Ruairi O Connor, originally from Dundalk has just returned from eleven months travelling around India, Asia, Australia and New Zealand and finished up his world trip by giving a lecture to The IBM Ring in Auckland.

He has performed for Westlife and U2, has worked in film and TV, performed in Las Vegas and has been practicing his art for well over 10 years.

Satisfied customers include global clients such as Coca Cola, O2, Meteor, Dell, Microsoft, Symantec, Vodafone, entertainment groups such as Essential Management Ltd, Renard’s Members Club, Time Theatre, Spirit Dublin and more. Whether it’s the Meteor Awards after-show party, helping launch Magners in Munich, Microsoft’s annual summer bash, a private party or stage show, walkabout or mind reading, Ruairi consistently shocks and amazes each and every one of his audiences.

Ruairi has kindly agreed to answer some questions for us.

Hi Ruairi, firstly could you please tell us how long you have been involved in magic (as a hobby and as a job).

I remember visiting a magic shop in Leeds when I was thirteen and buying a book called “165 Card Tricks and Stunts by Master Magician Jean Hugard” and being completely facinated. The book was not for beginners and I struggled to understand many of the terms and sleights described but I persevered and started to put my first magical routine together (:-).

In college I ran a magic club and at weekends I used to perform magic behind the bar where I worked. That was a great learning experience and I remember performing mindreading effects using the centre tear and getting amazing reactions from the farmers in the bar each friday evening. The workers from the construction company nearby heard about this and came to see me perform each Friday evening and while there would cash their cheques and buy a few extra drinks, so my boss at the time used to serve drinks and I would get paid to perform magic..wow, I thought this was simply amazing.

My first contact with the magic societies came through meeting Dave Young who at the time was working in “Its Magic” in the Stephens Green Shopping centre. He was demming the usual svengali products but when I approached him and showed him some of my coin magic he brought me aside and blew me away with a coin effect where you tapped a penny and it instantly changed to a 5p. Through Dave I made contact with Paul Mahon and the Mystic circle who made me feel so welcome.

Through the years I struggled like so many magicians to find my own performing style especially with the amount of magic available and the tendency to keep looking for that knockout effect which would make me a magician. After a few disasters “trying” to perform a decent manipulation act I stopped trying to copy other magicians, put together a punchy mentalism act, got some work, recorded my act and started the long and continuing process of evaluating and streamlining my act.

So many people have helped me along the way that it would be impossible to name and thank them all. The stalwarts of the Mystics who have been there every month in the North Star for the last 13 years, Tony Thursby who has been more than a mentor but a great friend, Pat Fallon who has unselfishly given his time and knowledge regarding the business of magic and more recently Joe Hoey with his extensive knowledge of mentalism has been invaluable in helping streamline my professional routines.

Is magic your sole source of income?

Yes. I performed magic part time for ten years before turning pro just last year.

What genre of magic (Close up / Stage / Mentalism etc) do you identify yourself with most?

I love Mentalism and have been studying it intensely for the past number of years. I tailor all my effects for the corporate market which means the presentation need to be snappy, the effect easy to understand and it really needs to fool the heck out of the audience. No other magical genre has allowed me to gain the reactions I now get from audiences.

What advice would you give to any aspiring young magician?

If you have an experienced magician that you are friends with then ask them if you can meet them, not at the magic meeting if possible but individually and run through your act. Stick with one mentor and have them record your act and then sit with you and discuss it as you both watch it together. Once you have put the work in and the mechanics of the act are second nature, work on reducing the amount of words you use in your patter and make the act as strong and as punchy as possible. Then get out there and perform; your audience reactions and feedback will tell you straight away if you are entertaining them.

What magicians have inspired your career the most? Why?

The first magician I met was Patsy Murphy who made a balloon animal in Blackrock when I was very young and I never forgot it. Watching Paul Daniels and his amazing magic on TV as a child. Tony Thursby my mentor and friend. David Blaine, not his style but the way he brought Magic back into the public’s conciousness. In later years I have studied and performed with Steve Dacri who taught me so much with regard to entertaining audiences. I’m a book nut and value the works of David Berglas, Max Maven, Chuck Hickok and so many others.

What commercially available effects (books dvds or single effects) do you rate most highly?

Close up wise its hard to beat Nick Einhorn’s version of the haunted deck called “Spooked” which is my strongest closer especially if you are surrounded and have people leaning in all around you to see the cards move on their own on the floor a good metre away from you. The bill switch is very strong but I only use it if people ask me if I can change money for them, I always have a 50 euro ready in a TT and in this situation its a killer. To end I never change it back but have notes ready in my back pocket and give them back whatever they originally gave me then thank them sincerely and just walk off (and really fight the temptation to look back to look at the expression on their face).
Two years ago I qualified as a master practitioner of NLP with Owen Fitzpatrick from www.nlp.ie This past year I have been meeting and training with NLP experts from all over the world and have put together some unique mindreading routines that can be done close up and are all linguistic in nature backed up by some guaranteed method if the suggestions etc are not taken.

How do you think the level of exposure in magic today (youtube, files sharing etc) is affecting magic?

I’m not overly worried about exposure. A few years ago at every show I would be asked about the masked magician and all I said was that it has meant more work for me because magic is more in peoples subconcious not than its ever been, in my lifetime at least.I am never asked about exposure at my shows anymore.
I never repeat an effect and don’t believe in revealing secrets to laypeople. It never helps, I repeat it never helps and always detracts from the performance whether the exposure was deliberate or as a result of a mistake.

I am aware that you are a member of a number of groups (IBM), how highly do you rate involvement in groups like this? Do you find that they have helped your career in any way? Do you take part in any of the online magic communities? Which ones?

I’m a member of IBM Ring 85, the Mystic circle and enjoy visiting the S.I.M. when they have lecturers.

I would personally like to thank Ruairi for taking the time to answer these questions. More information on Ruairi can be found on his website. If you want to see him in action take a look at his performance in Thailand.