Live podcast with 'The Young Offenders' cast set for Cork Opera House

SHE may have been born in Galway, but actress Hilary Rose says Cork ‘raised’ her.

She found fame as beloved Cork mum Mairéad MacSweeney in the multi-award-winning show, The Young Offenders. Now, she’s particularly excited to bring an episode of her podcast Live Wild, featuring the entire cast of the show, to a live Cork audience later this month.

The live event, staged at the Opera House, will see Hilary in conversation with her fellow cast members. Together they’ll invite the audience to re-watch snippets of the show, filling us in on what was going on in the background, all the juicy bits that often end up on the cutting-room floor.

The idea for a live audience took root during the first season of her podcast when she interviewed the two young stars, Alex Murphy and Chris Walley, who play Conor and Jock in the show.

“I thought to myself then that it would be great if I got everyone involved. The seed was planted.

“When we started filming Season four, I saw the great chemistry we shared as a cast and I really wanted to distil it somehow. I’m delighted everyone is on board.

“I think it’s helpful that it’s for one night only because everyone could manage that commitment.”

The ebullient IFTA-nominated actress is confident that the cast will work brilliantly together on the night.

“We have done so many interviews that we know when to cue each other. There is so much content that we have all worked on over the last few years; it will be great to reflect on it in front of an audience.

“I watched every episode back in preparation. There’s certainly enough to talk about!”

Live Wild

“This podcast is really my passion project. It is all me, all my ideas, my creative nuances pulled together.

“I’m inspired by people who live wild and free, hence the title. These are people who live life to the beat of their own drum, in whatever field. They think outside the box and they live in a way that reflects their values.”

The podcast is certainly a treasure trove of authentic and unique voices, from regenerative farmers to DJs to comedians.

“It started as a blog that was born out of my love of nature. I take time in nature to reconnect and I have a much clearer mindset when I do.

“People kept on telling me that this blog would make a great podcast and so I went for it.

“I’m recording Season two at the moment and it is jam-packed with really exciting and positive problem-solving ways to live wild.

Podcasts are great in that they offer an audience something particular, and unlike mainstream news, you can tune into what you want to tune into.

Hilary is drawn to people who follow their own path, no matter what. She describes it as a response to a calling that comes from within.

She reflects on the twists and turns of her own unique story as we chat, her own calling.

“Initially, I saw myself as a dramatic actor but that mindset wasn’t really reflective of who I was at the time, so I had to think outside the box.

“I began to create comedy, and my own characters. There was a certain amount of entrepreneurialism involved. If something isn’t working, you have to try something else.”

She describes being in a ‘sweet spot’ in her creative life right now. One gets the sense that this live show is exactly what she wants to be doing. Audiences will undoubtedly benefit from her enthusiasm.

Pride

Hilary Rose is also hugely proud of The Young Offenders, created by her husband Peter Foote, just as she is proud of every cast member involved, and with good reason.

It has been hugely successful. The BBC, in association with RTÉ, recommissioned the hit comedy for a fourth season from producers Vico Films. The season, which recently wrapped filming, follows on from the hugely successful TV series and the box office smash feature film from 2016.

Series two and three, filmed back-to-back in 2019, proved massive draws for audiences, not only in Ireland and the UK, but across the world, and the show garnered critical acclaim for its sensitive yet hilarious story-telling and performances.

Hilary says although one can never predict the industry, they knew they had a good thing when they were working on it. They were very proud of it at the time and hoped it would do well. But the extent of the success blew them away.

“I still can’t believe it did better than Star Wars at Mahon Point cinema. It broke so many records and it was just incredible when the BBC commissioned us to do a series.

“Season four will air on BBC1 so audience numbers will go up even more. It’s wonderful to get that nod of approval.”

She is often stopped in the UK by fans.

“We often forget how big it is. There is such a huge fanbase over there. When it went on the BBC iPlayer it was number two behind Ru Paul’s Drag Race. That’s pretty huge really.”

Time to Reflect

Hilary is enjoying writing the live show, and is relishing the excuse to go back and watch their work again.

“When we were creating it, we had a young family. My husband is the writer so it was very full on. We maybe didn’t get much time to reflect on it.

I was pregnant with my son initially and he’s about to turn nine. It is really great to have the time now and to feel proud of that work years later.

She speaks warmly about her character, Mairéad.

“I think she is a one-of-a-kind character on TV. She is complex and has been handed down a situation that is very challenging. She is angry but she also has a massive ocean of softness underneath.

“She adores the boys and is trying to balance everything, much like many single mothers.”

Reunited

Relationships seem important for Hilary Rose, both on and off screen. Coming back together with the extended cast after the pandemic was a particular highlight for the actress.

“It really was so lovely to see everyone again. The two boys were so young in the beginning. Alex was only 16 when we started out. He was a kid. And Chris was 18. I am so proud of them and how they have handled it all.”

She is truly excited to share all of their favourite funny moments and the ups and downs of life on one of Ireland’s favourite TV shows with a Cork audience.

“There will also be a Q & A session with the audience. This isn’t that common but we plan to have a microphone in the audience so people can ask specific questions to members of the cast.

It is a show for everyone, whether they’re 12 years old or 80. Audience members, if they have seen the show, will know what they’re getting.

All 10 episodes of the Live Wild podcast hosted by Hilary Rose are now available online.

Tickets for the live event are now on sale on https://www.corkoperahouse.ie/