Cillian O'Connor
Age: 15
Home country: Ireland
Special skill: Magic
Hi there! My name is Cillian and I’m a record-breaking magician. I love performing on TV shows such as Blue Peter and Britain’s Got Talent (BGT), and I hold the record for the most magic tricks in one minute (Under 16s), with 28 tricks – that’s almost 1 trick every 2 seconds! 🪄
How it all started…
I got into magic when I was just 7 years old, and the first trick I ever saw was by my uncle Dessie.
He took his thumb and appeared to split it in half and then put it back together… That scared me a lot and I ran a mile in fear that my thumb would fall off too! 😂
However, I became a real magic fan 1 year later, when I saw Issy Simpson, a magician and YouTube Star, during Britain’s Got Talent.
She finished the competition as the runner-up when she was just 8 years old – the same age I was! That truly inspired me…
My advice to other young people is… DOG, which stands for: Don’t give up on your dreams. Only you can create your story. Go the distance.
Cillian O'Connor
Attempting more Under-16 records
The Guinness World Records team challenged me to try and break a few more records from their long list of record titles that are up for grabs specifically for kids under 16 years old. 🤓
After trying a few, I finally asked for my sister’s Casey help, and together we broke the record for the most dominoes set up and toppled by a team of two in 30 seconds – we did 34!
Guess I’m not only good at magic. 😎
Fun facts about me
My favourite types of performances are mental magic and card magic, because I prefer performing close-up tricks.
When I’m not doing magic, I like to:
- Collect decks of cards – I have a whole shelf just for that! 🃏
- Play chess ♟️
- Do photography 📸
- Watch wrestling matches 🤼♂️
- And football games ⚽
Do you have any of the same hobbies?
I want to visit schools to share my journey with autism and magic, so it might inspire others! I would love to be able to bring magic into schools, as a form of therapy someday.
Cillian O'Connor
Magic and autism
I have autism, and it was one of the main reasons why I began magic; it has helped me improve my social skills and be able to interact with people.
When I was younger, I knew what to say, but I didn’t know how to say it…
Now, magic does the talking for me. 😉
So, dream BIG and don't be afraid to chase your own Guinness World Records title!