bloggorah.com, also known as blogorrah, was an award-winning[1] New York City-based Irish website owned by the publishing "empire" of John Ryan. The site was edited by Derek O'Connor in New York. It was known for satirising well-known social figures in Irish life such as politicians, models, actors and the media. Blogorrah regularly featured in Irish national newspapers and received radio coverage, with the Sunday Independent referring to it as "frankly disgusting",[2] and it was described by the Irish Independent as "a sort of Phoenix without portfolio".[3] Its end came when Ryan's publishing empire collapsed in 2007. A new blog The Chancer was launched in its place[4] after Jim Carroll of The Irish Times questioned what Irish bloggers had written about before blogorrah.[5]

Background

Ryan's publishing company initially owned the publishing venture Stars on Sunday which folded with losses. He then set up the New York Dog magazine, which he promoted on The Late Late Show, and blogorrah.com. The site was edited by Derek O'Connor but mysteriously stopped filing new posts in July 2007. Ryan was also known for his business partnership with Michael O'Doherty, the owner of VIP magazine. After the collapse of his business empire in early 2007, Ryan was declared missing after he claimed a pet-food scare led to the closure of New York Dog. O'Doherty said he had not heard from Ryan for over a month.[6] Before his disappearance Ryan had attended the Electric Picnic music festival in the company of fellow publisher Trevor White and soon after appeared as a guest on The Tubridy Show. However, a rival website then accused him of mistreating his workers and he left the country until his 2009 television return.

Downfall

Blogorrah failed to update for a number of weeks, with their last normal post before its disappearance being 12 June 2007. On 21 June 2007 Blogorrah claimed the website was undergoing a redesign. But in July 2007 it left a claim that they were to return “very soon”, after a month of no usual updates whatsoever. This was followed by a post in the website's traditional style with the headline “Blogorrah Will Return (Very Soon). In The Meantime...” with a list of “Ten reasons why Blogorrah took July off”. This proved to be the last post before it shut down.[7]

References

  1. ^ "Guest Editors: Nicky Gogan, Derek O'Connor and Paul Rowley" Archived 2009-03-27 at the Wayback Machine. Film Ireland. Accessed 13 January 2009.
  2. ^ "Blogorrah.com update/roundup". Blurred Keys. 6 February 2007. Archived from the original on 13 February 2007. Retrieved 12 January 2009.
  3. ^ "Andrea gives Ryan some dog's abuse". Irish Independent. 29 October 2006. Retrieved 12 January 2009.
  4. ^ "The Chancer, Blogorrah cloned". Blurred Keys. 5 November 2007. Archived from the original on 19 June 2007. Retrieved 12 January 2009.
  5. ^ "This thing about Blogorrah". The Irish Times. 26 July 2007. Retrieved 12 January 2009.
  6. ^ "Publisher John Ryan 'missing'". Random Mostly Irish News. 25 November 2007. Archived from the original on 5 May 2010. Retrieved 12 January 2009.
  7. ^ "Blogorrah will return "very soon"". Blurred Keys. 23 July 2007. Archived from the original on 19 June 2007. Retrieved 12 January 2009.
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