“I’ve never really given it everything I had” – William O’Connor admits family came first during 16-year PDC career

William O’Connor has spent 16 years establishing himself as one of the PDC circuit’s most durable competitors. The 40-year-old from Limerick has survived the relentless demands of the ProTour, represented Ireland on the biggest stages and earned widespread respect without ever attracting the attention afforded to many of his contemporaries.

Yet O’Connor readily accepts that his career might have delivered more had darts received his undivided attention. Rather than structuring his life around practice, he treated the sport as an additional source of income while putting his wife Bernadette and their two children, Nicole and Liam, first.

“I’ve never really given it everything I had,” O’Connor admitted in an interview with Bang On Target. “My priorities were always my family who came first. Darts was for a long time a bit on the side to make a few extra quid.

“When I needed to keep my Tour Card I’d put more into it, then I’d slacken off again afterwards.”

O’Connor rarely misses a ProTour event, with constant flights, hotels and weekends away consuming much of his calendar. Returning home does not automatically create an opportunity to practise either. His priority is reconnecting with his family before attending to the ordinary jobs that have accumulated in his absence.

“I’m not here as often as I would like with all the constant travelling. Then when I am, I like to be the family man and also, there’s lots of typical jobs to do like mowing the lawn, fixing things. I hardly get chance to practice," he says. "Ideally, I’d prefer to be in a position where I could afford to skip a few Pro Tour events and really put the time in. That’s the key word I need to take it to the next level – time.”

There is no regret attached to that decision. O’Connor has been with Bernadette since they were teenagers, having met when they were 18 and 19, and darts has always had to fit around the life they built together.

His son Liam may eventually add another O’Connor name to the Irish darts scene. He already practises regularly with his father and reached the quarter-finals of an INDO Youth event in Limerick with a 71.77 average.

“Yeah. He’s my practice partner and beats me most of the time. He’s actually very good,” said O’Connor, who is determined not to expose him to the circuit’s travelling demands too soon. “I wanted him to get a taste of it but not travelling everywhere just yet.”

O’Connor’s own longevity has depended upon more than talent and determination. He credits local pub owner Robert Mulcahy with providing the financial assistance that helped keep his professional career alive when the costs of competing threatened to become prohibitive.

“Without Robert Mulcahy, I probably wouldn’t still be playing. He owns a pub nearby and has always backed me financially and offered huge support. Without him, well I probably wouldn’t be doing what I am doing today.”

Those experiences have left O’Connor with little sympathy for the idea that the PDC owes every Tour Card holder a comfortable living. He views professional darts as a chance that players must convert through their own performances.

“The PDC isn’t a job,” he said. “It’s an opportunity. If you’re good enough you’ll make it. They’re not there to fill everybody’s pockets.”

Representing Ireland has provided some of the defining moments of O’Connor’s career. He and Steve Lennon reached the 2019 World Cup of Darts final before losing to Scotland, while his more recent partnership with Northern Irishman Mickey Mansell carried a broader significance for both players.

Mansell had long wanted the opportunity to represent the Republic of Ireland within the PDC system. O’Connor strongly believes that players from the north who identify with Ireland should be free to make the same choice.

“He’s 52-years old now and admitted to me that, before he’d finish playing, representing the Republic of Ireland in the PDC was a feather he wanted in his cap,” O’Connor explained. “So I was more than proud to play with Mickey. People need to accept it’s Ireland. If people from the North feel they want to play for Ireland, they should be able to. It may have surprised some people that Mansell got in, but for Ireland as a whole it shouldn’t.”

That pride is accompanied by frustration at Ireland’s shrinking presence on the PDC calendar. The World Grand Prix left Dublin after 2019 and the country does not currently stage a European Tour event, leaving Irish supporters without a regular opportunity to watch the circuit’s leading names on home soil.

“We’ve lost the World Grand Prix and we’ve no European Tour,” O’Connor said. “I’d love to see a major tournament back in Ireland. It’s just that we haven’t the venues anymore.”

O’Connor is equally realistic about why the PDC’s leading players receive protection within the European Tour qualification system. Luke Littler and the other major names sell tickets and attract viewers in numbers that those further down the rankings cannot match.

That commercial reality does not make the challenge any less severe for players attempting to break into the elite. European Tour prize money can transform a season, influence qualification for televised majors and determine whether a player moves towards safety or a battle to retain their Tour Card.

“I don’t really see much difference,” O’Connor said of the system. “I understand why they want to protect the higher-ranked players. For the PDC, it’s their brand and I get it. Big names draw bigger viewing figures. The European Tours can make or break your year. If you’re chasing those events, they’re massive. I just think the PDC could do more to help players get a foothold.”

O’Connor has never allowed the reputation of an opponent to change his own preparations. Whether drawn against a world champion, one of the sport’s emerging stars or another ProTour regular, he sees the task in the same terms.

“It doesn’t matter who I play. There’s not much difference between anyone. You’ve got to play the best sooner or later,” he said. “I can only focus on what I do. If I play my best and lose, then I’m happy.”

That outlook has helped O’Connor remain competitive through 16 years of changing generations, qualification systems and financial pressures. He may believe there was another level he never fully pursued, but placing his family first has not prevented him from building one of the most enduring careers on the PDC circuit.