O’Neill hopes book will ‘help others’

O’Neill hopes book will ‘help others’

Ciara Galvin

ACCIDENTAL gay rights activist and Ballinrobe native Rory O’Neill has said he hopes his book ‘Woman in the Making’ will help people who feel like they don’t ‘fit in’.
Speaking to The Mayo News between book signings in Dublin, the creator of drag queen entertainer Panti Bliss, said: “When I was growing up in Mayo there was no gay role models...A book would have helped me at the time and I would like to think there would be people out there it will help,” said Rory.
The book deals primarily with growing up gay in Ireland, and how that has changed. In the book, O’Neill talks about growing up in Ballinrobe and said his hometown left a big mark on him.
“I grew up in the best family in Ballinrobe with a house full of animals.”

‘Open book’
Asked if he was worried about revealing personal details in the book, O’Neill said he lives his life like an ‘open book’, through his stage shows, and that the only difference was more people were hearing details through reading the book.
“There were a few chapters I told my parents they couldn’t read, but they did anyway. They were fine with it.”
O’Neill, who owns popular bar Pantibar on Dublin’s Capel Street, described the writing process as ‘intense’, having written the book while also writing and touring Panti’s hit comedy show ‘High Heels in Low Places’.
Only a small portion of the book documents O’Neill’s rise to international prominence as Panti after her Noble Call speech about prejudices towards gay people.
“That’s just at the end of the book...The story of the book is about finding out who you are and not dwell on the negatives.”
O’Neill is currently busy touring the country with his comedy show and will be taking it abroad in the coming year. Filming is still ongoing for his  documentary ‘Queen of Ireland’.