union jock created by journalist Paul Howard. The character first appeared in a January 1998 column in the Sunday Tribune newspaper and later transferred to The Irish Times. The series comprises eighteen novels, three plays, a CD, two other books and the newspaper column, as of 2019.

Works in the series

MediumTitleReleasePlot
Newspaper columnRoss O'Carroll-KellySunday Tribune, January 1998 – July 2007The life and loves of Ross
Newspaper columnRoss O'Carroll-KellyThe Irish Times, 1 September 2007 – presentThe life and loves of Ross
NovelThe Miseducation of Ross O'Carroll-Kelly
Sunday Tribune, 2000Ross's last two years at Castlerock College and his Leinster Schools Senior Cup victory
NovelRoysh Here, Roysh Now… The Teenage Dirtbag Years
Sunday Tribune, 2001Ross's first year at UCD and holiday in the US
NovelThe Orange Mocha-Chip Frappuccino YearsThe O'Brien Press, March 2003Ross's parents force him to fend for himself as an estate agent
NovelPS, I Scored The BridesmaidsThe O'Brien Press, April 2005Ross and Sorcha get married
Spoken-word albumThe Twelve Days of ChristmasMagpie Productions Ltd, November 2005A comedy album about the lead-up to Ross's Christmas
NovelThe Curious Incident of the Dog in the NightdressPenguin Books, June 2006Ross discovers that he is a father
NovelShould Have Got Off at Sydney ParadePenguin Books, May 2007Sorcha falls pregnant
PlayThe Last Days of the Celtic TigerPremiered at the Olympia Theatre, November 2007Plot is similar to that of This Champagne Mojito Is The Last Thing I Own
Mock travel guideRoss O'Carroll-Kelly's Guide to Dublin: How To Get By On, Like, €10,000 A DayPenguin Books, May 2008A mock-travel guide to "SoCoDu."
NovelThis Champagne Mojito Is The Last Thing I OwnPenguin Books, June 2008Ross's father is imprisoned and his assets seized.
NovelMr S and the Secrets of Andorra's BoxPenguin Books, October 2008Ross becomes coach of the Andorra national rugby union team.
CompilationRoss O'Carroll-Kelly and the Temple of AcademePenguin Books, February 2009Contains The Miseducation Years and The Teenage Dirtbag Years
Book of mock-interviewsWe Need To Talk About RossPenguin Books, June 2009A book of mock-interviews in which characters from the series discuss the protagonist.
NovelRhino What You Did Last SummerPenguin Books, September 2009Ross goes Stateside to win Sorcha back. While there, he ends up starring in a reality TV show.
NovelThe Oh My God DelusionPenguin Books, 7 October 2010Ross faces genuine poverty as the Irish economy nosedives.
PlayBetween Foxrock and a Hard PlacePremiered at the Olympia Theatre, 15 October 2010Ross's parents sell their house, and the O'Carroll-Kelly family fall victim to a tiger kidnapping.
NovelNAMA Mia!Penguin Books, 6 October 2011Ross sees a turning point in the recession, for himself at least.
NovelThe Shelbourne UltimatumPenguin Books, 27 September 2012Ross refuses to change his ways, while all around him are affected by the Recession.
NovelDownturn AbbeyPenguin Books, 26 September 2013Ross becomes a grandfather; Honor shows she's Ross's daughter.
PlayBreaking DadPremiered at the Gaiety Theatre, 25 April 2014The year 2022. Ross is horrified upon meeting Honor's new boyfriend, who is very similar to a young Ross.
NovelKeeping Up with the KalashnikovsPenguin Books, 11 September 2014Sorcha is pregnant again and Ross must come to Fionn's rescue.
NovelSeedless in SeattlePenguin Books, 15 September 2015Ross is forced to get neutered.
NovelGame of Throw-insPenguin Books, 8 September 2016Ross plays for a struggling Seapoint rugby team.
NovelOperation TrumpsformationPenguin Books, 21 September 2017Charles aims to emulate Donald Trump; the triplets take up soccer.
PlayPostcards from the LedgePremiered at the Gaiety Theatre, 25 October 2017In 2029, Ross revisits his childhood home and old memories.
NovelDancing with the TsarsPenguin Books, 13 September 2018Ross and Honor aim to win a dance contest.
NovelSchmidt HappensPenguin Books, 9 September 2019Ross is unexpectedly contacted by the national team coach.
NovelBraywatchPenguin Books, 3 September 2020Ross is hired to coach a school in Bray.

Language

The novels are written entirely from Ross's first-person perspective, written in an eye dialect representative of the intonation attributed to affluent areas of South Dublin, commonly called "Dortspeak". This accent is one of the primary targets of satire in the columns and novels. Due to the wide variety of esoteric slang used in the novels, a glossary appears as an appendix to Ross O'Carroll-Kelly's Guide to Dublin: How To Get By On, Like, €10,000 A Day. Though the basic idioms are derived largely from standard Hiberno-English, the South Dublin accent as represented by Howard has distinctive features:
Although the main satirical targets of the columns are affluent South Dublin dwellers, elements of working-class culture are also parodied, again, primarily through language.
Eye dialect is also used to portray the accents of people from Northern Ireland, "culchies", and foreigners.

Characters

Cultural impact

Ross O'Carroll-Kelly was something of a craze in Ireland, 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. 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.