I was born in London of Irish parents. My mum was also born in London, but her dad was from Indreabhán in Galway, and her mum was from near Thurles, in Tipperary. My grandad was a native Irish speaker. He was actually a twin. In the west of Ireland, whoever was born first got the land, so because his twin brother was born first, he had a title right. My grandad went to London and lived over there. He was a fireman in the second World War.
My dad was from Wexford town. He was an emigrant in the late 1950s. He went to England, met my mum, and I was born there. I have three brothers. My dad was very into making sure that we knew we were Irish. In the Five Nations rugby, as it was then, we always followed Ireland. Irishness was really injected into us.
We moved back to Wexford town when I was nine. It was kind of a shock to the system. In London, I was in a mixed school. When I came to Ireland I went to the Christian Brothers, which was quite austere, compared to London. But I did like it, and I made lots of friends.
I remember when learning Irish, instead of beidh mé, I wrote beg mé and the Christian Brother ridiculed me in front of everyone. But I’m quite a defiant person and I really got into the Irish. I got really good at it in primary school and got a good grade, ultimately, in the Leaving Cert. Maybe it was because I had it in the blood from my mum.
In college I did a business degree, which I wasn’t really suited to, so I took a year out, and got involved in a theatre company in Wexford. Then I didn’t get back into college, so I continued working for that theatre company. There was a government scheme they had at the time, Anco, so I did that.
There was a pub in Wexford called the Imperial, and I used to go in there sometimes. Billy Roche was in a band, and I used to see him onstage. He was involved in a theatre company, doing a play by Woody Guthrie. That’s where, theatrically, I met him.
Billy’s first play was called the The Boker Poker Club; it became A Handful of Stars. I did that in Wexford and then it was taken on by the Bush Theatre in London. Myself, Aidan Gillen and Dervla Kirwan went over. From that, I got an agent and ended up back living in London for a while.
[ From the archive: Billy Roche: Dreamer without the angstOpens in new window ]
I’ve gone on to do quite a few Billy Roche Plays – the Wexford Trilogy, The Cavalcaders. I love playing Billy’s characters. I think he’s a very subtle, interesting writer. I can connect to his work, the way he tells stories.
I’ve set up a theatre company around where I live in Roscommon. I was looking to do a play, and Billy Roche’s Of Mornington came along. It’s a three-hander. There was a part for a young actor, and my son, James, did the reading for it. He fit it well. I’m looking forward to working with my son onstage, as well as Síofra O’Meara, an interesting up-and-coming actress.
There’s quite a full-circle poignancy about the fact that my son is the same age I was when I went to London. I think it’s a great gift for him to be working with someone like Billy, because he’s very nurturing. Things I would have learned from him, and the director, Robin le Fevre, like naturalism, not over-acting, and just being true, have kept me going throughout my career. I think it’s important when you’re early in your career to work with good people. Also, Billy’s a very kind person. I know Aidan Gillen would say the same – anyone who’s worked with Billy would say the same.
Irish people have great passion and emotion. We’re poetic as well. We’ve always had it, but because of young people coming up like Jessie Buckley, Paul Mescal, Cillian Murphy who are of global fame, people are taking notice.
Things like The Complex closing down in Dublin are really disappointing. I don’t think the Government is doing enough in that respect. It’s all very well talking about Paul Mescal, Jessie Buckley, but you’ve got to start from the ground up, and nurture people, especially young people. If not, they’re just going to go: I can’t do this.
The film I’m shooting at the moment is interesting. It’s called The Sandy Banks. It’s by a writer/director called Tony O’Donnell. He’s only 27. He’s got a really big future ahead of him. We’re down here in Belmullet, on the edge of Europe. People like Tony need to be supported and nurtured as artists. It’s a different thing than going to do medicine. Artists need time. It’s not always: do a job, get the money.
I think Ireland’s a really special place. It’s hard to put into words. I probably think of it a bit poetically, but I feel there’s a special holiness or something about Ireland. It’s a spiritual feeling, like when you’re driving up by the Céide Fields, that you don’t get other places in the world. Maybe it’s because I’m from here.
In conversation with Niamh Donnelly. This interview, part of a series about well-known people’s lives and relationship with Ireland, was edited for clarity and length. Gary Lydon stars in Of Mornington by Billy Roche, directed by Peter McCamley, at Wexford Arts Centre, April 2nd-4th, and Smock Alley Theatre, April 14th-18th. wexfordartscentre.ie; smockalley.com