In Pictures: A convivial evening in conversation with actor Sean McGinley

The ever humble Sean McGinley delighted his hometown audience with his wit, warmth and reflections in a special event held to mark the launch of the Allingham Arts Festival. Siobhan McGowan captured the evening in pictures.

Wednesday evening’s event in the Abbey Arts Centre was in the form of an ‘in conversation with’ interview, hosted by Sean’s friend Michael McMullin.

Though known as a Ballyshannon man, those gathered heard that Sean was born in Pettigo.

He spoke about his early years in the border town, moving to Ballyshannon and going to school in Rossinver where his mother was the sole teacher, to playing football for De La Salle.

It was local piper Billy Finn who suggested he go to UCG as he felt Galway would be a good fit for the young man who had a great interest in music. This decision would prove to be pivotal in many aspects of Sean’s life.

It was while in UCG that he accompanied a friend to an audition for a play, deciding himself  to also audition, Sean got the part, and the rest is history.

He was spotted by Marie Mullen who stopped him in the street shortly after the play was staged and invited him to audition for the Druid Theatre Company, then in its infancy. 

Sean went on to have a fantastic career on stage and screen, and his relationship with Marie blossomed. The couple married and have two children.

The Allingham Arts Festival launch was brought forward due to the fact that Sean is off to the US to take up the role of Hugh in an off-Broadway production of Brian Friel’s Translations.