My Weekend: 'I’ve always been a morning person... I don’t like to waste it in bed'

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your work:

My name is Dominic MacHale and I’m an actor and performance coach based in Cork. I was born in Blackrock in Cork, the youngest of five children. Cork has always been my home, apart from a brief interlude in Dublin for a year or so. My fiancée and I were lucky enough to buy our first home in Blackrock a couple of years ago, only a few minutes away from where I grew up, where we live now with our beautiful little girl.

My complex love affair with acting began when I was studying for a BSc in Microbiology in UCC.

I joined the drama society, Dramat, and over the course of my four-year degree, I acted in around 15 shows. In retrospect, many of these productions were close to professional standard so it was a superb training ground.

I loved learning on the job as I’d never acted before coming to UCC. While still a science student, I was fortunate to get involved with a professional production called The Irish Canon, which was originally my good friend Laura Harte’s thesis for her Masters in Drama & Theatre Studies.

The show ended up touring nationally to great acclaim, and I got a taste for what life as a professional actor might be like - and I loved it! Although challenging, as my heart wasn’t in it, I knew that finishing my degree was the right thing to do.

But once I had that qualification in my hand, it was off to the circus (metaphorically speaking), much to my father’s disappointment and dismay. It’s funny how becoming a father myself has made me much more understanding of my own father’s words and feelings at the time when I told him I was going to be an actor. It’s such a precarious and, at times, brutal calling that I’m not sure any parent would wish it on their child.

For the next six years or so, it was a steady progression up the theatre ladder. Initially, I was doing shows for little or no money to gain valuable stage experience, but there came a point where I had to draw a line.

If you’re going to be a professional actor, then you need to be paid like one. So, I started saying no to the work that I knew I could never make a living from. That was a turning point.

Once I started to regard myself as a professional, others did too. I was lucky in that I pretty much went from job to job for many years - there were certainly times when money was tight, and it was barely possible to plan for the next few weeks, let alone months or years.

Since my first show in Dramat and my time doing The Irish Canon, I became good friends with Laura O’Mahony and Laura Harte (the two Lauras, as they were known). Over the last 15 years, together we’ve established ourselves as probably the premier improv group in Cork. As a result of the success of The Improv Murder Mystery in The Cork Arts Theatre each Halloween, and The Improv Panto, which is currently running on the main stage of The Cork Opera House, we have grown a significant and loyal following over the years. It’s wonderful as an actor to be involved in recurring shows with fantastic actors that you have built such trust and chemistry with over the years.

Things really started to pick up pace for me in the acting world around 2016. In terms of theatre, I was playing the lead role of Michael Collins in Pat Talbot’s A Great Arrangement. This was a show that pushed me physically and mentally further than I had ever gone before as an actor, but what an incredible opportunity it was. We played the Everyman in Cork, the Gaiety in Dublin, and the MAC in Belfast to great acclaim.

Around the same time, Cccahoots, a sketch group consisting of myself, Tadhg Hickey, and Laura O’Mahony was making waves on the live comedy scene as well as turning heads in RTÉ, culminating in commissions including Sketch and The School. Meanwhile, my first foray into film acting was a low-budget independent movie written and directed by Peter Foott called The Young Offenders. It premiered at the Galway Film Fleadh that year and was a runaway success. (We recently filmed the fifth season over the summer for BBC - I don’t think anyone could have predicted its enduring popularity!)

Along with my acting career, I recently completed a PGDip in Personal and Management Coaching from UCC, becoming a qualified business and life coach. As a way to combine my passion for acting with my newly acquired qualification in coaching, I set up my own Acting for Camera course, providing screen acting classes to youths, beginners, and advanced practitioners.

The first cohort began in late September and just finished at the beginning of December. The classes were a great success so I’ll be running them again early next year - the next iteration will begin in January 2026.

What is your ideal way to spend a Friday night?

I always loved going out on Friday nights - they were less busy and messy than Saturdays.

A few drinks with friends and then see where the wind takes us! Definitely more inclined to put the feet up now at home and watch a movie with my other half.

Lie ins or up with the lark.. which is it for you?

I’ve always been a morning person, it’s my favourite time of the day so I don’t like to waste it in bed. Lie ins are a thing of the past anyway with a 16-month-old at home!

Does work creep into your weekend at all?

Definitely. Working as a theatre actor means you’re at work when others are off - evenings and weekends. It can be quite an antisocial job in that respect.

If money was no object where would you head to on a weekend city break? And who would you bring with you?

My other half and I visited Vienna a few years back, and we absolutely loved it.

Such a beautiful city - you can see and feel the history and culture on every street. We promised ourselves we’d go back, so a weekend city break there would be heavenly. Honourable mentions to Prague and Berlin too.

Closer to home, is there some place you like to head to recharge the batteries?

I love being out in nature, but I’m not a huge fan of water, so I prefer mountains or forests. I love Garryduff Woods, and I’ve had some beautiful hikes in the Ballyhoura Mountains in North Cork.

Do you like to catch up with family/friends at the weekend?

Saturdays can often be workdays in the acting world, but I do like to catch up with friends when I can. It has become an operation in logistics since we’ve all become parents, though!

Sunday is all about family for me - a walk with my fiancée and daughter to the market in Blackrock Village in the morning and visiting my folks for coffee and a chat in the afternoon.

Do you get to indulge any hobbies? Even as a spectator?

I’ve loved sports ever since I was young. I played hurling (Blackrock), gaelic football (St. Michael’s), and soccer (Avondale) into my teens. Then American Football with the Cork Admirals took over for the best part of a decade. I went back as a coach recently and really enjoyed it but the time commitment was too much, so I had to stop. I still play a little soccer, but not competitively. I used to be an avid reader too but my opportunities to sit down with a good book are limited at the moment for some reason!

Entertain or be entertained? If it’s the latter do you have a signature dish?

Unsurprisingly, I love entertaining (typical youngest child!). If I’m trying to impress, I’ll make sushi. I love the variety of flavours, the aesthetic of the food, and the ritual involved in making it. It tastes great too!

We have so many places to eat out in Cork - where are your go to spots for coffee/ lunch/ special meal?

I’m a traditionalist when it comes to coffee - I’m not a fan of the hipster coffee that seems to be proliferating around the city (I won’t name names of course!) I drink it black so anywhere that serves Italian or Spanish-style coffee will impress me.

The Imperial Hotel serves a really nice coffee and the surroundings are very civilised too. My other half and I love going to Goldie on special occasions, and we were blown away by Cush in Midleton!

Sunday night comes around too fast.. how do you normally spend it?

Historically, I would have watched the NFL on Sunday Nights, but nowadays we’ll curl up on the couch with a good film or TV series.

What time does your alarm clock go off on Monday morning?

My “little angel” will wake me up between 6.00am and 6.30am without fail, so no alarm clock needed! Recently she has learned to just say ‘Dad’ repeatedly (while getting progressively louder) until I come into the room!

Anything else you are up to right now…

The Improv Panto in the Cork Opera House is currently in full swing, running until December 29. Tickets are available at corkoperahouse.ie