Actor Chris O’Dowd says Boyle Arts Festival made him believe anything was possible

For Chris O’Dowd, a life in the arts never felt out of reach — and the Boyle Arts Festival was one of the reasons why.

The Boyle native will make his debut at Dublin’s Gate Theatre this July in the Irish premiere of Conor McPherson’s new play The Brightening Air, bringing home a production rooted close to the landscape that shaped him.

Written and directed by McPherson, the play is set on the banks of Lough Key, towards the Sligo border, in the early 1980s. It is, O’Dowd says, a family drama with humour, mysticism and “some great gags”. His own role is less saintly. “I play an absolute diabolical blagard,” he told the Roscommon Herald.

The Brightening Air opened at the Gate Theatre on July 22nd and runs until August 30th.

O’Dowd is reprising his role from the original London production, which premiered at the Old Vic in 2025 to critical acclaim. He appears alongside Derbhle Crotty, Aisling Kearns and Seán McGinley, with Peter Corboy, Kate Gilmore and Judith Roddy joining the ensemble for the Dublin run.

It is another notable turn in a career that has taken him from Roy in The IT Crowd to the comedy hit Bridesmaids, and from Moone Boy — inspired by his life in Boyle — to the Sky series Small Town, Big Story. Yet for all the international success, the pull of Roscommon remains strong.

Speaking ahead of opening night, O’Dowd said the company was deep into tech week, that restless, exciting stage when the lights, set and final details begin to come together.

“We are in tech week, which is quite exciting,” he said. “This is when they put up the lights and they’re putting the stage together. It makes it kind of like the week before Christmas.” Having already performed the play more than 100 times in London, he said the Irish run carries a different kind of confidence. 

“This play has been a very enjoyable experience. It feels much easier because at least you know that the play works.” He compared the rehearsal process to “a delicious Irish stew”, with the returning cast and new arrivals adding fresh flavour. “It feels like it’s been marinating now,” he said. “We’ve got new cast members who bring a fresh light to some of those scenes. It feels like a proper stew. Everything is tenderised now. All the flavours are working together because they’ve been mixing for so long.” 

That sense of return is especially strong while the Boyle Arts Festival is under way. O’Dowd was back in Boyle recently and said he had seen the programme come out. A busload of locals also plan to travel to Dublin to see the play.

“There’s lots of fun stuff on in Boyle, and I know that there’s a busload of people coming up to see the play,” he said. “It feels nice to be part of it. It’s such an artistic community in Boyle.” His pride in his hometown is evident as he talks about Boyle, its clock tower, its river and the familiar warmth of community occasions. He was home only a couple of weeks ago for the town’s duck race.

“The duck race was fantastic, and my mother was dressed up as the giant duck,” he laughed.

For O’Dowd, that connection to the west is not just sentimental. He said he feels a responsibility to help bring more theatre and live performance to audiences outside the capital, naming venues including King House, Roscommon Arts Centre, the Hawk’s Well in Sligo, The Dock in Carrick-on-Shannon and the Black Box in Galway.

“I do feel the responsibility of trying to bring shows west as well,” he said. “There are some lovely theatres. I would love to bring a show over to those places that we could tour around a bit.” Asked about the possibility of a return for Moone Boy, O’Dowd admitted he is cautious about revisiting the much-loved series.

“Martin would be older and be kind of hanging out with girls and all of that kind of stuff,” he said. “I don’t know if it would be a bit weird if he had an imaginary friend there.

“But never say never. It was such a fun time. I got to work with a bunch of the guys from the show again on Small Town, Big Story. But I’d love to bring back some of those Moone Boy vibes as well. You never know.” Again and again, the conversation returns to the idea of growing up in rural Ireland and choosing a creative life — something that can too easily be dismissed as having “notions”. For O’Dowd, Boyle made that path feel possible.

“The arts festival is one of the reasons that it always made sense to me,” he said. “It’s a fantastic and prestigious festival in a relatively small town. I think it does give you the impression that anything is possible. If you’ve got all these wonderful artists from around the world, why can’t you be one of them?” That belief was strengthened when, at the age of 12, he began doing plays with local man Frank Mahoney, whose seriousness about theatre left a lasting mark.

“Frank had a love of theatre, and I saw how seriously he took it,” O’Dowd said. “It made it feel like it was something very serious to me. You need somebody like that.” The actor also remains deeply connected to Roscommon football. Having represented the county at underage level, he said he still receives the same slagging about matches from 30 years ago whenever he comes home. This year’s championship, however, brought disappointment.

“I was a little heartbroken, if I’m honest with you,” he said. “I was at the match in Clones, and we just never got going.” Tongue in cheek, he suggested Roscommon might have to borrow one of the county’s ladies players for the men’s panel next year.

Chris O'Dowd Bio

Chris O’Dowd was born on October 9th, 1979 in Boyle, to Seán and Denise. He is the youngest of five siblings. He was active in sports during his youth, representing Roscommon in Gaelic football at U-16, minor, and U-21 levels, notably playing as a goalkeeper in the 1997 Connacht Minor Football Championship final. He attended University College Dublin (UCD), studying politics and sociology, but left before completing his degree. He later attended the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA), graduating with a BA in 2002.

He is married to actress, author and producer Dawn O’ Porter since 2012, and they have two sons.