Clare Dunne joins us this week to discuss the journey of writing, creating and starring in her first feature film “Herself”. Until now Clare was best known for work on stage but here for the first time she examines how her life as an actor almost never came to be. “Herself” is an up-lifting and heartbreaking story of a young Dublin mother attempting to escape her abusive partner and with the help of some friends building something they can rely upon. It sparks a discussion with Jarlath about the true meaning of Irish identity and its impact on every decision that went into making this critically acclaimed film (15:00).

Clare speaks about the value of having Sharon Horgan in her corner (54:00), her rollercoaster of being broke one minute then on the set of Spiderman the next(48:00). In rare brutal detail Clare explains the lightning bolt that hit her while struggling to make ends meet in New York (43:00). This is one of those chats where you need to hear every single minute.

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Supplementary research provided by John Meagher.  

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