From Donegal to Hawkins: Irish actress Amybeth McNulty on her role in Stranger Things

McNulty's life was changed with a casting call from Canada that eventually led to a role in the hugely-popular Netflix series, writes Esther McCarthy

Thu, 22 Jan, 2026 - 21:00

When Amybeth McNulty was 14, she was cast in a series that would transform her life. The Donegal teenager landed the lead role in Anne with an E, leading to her moving from the small town of Milford to the bright lights of Toronto. The series, loosely based on the classic Anne of Green Gables, turned out to be a fan favourite and drew wide global audiences over the course of its three-season run.

“I was 14, and I was flown out to Canada, and I'd never been there before,” she recalls. “All of a sudden I'm living six months of my life in Toronto, in a very busy, multicultural city, and going back to Milford and hanging out on a farm with my sheep as an only child in this very separate, wild, away-from-the-world place.”