Tullamore actor Darragh O'Toole.

Darragh's enjoying life on the dark side

He might be playing a drug addict languishing in Mountjoy for a murder he didn’t commit, but Tullamore actor Darragh O’Toole couldn’t be happier.

For the past two years Darragh’s character in the TV3 soap Red Rock, Conor Tyrell, has been involved in some of the grittiest storylines on Irish televison in years.

Despite his middle class background and garda mother, Conor’s descent into heroin addiction and most recently his framing and subsequent imprisonment for the murder of crooked policemen Brian McGonigle has not only kept Red Rock’s growing fanbase glued to their TV screens, it’s also marked Darragh (24) out as a young actor of substance.

Speaking to the Offaly Independent this week, Darragh, who only took up acting five years ago, said that he is enjoying life on the critically acclaimed show and the dark storylines that he regularly finds himself at the centre of.

One of his main motivations, he says, is to portray Conor as a three dimensional character.

“He is a good kid, who just got caught up in things. He wants to get off drugs, he doesn’t want to be stricken by addiction. He finds himself now in a predicament where he is accused of the murder of Brian McGonigle. It’s been a bad turn of events for the Tyrell family in general.

“I’m trying to get across that he does have a good heart. He’s an addict for a number of reasons and I hope that I’m getting that across.”

One of the reasons for Red Rock’s success with critics and audiences alike is the quality of the writing, Darragh believes. As a young actor he says that his development has been expedited due to working on the show.

“There is a very fast turnaround [with the scenes] often there are only two or three takes. It’s very fast and I remember when season one started some of the more seasoned actors said that it would my best experience ever working at this pace because everything else will seem like a luxury as I’ll have more rehearsal time, and space to discuss and talk about the script.”

While he is very happy in Red Rock, Darragh says that ultimately he would like to spread his professional wings and has his eyes set on the UK and US.

Earlier this year he secured his first lead in a feature film. Directed by Ger Walsh, South tells the story of Tom (played by Darragh) who is struggling with his father’s recent passing. After finding a photograph of his estranged mother, he decides to seek out the only family he has left.

The film has earned very positive reviews on festival circuit and the Tullamore native says that he is very happy with the end result. He will also be playing the lead in the short film Kubrick by Candlelight, which will be filmed in locations around Offaly shortly.

Scripted by Tullamore native David O’Reilly, Kubrick by Candlelight, is described as a light hearted comedy set behind the scenes during the production of the late director’s production of Barry Lyndon, filmed in the Midlands in the 1970s.