Very much so. Think I answer this in another one though.

In that case, being from Dublin, and having participated in a couple or riots around that time in connection with the hunger strikes (and I can tell you now, I really didn’t know enough about what was going on but it was a thrilling scenario for a young boy. Burning cars, baton charges, and home for tea by 6. But this was Dublin, and it was a novelty, for me anyway. Nothing like the reality of life 90 miles up the road in Belfast). I had eventually developed some kind of knowledge on the whole scene, but not nearly enough, so I did read a lot of books, etc. If you want a good general and level rundown on the history of strife in Ireland, read “The IRA,” by Tim Pat Coogan. I was put onto various people up north and went round the houses meeting people, asking questions obviously, or just listening. My character was fictional within a story populated by factual characters so it wasn’t a situation where you had to impersonate. The whole thing was very educational, there’s a pretty mad spirit up there in the North, how could it be any other way? There’s major progress being made politically in Northern Ireland in recent days – exciting times ahead, I hope.

Does that include wishing for a plane to crash into the theatre, or that you would get knocked down? Or murdered? All part of the thrill.

Ireland is/was a good place to grow up, especially when I was, cos it was exciting, and changing. The old days might have been a bit too repressed for me, I don’t know (despite having beautiful scenery to look at). I am proud of my heritage, etc. and you do soak up a lot of the place you come from. I’d try to never get carried away with the “aren’t we all great and isn’t everything great,” kind of carry on though. The Irish psyche is complex and everything isn’t great all the time. So, I’m glad to be from Ireland but I’ve been equally happy to live in and experience other places, and always will.

Well, you certainly want the attention if not the approval of the audience, cos they’re sitting right there, and it doesn’t feel good if they’re hating you. In fact, it’s better if you forget that they’re there. I suppose peers, friends, and family will hopefully be in that audience at some point so the same goes for them. The important thing is to have produced something you believe in and not to waver about even if people don’t go crazy for it. If you get a lot of good reviews from critics that gets people in, or people’s attention if you’re talking about film and TV. So I would care, but it’s not the most important thing.

I have set newspapers on fire in my time and all that, but a lot of times if everyone says something is rubbish or something is great, there’s something in that. I don’t think I’ve been too unfairly treated, generally. Sometimes you can have a less than perfect opening night (in theatre) and that’s just the way it goes. In New York, they stretch the press out over a number of nights, but then people go with whatever the NY Times says. As far as whatever they say about you personally and whether you read them or not, you roll with it. I’m not too bothered. It can be a bit embarrassing if they pick you out and go on about you, but it would be more embarrassing if that changed a single thing about you or what you were doing. Slaps in the face welcome from time to time too. I tend to be hard on myself, and I’ve been unsatisfied a lot. Not saying that’s a good trait, I don’t know, just the way it is.

Yes, there certainly is, and this will be the next time. “Blackout,” is due sometime late in the year I think. After that not sure yet, I’m currently working on Season 5 of “The Wire,” and it’ll probably be the last season, so let’s see what happens then. I don’t have a plan as such.

I don’t think that’s any big deal at all, just that I think I’d said that I preferred living on a street with neighbours and shops on the corner, etc. as opposed to a giant apartment complex. So I’ve been on this street for a couple of years when I’m in town and it’s great, saying “Hi” and borrowing screwdrivers and hustling in on other people’s WiFi networks, etc.

There sometimes are moments when I’m doing those kind of parts when I realize it’s all like totally to the manner born, and I’m not saying that’s good, or healthy even, but good for the gig. I’ve slept in graveyards and followed strangers around and stuff like that to get in the mood, but nothing too serious.

Did I? Oh yeah. I was at a few actually, including the party for “Crash,” on the night it won a Best Picture Oscar. But despite that, people are always trying to get to the next party, and who could blame them (I cashed my chips in at that point, not sure how much more blag I had in me).

I think if “The Hall,” happened, Carcetti would have still been in Season 4, but I’m not sure, well he would have had to have been really, for everything to make sense, seeing as that’s where Carcetti came from. Maybe they would have saved the bigger events for the separate series and just tracked him in Season 4, but that would have depended on scheduling, etc. and if they would have run parallel to each other or whatever. Obviously it would have been great to do, cos everything would have been totally fleshed out, as it was in Season 4, you’re getting the headlines, so to speak. I did alright in Season 4 anyway, considering there’s so many different storylines on the go at any time.

Yeah, it has not changed as much as I’d thought. Don’t get me wrong, it has changed a lot (physically, economically, socially, and culturally). The changes are so great that you have to try not to be blindsided by them. And I’ve never been away from Ireland that long but actually living in the city for a few months and walking around it every day was very healthy for me, cos it all came back together, what a great place Dublin is. The character has changed a bit, but not too much.

Hadn’t read it before, or seen it. It looked like a great character in a great play, so that always fits the bill, and here was someone who was funny, optimistic, smart (well, maybe not incredibly smart), and about to be kicked in the teeth again. Thought I could get in there and do something.

Hmm. I walk around a lot, but I live near Fells Point, so that’s kind of where I usually start off. Get a coffee there at the Daily Grind, maybe walk around the waterfront to Federal Hill. I’d recommend just driving anywhere and everywhere if you’ve got a car though. There are some pretty broken down areas and you’ll find stray into affluence or poverty depending on which turn you take. The Charles Theatre is the cinema I go to mostly (that, The Senator, and The Rotunda show the better films) and there’s a good tapas place there or the Club Charles is a good bar across the road. Music is good at Ottobar or Sonar for indie/rock/club type of stuff or if you’re into jazz there are good places too like The New Haven. Hampden is worth checking out too, a couple of miles north of downtown, 36th Street has plenty of activity, not too hectic, but pleasant. Some good galleries too. Museum of Visionary Art has some good stuff, Outsider Art. Time of year for swimming in the woods too. Well, in rivers in the woods. You know what I mean, something I’m exploring myself at the moment.

I liked “Jesus’ Son” (the book) by Denis Johnson, it has been around for ages but I hadn’t read it. Hard to say with albums, but “Harrowdown Hill,” off Thom Yorkes album, “The Eraser,” might be my favourite song of the last year. Films. Liked, “The Lives of Others,” and thought “Children of Men,” was pretty good. Saw, “The Return,” on DVD, which I really liked.

Last time I auditioned for a play was in 1995, so anything I do now, I get offered. The more you’re known, the more likely it is for people to ask you to do things. I never got many roles from auditions anyway. If there’s something good going down, I’ll chase it up.

I don’t feel unease during the play, I’ve never been that great with curtain calls though, you’re right. It feels like someone’s just ripped your clothes off or something and you’re standing there like a fool. Goes against the whole convention you’ve just been playing by…audiences want it, and I’ve done a play which had no curtain call and that felt weird too, so I don’t know the best way out of that one. I don’t feel obliged to perform during a curtain call though, and if I look wretched, so be it.