This much I know: Deirdre Donnelly, actor

I was hell bent on acting, even though my parents were worried about my career choice.

My father was a bus driver, but he had a very dramatic turn of phrase. He took us to the pantomime at The Royal every Christmas and that might have planted the seed. My interest in acting began in earnest in my teens, when I got involved with musical and dramatic societies.

When I was 17 I went to the Brendan Smith Academy of Acting. My sister Terry also became an actress. We were both in The Abbey School of Acting for two years, she was one year above me. We were a bit competitive, there was a slight edge. But luckily we didn’t look that alike and I was taller than she was.