Éire go brách!

There are certainly more Irish born Star Wars actors in our beloved saga than I mention here but I will focus on these four:
Adrian Dunbar, Fionnula Flanagan, Bronagh Gallagher, Liam Neeson.

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Adrian Dunbar (unused Bail Antilles - TPM) was born on August 1, 1958 in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. Enniskillen is the County Town of Fermanagh, located in the very center of the County and is set on a natural island which separates the Upper and Lower parts of Lough Erne (the river Erne). This is part of the North East section of Ireland, the UK part of Ulster.

Dunbar was the eldest of seven children born to a construction foreman and his very first job was in an Abattoir (pork slaughterhouse) but he was also playing in a band in the evenings. His first gig, when he was all of sixteen, was playing a Fender Jazz Bass guitar for Elvis impersonator Frank Chisholm on the road with Frank's Elvis show. He attended St Josephs College for Catholics in Enniskillen.

Acting came by accident when he took a job as a lighting assistant at a local theatre. One of the actors in the production he was working on took ill and Dunbar replaced him for the performance. He decided to take up acting and headed for the Guildhall School of Music and Drama (this is also where other Star Wars alum studied acting: Peter Cushing, Carrie Fisher, Stephen Hoye, Ewan McGregor and Dominic West) which is located in London, England. Dunbar graduated in 1983.

He is married to Australian actress Anna Nygh and they have one child, a daughter named Madaleine.

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Fionnula Flanagan (Catherine Towani in The Ewok Adventures: Caravan of Courage) was born on December 10, 1941 in Dublin, Ireland. Dublin just below the Eastern most portion of Northern Ireland and it is the country's biggest metropolis.

Flanagan studied at Scoil Mhuire Marlborough Street, then Sandymount High School and then to Scoil Caitriona, Dominican College in her native Ireland but she also studied languages at the Universite de Fribourg in Switzerland. Her language studies landed her work as a translator in Italy.

Her training in drama took place at Dublin's prestigious Abbey Theatre, but by 1968 Flanagan decided to move to the US to pursue theatre work in New York City.

Since then she has become very well-known in the US and is a multi-award winning actress. She's received awards for her work from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films; a DramaLogue Award (Theatre); an Emmy; a Golden Satellite; LA Drama Critics Circle (Theatre) and a SF Critics' Award. She's been nominated for a SAG, a Tony (Theatre) and several other awards.

Flanagan splits her living time between her native Ireland and Los Angeles with her husband, a Los Angeles psychiatrist and addiction medicine specialist, Garrett O'Conner, since 1972.

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Bronagh Gallagher (Radiant VII Cruiser Captain Karol in TPM) was born in 1972 in Londonderry (Derry), in Northern Ireland. Londonderry, locally known as Derry (officially as Londonderry City), is located in to the north west of the eastern most part of Northern Ireland at the Foyle River.

Gallagher's introduction to performing came as a child while listening to the music, soul, country and blues, her parents played. She and her brother would dance while the music played. Her love for performing continued in school where she was involved with the school choir and the drama productions at Nazareth House Primary and ST. Mary's College in Creggan. It was these schools that nurtured her love for the performing arts and became catalysts for heading into professional acting. She joined the Oakgrove Theatre Company in Derry while going to school.

It was the film The Commitments which offered Gallagher her first true break, the popularity of this independent film was astounding and since then she's worked as an actress and a singer, first with Andy White - she played drums and vocals, then on her own touring. She still sings and has put out an album, Precious Soul, that has won wide acclaim. The idea for the album when she took a holiday to the US and traveled with her good friends across the country in a motor home.

Gallagher lives in her native Ireland.

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Liam Neeson (Qui-Gon Jinn - TPM) For this I send you directly to his page in the SWAD. He is one of the most famous Irish actors in recent history.


Go raibh maith agat (Thank you) agus
Sláinte! (Cheers!)
Leah

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