Shane Casey: 'We're like a little family..we all have our little jokes and bits of fun'

With The Young Offenders set to return with their signature blend of comedy and heart for a fifth season, it is remarkable to think that a decade has passed since Conor and Jock first won over audiences as Cork’s most endearing rogues.

The film and the subsequent television series have turned the cast into stars, and reinforced what many already knew: nothing compares to the Cork sense of humour.

While The Young Offenders revolves around Conor and Jock, it is equally about the delightfully eccentric Billy Murphy, brilliantly played by Shane Casey.

Reflecting back on 2016, could Casey ever have imagined that The Young Offenders would still be thriving in 2026?

“Not a hope,” he admits. “It was the best decision I made to join the show.

“I passed the place where I did my first scene in Mayfield for the film, the other day [and I was thinking] it is the best thing I’ve ever been involved in.

“It’s providing me with a bit of work and notoriety, and fun and friends.

“I love the bones off the two lads; Alex (Murphy) and Chris (Walley) are great friends of mine, as are most of the cast. I’ve gotten to know the crew as well.

“Some people come and go, but there is a core that is still there, and it’s great.”

Casey says that while the audience has changed over the years, one thing has remained constant: the love for the show.

“There’s a new audience every time. There were kids who watched the film who are adults now, and there are new kids ready to watch this season.

“What’s great for them is that there’s a whole back catalogue of stuff for them to watch, they have the film and four other seasons.

“It is rewarding when I meet people who get a buzz out of the show. It takes a lot for a kid to put a phone away for 25 minutes. For a family to sit down and watch something is rare, and we’ve had families watching it together for ten years, which is brilliant.”

Last season saw a change in the show, as Walley could not be involved to the same extent as in previous seasons. With less Jock, Murphy’s character Conor turned to Billy Murphy as his new partner in mayhem.

But with Walley firmly back in the fold, what can we expect from season five?

Casey says Conor and Jock are back together, and that is the most important thing.

“The boys are back in town, and it’s back to crime. They are a little bit older, maybe not necessarily wiser, but the core of the two lads is there.

“Billy’s a little bit jealous that Conor and Jock are doing their own things, but eventually he gets over himself, and they rope him into a little bit of crime, and he ropes them into something.

“Basically, they’re like George Clooney and Brad Pitt in Ocean’s 11, and maybe I’m Matt Damon.”

Casey says the cast and crew have become more than just friends, and credits this in part to the show’s creator, Peter Foott, who has one strict rule.

“We are like a little family. Peter had one rule from day one: no assholes on set, and it worked.

“We all have our little jokes with each other and bits of fun because we have known each other for so long, but the two lads at the core of it are superb actors.

“I want the two lads to have really good, happy, healthy careers. They started off on the right foot ten years ago and they are keeping it going.”

In recent years, Cork’s filmmaking talent has flourished, and it appears that The Young Offenders sparked something special.

“We’ve had a few bright moments in Cork over the past 30 years, like War Of The Buttons and The Wind That Shakes The Barley,” says Casey.

“Then Peter made this lovely little independent film with a crew of four or five people that has spawned this little television show that pops up every couple of years, and it’s great to see other things since then happen, like Christy. Its success was amazing.”

Éanna Hardwicke is having a great moment, says Casey, and he praises Alison Oliver’s success.

“Our own Chris Walley won an Olivier Award in his first professional play, and Alex was brilliant in Saipan,” says Casey.

“To see people going off doing their projects is fantastic, because they open the door for other people who might be able to get their foot in the door.”

Casey says that The Young Offenders’ success is due not only to the talent of its actors and the skills of its writers, but also to the unique character and beauty of Cork itself, which is a major draw.

“We’re telling a story all the time when we go away and say, ‘I’m from Cork’.

“Whether you are from Cork city or West Cork, there is a way of doing things.

“The world has become a very small place over the last couple of years, but we have a uniqueness and such a beautiful landscape.

“I hope people make more of an effort to embrace the industry, because it brings money into the city, it brings tourists into the city, and it’s fantastic.

“I remember the gasps when I went to the London Film Festival when The Young Offenders was shown originally and people saw how beautiful Cork is.”

The Young Offenders season five begins on RTÉ One TV on Saturday, April 4, and is available on the RTÉ Player.