Owen Gilhooly trained at the Limerick School of Music with Jean Holmes and in Dublin with Conor Farren. A graduate of the Royal College of Music where he held the Peter Pears Exhibition, his prizes include the Madeline Finden Memorial Prize and the Great Elm Vocal Award. He continued his studies at the National Opera Studio and with Russell Smythe, supported by the Belfast Classical Music Bursary, the Irish Arts Council, the RVW Trust, the Sibyl Tutton Trust and Chris Ball. In 2007 he represented Ireland at BBC Cardiff Singer of the World and now studies with Iris De'll Acqua.

Early roles included Mr Gedge Albert Herring (cover) Glyndebourne on Tour and for Opera Project, Poulenc’s Burning Mirrors for the ENO Studio, Schaunard La bohème for Scottish Opera Go Round, Schaunard and Colonel Frank Die Fledermaus for Co–Opera Ireland, Talpa Il tabarro for Clonter Opera, Dandini La Cenerentola for OTC, Dublin, Dr Falke Die Fledermaus and Harlequin Ariadne auf Naxos for English Touring Opera and Corporal The Silver Tassie for Opera Ireland. During 2004, he created Philoctetes in the world première of Edward Rushton’s Trojan Trilogy for The Opera Group and starred as Figaro The Barber of Seville at the Savoy Theatre with Savoy Opera.

He made his début at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, singing the Fauré Requiem for the Royal Ballet and at the BBC Proms singing Bill Bobstay in HMS Pinafore. Further engagements included Mercury The Coronation of Poppea, Marcello La bohème and Dreamweaver Bug Off!!! OTC, Dublin, Brahms Requiem at St Albans Abbey, Duruflé Requiem for the Ulster Orchestra, Messiah for the Irish Baroque Orchestra, Mozart Mass in C Minor at the National Concert Hall, Dublin, and Anthony Powers’ From Station Island at the West Cork Chamber Music Festival. His recordings include Joyce Songs — James Joyce’s Musical Dublin with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra.

During 2005/2006, roles included Marcello La bohème for the RTE National Symphony Orchestra, Don Parmenione L’occasione fa il ladro and Elder Ott Susannah for Wexford Festival Opera, Il Conte The Marriage of Figaro for Lyric Opera, Dublin, Froila, Alfonso und Estrella for UC Opera, Valentin Faust for Opera Ireland, Eckbert Blond Eckbert for The Opera Group, Don Josè de Santarem Maritana for The Royal Dublin Society and La Poigne/Waiter Margot la Rouge for the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Radio 3, Don Fernando Fidelio for Opera Theatre Company and the Ulster Orchestra. Owen made his debut with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Sir Andrew Davis singing Joseph and Polydorus in Berlioz l'Enfance du Christ and completed tours as Father Hansel and Gretel for Opera Theatre Company and Dr Falke Die Fledermaus for Scottish Opera on Tour.

Engagements for 2006/2007 included Capellio I Capuletti e I Montecchi for Grange Park Opera and for Pimlico Opera (UK Tour), Carmina Burana with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Don Quixote in De Falla's Master Peter's Puppet Show for BBC NI and the Ulster Orchestra, Mandarin Turandot for Opera Ireland and Father Hansel and Gretel with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland.

The 2007/2008 season also included The Bridegroom in Judith Weir’s The Vanishing Bridegroom with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Figaro The Barber of Seville, for OTC, Dublin, Mahler's Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Carmina Burana with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Vaughan Williams A Sea Symphony with the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, Count Almaviva The Marriage of Figaro for Iford Arts, and a return to the BBC Proms to sing Konenchy in Janacek’s Osud.

In the 08/09 season, Owen sang St Paul with the RTÉ NSO, made his Viennese debut singing the title role in Conti's Don Chisciotte in Sierra Morena and appeared as Tooley The Mines of Sulphur and Bob The Old Maid and the Thief for Wexford Festival Opera. He also recorded the role of Oscar Kokoschka in Raymond Deane's The Arrival of the Doll with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland and RTE Lyric FM.

Recent engagements included a return to Scottish Opera for Cosi fan tutte, Figaro The Barber of Seville for Armonico Consort and for Mid Wales Opera, as well as a Viennese Gala and Haydn's Mass in B Flat ''Harmoniemesse'' with the Irish Chamber Orchestra as part of the 2009 MBNA Limerick International Music Festival and also performed Dichterliebe and An die ferne Geliebte with pianist Ashley Wass as part of the Lincolnshire International Music Festival 2009.

09/10 sees a return to Wexford Festival Opera to sing King Louis XVI in John Corigliano's The Ghosts of Versailles, Messiah with the Irish Chamber Orchestra, Last NIght of the Christmas Proms for Raymond Gubbay, Hindemith's When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, Malatesta Don Pasquale for English Touring Opera, Figaro The Barber of Seville for Stanley Hall Opera and Brahms Requiem with the Irish Youth Choir and National Youth Orchestra of Ireland.

Owen will also join the 2010 Verbier Festival to sing Marcello in La Bohéme as part for the Verbier Festival Academy.

10/11 includes a return to Wexford Festival Opera to sing Lord Salt in the European premiere of Peter Ash's The Golden Ticket (based on Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) Fauré Requiem with the Ulster Orchestra, Messiah with the Irish Philharmonic Orchestra and the General in Luke Bedford's new opera Seven Angels in a co-production for The Opera Group and Birmingham Contemporary Music Group.