Brendan Gleeson has told RTÉ Radio 1's Liveline that it is "thrilling" how the country has come together to face the Covid-19 emergency.
The Mister Mercedes star joined Joe Duffy on Thursday's show to discuss how we are responding to the unprecedented crisis - and to ask people not to forget to donate to St Francis Hospice if they can.
He said the Covid-19 emergency had given us the opportunity to "recalibrate and look at the important things".
"I have to say, I did my own bit of moaning about how the health service is run [a famous Late Late Show interview in 2006], but all I can feel is the same admiration everybody else feels for people in the frontline. They're absolutely brilliant.
"For that amount of people to get involved and put themselves out there, and the amount of communication amongst people and the amount of sharing of information that's leading to all sorts of brilliant things...
"We hardly dare to hope, but the idea of this 'flattening curve' and all that, that we might just be good to ourselves and have it front and centre and keep the priorities right.
"It's kind of thrilling that we could actually come together like this. I'm absolutely amazed."
"This coronavirus, I don't know how long it's going to last, or I don't know anything about it - but it feels as if we're up to it, in spite of all the tragedy that's going to happen," he added. "And I think we can just try and support people going through that awful thing."
Gleeson spent all of Thursday's Liveline on-air, with listeners phoning in to share their memories of him and his late parents.
Having been working in the US until a few weeks ago, he said he felt "very lucky" to have made it home before the crisis deepened.
To donate to St Francis Hospice, please visit: www.sfh.ie.
