Moe Dunford on death, Irishness, and why The Dry is his dream role

The moving comedy-drama centres on 35-year-old Shiv Sheridan who returns to Ireland

Moe Dunford of RTÉ drama series 'The Dry'. Picture: Andres Poveda Photography

Upcoming comedy-drama series, The Dry sees actor Moe Dunford take on a new type of role which the Waterford man says he has been longing for since graduating from acting school.

Written by Nancy Harris, and starring Roisin Gallagher, Moe Dunford, and Oscar-nominee Ciaran Hinds, the comedy-drama series tells a tale of familial values as Shiv Sheridan returns home to Ireland.

“She comes back from being years away in London and she is on the dry and she is trying to stay away from the sauce but she’s going back to move in with her family and it is not very easy,” explains Moe Dunford, who plays her ex-boyfriend.

The actor, who is also known for his role in Vikings, says he “loved” working on the show and the opportunity to be in a comedy-drama series.

“What I honestly love about the show is that everybody has their own stuff going on, they’re all trying to hide something. Us Irish, we’re great at covering things up, talking around the bush.

“Shiv is trying to stay away from hitting the bottle because of all of this Irishness; the secrets that the family hide and the shame. I think Irish audiences will relate to it really but it’s a comedy as well. In the first episode, there’s a wake, there’s a funeral but somehow comedy comes from it.” 

Pictured at the RTÉ New Season Launch in the RDS Dublin Rioghnach Ní Ghrioghair (Storyland), Maria Oxley Boardman (Fair City), Kerr Logan (North Sea Connection), Moe Dunford (The Dry), (front) Clare Dunne (Kin), Susan Stanley (SisterS), Ryan Tubridy, Seamus (RTÉ Junior) Dervla Kirwan (Smother) and Gemma Leah Devereux (Smother). Picture: Andres Poveda Photography

As an actor, being out of work can be “rough” but it’s also a good escape when you do get a job, says Dunford.

“I got to go on adventures and star in American movies throughout the pandemic at a time when if I hadn’t got the job, I probably would have been twiddling my thumbs, so I was grateful for it. It’s sort of a job where you have to make the most of it when you get it.

“The Dry was just the exact sort of job I wanted to do all along, since graduating. The story, Paddy [Breathnach, the director], Nancy Harris. It’s just a great collaboration.” 

Shot in Dublin, The Dry is filled with dark comedy, but the eight-part series follows issues we can all relate to as Shiv navigates returning home and the emotions that come with being around family.

“We were shooting at a time when we were all told we couldn’t connect, the pubs had just opened in Dublin, we were shooting on the streets. There was a big vibe off the people like the extras and the people in the background that Dublin was reopening — it was fun. It was a different character to play.” 

And even in the midst of more intense scenes, the cast still managed to find some comic relief, in keeping with the concept of the show.

“We had a funeral scene and the actress playing the deceased... she fell asleep in the coffin and there was a wake around her — all the actors— the biggest cast of the day and she started snoring and that was actually, in a weird way, death was giving us all a giggle and energy and life.”

The Dry will air on RTÉ One later this autumn