Roisin Gallagher on parenthood, her Scottish connection, addiction, and joy at the return of her hit series The Dry

Scotland holds a special place in Belfast actor Roisin Gallagher’s heart. The Edinburgh theatre comes to mind, as does the vibe of Glasgow where she studied acting as an 18 year old living away from home for the first time.

But it’s the tranquil hills, babbling brooks and lush moorlands of The Pentlands which cause her eyes to really light up.

“It’s like medicine, going outside in the Pentland Hills like that,” she said, talking about strolling the 70 miles of routes and paths which criss-cross the areas. “Get into nature and as near trees as possible. I love walking with my family but I would get out and walk by myself every day if I could. Or me and the dog, Alfie.”

She may view nature as a remedy but there doesn’t seem to be much ailing Roisin, 37, at the moment.

The second series of her darkly hilarious comedy, The Dry, arrives on our screens this week. In it she plays Shiv Sheridan, a thirtysomething who returns to Dublin after years of hard working and hard partying in London.

#Sober

In the first series, Shiv is an alcoholic who is ready to quit, which proves difficult in Dublin. If Paris is a culture based around the cafe, then Dublin’s centres on the pub.

“I’ve spent a lot of time in Scotland and I don’t think we [Ireland and Scotland] are dissimilar,” she said.

“I remember family parties when I said I wouldn’t be having a drink, that meant I was on antibiotics or pregnant. There was no other possible reason for me to not be drinking.

“The research was more about understanding what it is to be recovering, that daily challenge.”

© Supplied

Although the show isn’t a brutal examination of addiction, and there are plenty of jokes about the topic, it does take alcoholism seriously.

Roisin was curious about what happens after an alcoholic goes through that initial phase of quitting.

“That’s exactly it, it’s not just about giving up, it’s about living the life, sober,” she said. “There’s that Instagrammable version of not drinking; you know #sober, #freshfaced. That’s not really for Shiv, and that’s not really what sobriety is for a lot of people.

“For a lot of people it’s about accepting your own feelings, and accepting yourself, with all your flaws.

“And Shiv has a really hard time, like a lot of addicts do.

“But she’s really willing, and she’s trying, although most of the time she’s not getting what she needs.

“And, as we see, when a romantic interest does come up, and somebody really loves her for who she is, and fully accepts her, she doesn’t know what to do with that. She’s never had that before.”

In recent years it seems younger people have turned away from the drinking culture synonymous with Scotland and Ireland in favour of other pursuits.

“In terms of my own life, I don’t go out and socialise the way I did when I was in my 20s,” Roisin said. “With younger people perhaps there are maybe other highs that are readily available, who knows? There are still people with addictive traits. But perhaps it’s not just about putting the bottle down, it’s about not just picking up something else.”

Scotland and parenthood

Roisin met her husband, Craig Hutchison, a Scottish electrician from Penicuik, while in theatre at Edinburgh, and the couple have two boys under five.

Parenthood, she has discovered, brings its own form of sobriety.

“Let’s just say a hangover and two children under the age of five isn’t really a good mix…” she added.

Instead, her days are spent walking with the kids.

“I love nature, and walking, and the boys do as well. So we obviously like The Pentland Hills being right behind Penicuik, and the John Clark Estate, it’s one of our favourite things to do,” she said.

“Whether it’s winter or autumn it’s such a beautiful, beautiful place. I find that people in that area are so incredibly friendly, and we love going to stay with Nana. It’s such a treat.”

Roisin views her time in Scotland as formative to not just her career but her life.

“That was a brilliant period of my life, I look back on it so fondly,” she said. “I love Scotland as a home from home. And we obviously, because of my family, have connections there now and we’re across quite often.

“I think the creative scene is incredible, particularly in Glasgow and Edinburgh, and feel like it has always been a very vibrant place to explore creatively for young artists.

“For me, it was my first experience of leaving home, at 18. “Glasgow was a stone’s throw away geographically from Belfast but that move was huge for me.

“I had a ball in Scotland and I hope to still go back and work there.”

As well as The Dry, Roisin has starred in The Fall, and Sky’s recent excellent comedy The Lovers. As a mum with two young children, though, she ponders whether she’s done anything they can watch.

“I don’t think I’ve done anything that would be particularly appropriate for them,” she added. “I did a short film called Just Jonny, which was about a boy who wanted to make his First Holy Communion in a dress. I thought, this one will be great for the kids, particularly my older boy.

“You know, he wasn’t a bit interested, nor was he impressed that I was in it. Ah well, there you go…”

For the second series of The Dry, Roisin is excited for people to catch up with Shiv.

“When we finished the last series, she was very exposed and vulnerable. In this series she’s sober, solvent and celibate,” said Roisin.

“We’re following Shiv in a world where she’s not using alcohol, she’s not causing chaos, she’s not chasing romantic relationships.

“She’s trying to stay grounded and not make her family cry, I guess. Hopefully the audience will be gunning for her. I’m delighted to stay with Shiv. I wasn’t quite ready to let her go. I knew that she had much more to say – I knew that the rest of the Sheridan family had so much more to say.”

First lead role

The first series of The Dry was Roisin’s first lead role in a TV series and she admitted to feeling nervous.

Happily, Ciaran Hinds, veteran actor and star of Game Of Thrones, Belfast, Justice League, Rome, and a hundred other roles, was on hand.

“I sat on my first day on The Dry, which was my first substantial role being the lead in a series. And I didn’t really feel like I had the experience.

“But I had people like Ciaran there. With him it feels like nothing is out of bounds in terms of advice or how he deals with certain aspects of the industry.

“You can ask him anything about the challenging things.

“Like what? Ciaran, how do you learn your lines…?” she jokes.

“How do you do all them faces…?” Ciaran is joined in this second series by his fellow Game Of Thrones star, Michael McElhatton.

“Seriously, Ciaran is one of the most gentle, kind, compassionate actors I’ve ever met, with a wealth of knowledge. And he’s incredibly humble about it all.

“There’s a sense of knowing and calm with these actors that is just so nice to…stand beside.

“It’s the same sort of feeling I get standing beside trees! They’ve been around for so long and they’re so calming…”

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The Dry series 2 will be available exclusively to watch online on ITVX from Thursday