Here are some of the great young Irish talents on TV as compiled by John Byrne.
Ruth Bradley
Just like her mother Charlotte, Ruth caught the acting bug and although she headed off to London at the tender age of 18, she’s featured in several Irish TV dramas. From 'Stardust' to 'Love/Hate' to ITV’s megabuck Saturday evening blockbuster 'Primeval', she’s featured alongside the likes of Ger Ryan, Aidan Gillen and a lot of scary monsters, and never fails to impress.
Brian Gleeson
One of two sons of Brendan Gleeson who could both eventually outdo the Da on the acting front. To be fair, Domhnall’s got the looks (and the big movie parts), so we’ll give him the nod over sibling Brian in the Hollywood hunk stakes. But the more robust Brian was a brilliant loony gangster in 'Love/Hate'. A future chewing scenery seems secure.
Antonia Campbell Hughes
As well as having and artistic/fashion background, this highly talented 20-something appears to have more options than toenails, given that she’s already got a body of work behind her, including Jack Dee's sitcom 'Lead Balloon' as well as several movies in the pipeline. She’s probably ambidextrous, too.
Jedward
If ever a set of twins with shooty-up hair who act like four-year-olds after a feed of chocolate and fizzy drinks look likely to end up hosting kids’ TV, Jedward are the boys. Sure, they’ve got the 'Eurovision Song Contest' to look forward to, but the reality is that their natural audience is the under 12s on a Saturday morning. We wish them well!
Charlene McKenna
After making a huge impression starring as Jennifer in 'Pure Mule', the mighty mouse from Monaghan has gone on to feature in several of RTÉ’s most important dramas of recent years, including 'Single-Handed 2' and 'The Whistleblower'. As Jojo in 'Raw', she’s become possibly the best-known character actor on Irish television.
John Byrne
