The youngest of six children born to William and Julia O’Connell, Billa was best known as a performer in
pantomime, having made his debut in the Cork pantomime back in 1947. Speaking in
The Irish Times, he recalled a time when there were "seven or eight" pantomimes operating in Cork, and it was one of the city's most popular forms of entertainment. Also regarded as an accomplished singer, he recorded a number of songs for local charitable organisations. He frequently appeared on
The Late Late Show, produced by
RTÉ, Ireland's national broadcaster, as a guest of
Gay Byrne. In 2000,
Mercier Press published O'Connell's biography,
Just Billa, written by Michael O'Connor. His monologues were archived by the Cork City Library in 2012. O'Connell was also an entertainment manager for figures like
Eamon Kelly and
Dermot O'Brien. == Personal life ==