Siobhán McSweeney

Irish actress and presenter (born 1979)

Siobhán McSweeney

Born|  (1979-12-27) 27 December 1979 (age 45)

Aherla, County Cork, Ireland

Alma mater| Royal Central School of Speech and Drama
Occupation(s)| Actress and Presenter
Years active| 2006–present

Siobhán McSweeney (born 27 December 1979)[1][2] is an Irish actress and presenter.[3] She is best known for her role as Sister Michael in the teen sitcom Derry Girls which earned her a BAFTA Award.[4]

## Early life

[edit]

McSweeney was born and raised in Aherla, County Cork, and attended secondary school at Scoil Mhuire, Cork.[5] Before acting, she earned a science degree at the University College Cork. In 2001, she moved to London when she secured a place at the Central School of Speech and Drama.[6]

## Career

[edit]

McSweeney's first role was in 2006 as Julia in the film The Wind That Shakes the Barley. In 2015, she played Una Gilbert in the film Mr. Holmes. The same year, she played Ruth Cheetham in No Offence. In 2016, she played Audrey in As You Like It at National Theatre Live.[7] Later that year, she played the role of Witzender in the film Alice Through the Looking Glass. In 2017, she played a social worker in the short film Big Dog.

From 2018 to 2022, McSweeney played the role of Sister Michael in the Channel 4 sitcom Derry Girls written by Lisa McGee. McSweeney also played Petra in three episodes of Collateral. In 2019, McSweeney played the role of Boring Noreen in the film Extra Ordinary. She also played Alice in the television series Porters on Dave. In 2020, she appeared in the short films The Widow and Scrubber.

Outside acting, McSweeney has also made guest appearances on television shows including Sunday Brunch and Front Row Late. She also appeared on the Derry Girls edition of The Great British Bake Off which aired on 1 January 2020. Since January 2021, she has been the presenter on The Great Pottery Throw Down on Channel 4. She did not appear in the initial episodes of the 2022 series, after breaking her leg in two places. Ellie Taylor stood in for her. In 2023, she appeared in a celebrity episode of Catchphrase winning almost £30,000 for her charity, The Maya Centre in North London.

## Personal life

[edit]

On 8 November 2019, McSweeney's flat in London caught fire due to a cube double adaptor that had fallen out of the socket.[8] McSweeney was out at the time but revealed she had developed anxiety following the incident.[9]

## Filmography

[edit]

Year | Title | Role | Notes

|
|
|

2006  | The Wind That Shakes the Barley | Julia  | Uncredited
2007  | Emmerdale | Nurse 2  | Episode #1.4703
2011  | National Theatre Live: The Kitchen | Anne  |
2013  | London Irish | Aoife  | Episode #1.5
2013–2014  | The Fall | Mary McCurdy  | 7 episodes
2015  | Mr. Holmes | Una Gilbert  | Uncredited
No Offence | Ruth Cheetham  | 6 episodes
2016  | National Theatre Live: As You Like It | Audrey  |
Alice Through the Looking Glass | Witzender  |
2017  | Big Dog | Social Worker  | Short film
2018  | Collateral | Petra  | 3 episodes
2018–2022  | Derry Girls | Sister George Michael  | Main role; 18 episodes
2019  | Extra Ordinary | Boring Noreen  |
Porters | Alice  | 3 episodes
2020  | The Widow | Eileen  | Short film
Anthony | Luighseach Kelly  | TV film
Scrubber | Scrubber  | Short film
Nowhere Special | Pam  |
2021  | The Electrical Life of Louis Wain | Dr Cooke  |
2021–present  | The Great Pottery Throw Down | Herself/host  |
2022  | Holding | Bríd Riordan  | 4 episodes
Kepler 62F | Admiral Pix's sidekick  |
Redemption | Jane Connolly  | 6 episodes
Murdoch Mysteries | Aunt Oleander  | 2 episodes
Death in Paradise | Jennifer Langan  | Episode: "Christmas Special 2022"
2023  | Finding Brigid | Host  | Documentary
2023–2024  | Extraordinary | Mary  | 7 episodes
2025  | The Traitors Ireland | Host[10] |
Amandaland | Della Fry  |
TBA | Nine Bodies in a Mexican Morgue | Lisa  | Post-production

## References

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1. ^ McSweeney, Siobhán [@siobhni] (27 December 2019). "This is the face of a Homeless Birthday Orphan😬😳 But I'm off to Thailand today for a few weeks to recoup. It's been a tough ole year. And my health hasn't been too good as a result. So off to clean air, beaches, sleep and nice food. I'll come back taller and nicer hopefully. 🎂 https://t.co/p1e4TP2i6a" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 30 December 2019. Retrieved 17 January 2021 - via Twitter.
2. ^ Binns, Katie (29 May 2021). "Derry Girls star Siobhán McSweeney: 'I was moving from crisis to crisis'". Retrieved 10 July 2021.
3. ^ "Derry Girls and Bad Sisters both double Bafta winners". 14 May 2023. `{{cite journal}}`: Cite journal requires `|journal=` (help)
4. ^ "Bafta wins 'an amazing end to Derry Girls journey', says Lisa McGee". 14 May 2023. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
5. ^ "Ireland's top sister act". The Corkman. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
6. ^ Nolan, Interview by Larissa (2 May 2020). "Derry Girls star Siobhán McSweeney on moving to London as a student" - via thetimes.co.uk.
7. ^ "NT Live: As You Like It | Kino Digital".
8. ^ Smith, Ryan (10 November 2019). "Derry Girls star issues plug warning after fire destroys home". BelfastLive.
9. ^ "Derry Girls star Siobhan McSweeney: Fire has left me with anxiety". Belfasttelegraph - via belfasttelegraph.co.uk.
10. ^ "Siobhán McSweeney announced as host of RTÉ's The Traitors Ireland". RTÉ Media Centre. 18 December 2024. Retrieved 19 December 2024.

## External links

[edit]

* Siobhán McSweeney at IMDb

* v
* t
* e

BAFTA TV Award for Best Female Comedy Performance

* Rebecca Front (2010)
* Jo Brand (2011)
* Jennifer Saunders (2012)
* Olivia Colman (2013)
* Katherine Parkinson (2014)
* Jessica Hynes (2015)
* Michaela Coel (2016)
* Phoebe Waller-Bridge (2017)
* Daisy May Cooper (2018)
* Jessica Hynes (2019)
* Sian Clifford (2020)
* Aimee Lou Wood (2021)
* Sophie Willan (2022)
* Siobhán McSweeney (2023)
* Gbemisola Ikumelo (2024)

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