Filmmaker with links to Tipperary directs episode of top British TV show

Last Sunday's 8pm episode of Call the Midwife on BBC one was directed by a woman with links to Tipperary.

Jo Southwell (previously Kelly) is a second generation Irish woman, now living in Henley on Thames. Her mother is from Templederry, Nenagh.

Joanna spent the beginning of her career teaching in Teach an Leinn, Nenagh, St Marys, Newport and various schools in Dublin.

Her professional acting career took off whilst in Ireland, where she took small roles in film productions and was involved with Centre Stage in Limerick (Richie Ryan) . She returned to the UK to further her acting career and has signed to Julie Fox Associates.

Jo is now an experienced voice over artist, radio presenter and tv / film actress. She had a role in The Vagina Monologues by Eve Ensler.

Stars of Fair City and Red Rock were among the cast of a new feature film by film director/writer Jo Southwell, which was screened for film and television producers at the Cannes Film Festival (under the Richard Harris Film Festival event at Cannes) .

Actors, India Mullen(Red Rock and Sean Doyle (Callum in Fair City featured in the film Deirdre of the Sorrows, which was also screened as part of the Newport Beach Film Festival in Orange County in the United States.

Ms Southwell, acted in Fair City with her sister, and also acted alongside Pierce Brosnan.

One ofthe stars of the Call The Midwife Jenny Fennessy, attended the launch of Thurles writer Tom Ryan's book The Cuppa Sugar Days warm hearted Tales of a Newspaperman-in Anner Hotel Thurles with her husband Dylan Kennedy, who is part of the Red'nBlue Theatre Company.