Patrick O’Leary

What motivated you to start DJing/presenting?

Music has been a constant since I was a kid. I started my own internet radio station at 14, handed the reins to the UK crew who’d run it before me in 2006, and stayed on as a presenter for years after. I took what I’ll politely call a short break from 2015 to 2024 after my two sons arrived, but I was pining for the mic the whole time. I’m an attention seeker by nature; I also run Cork Safety Alerts, a Cork-based news and community safety platform with over 200,000 followers across its channels, so getting back behind the decks felt inevitable.

What styles do you play?

Anything and everything. The show is called ‘The Perfect Music Mix’ for a reason. I’ll happily go from 80s classics to today’s chart and dance hits, with a soft spot for melodic trance when the mood takes me. If it’s a banger, it’s getting a play.

Do you mix or scratch or both? Or are you more of a presenter?

Presenter first and foremost. Beyond running the mic and music from the studio deck, mixing has never really grabbed me. I’m in awe of the DJs who can, though.

Do you play on just one of danceradiouk.com’s stations or both?

Just Box UK for now, but who knows what the future holds.

Outside of danceradiouk.com, who are your favourite DJ’s, bands or music artists and how have they influenced your style (if they have)?

Having been at this since I was a teenager, my style has mostly been self-shaped. On the presenting side, I’ve always admired the big-station energy of BBC Radio 1 and Capital. Music-wise, I’m a long-time P!nk and Celine Dion fan, with a soft spot for classic, melodic trance; you’ll hear all of it sneak in when the Saturday night mood calls for it.

What other interests do you have besides DJing/presenting on the radio?

I’m a volunteer journalist, so a lot of my week is spent writing for Cork Safety Alerts, covering local news, traffic and incidents across Cork and Munster. I’m also a tech nerd at heart, running the broadcast rig and servers behind the scenes from the home studio here in Carrigaline.

Favourite things?

My wife Grace and the boys, obviously, though they’ll point out they’re not ‘things’. Beyond that: cooking (therapeutic, even if I’d never survive a professional kitchen), a well-made cocktail, fitness, a bit of aviation geekery and, of course, music.

Sum yourself up in a sentence?

Undiagnosed ADHD energy; always on the go, loves and hates being the centre of attention in equal measure.

Your desert island discs?

Hand me the complete NOW That’s What I Call Music back catalogue and I’ll be sorted for life.

Anything else?

Catch The Perfect Music Mix every Saturday night from 9pm on Box. Get your requests in and we’ll build the perfect mix together.