With the likes of Michael Fassbender, Colin Farrell and Saoirse Ronan to call our own, Irish actors have consistently impressed the nation and world.

In the past couple of years, a handful of young Irish actors have been on the rise too.

Here are six that you need to know because mark our words, they're going to be big.

 

Barry Keoghan

This name is likely the most familiar to you. In case you need a reminder though, Barry Keoghan first came to the national attention for his role in 'Love/Hate.' After that, he starred in such films as 'Trespass Against Us' and 'The Killing of a Sacred Deer.' In 2017, he featured on industry bible Variety's annual 10 Actors To Watch list. Last year he starred in 'American Animals' while his most notable role to date has been in Christopher Nolan's war epic 'Dunkirk'. Keoghan's upcoming projects include the TV show 'Y', adapted from a comics series, and the film 'Calm With Horses'.

 

 

Jessie Buckley

Another name coming up in the film and TV industry is Jessie Buckley. In fact, both Buckley and Keoghan were nominated for this year's Rising Star BAFTA award. Jessie Buckley stars in the forthcoming 'Wild Rose' and we reckon she's going to be huge after that. The actress also earned high praise for her performance in indie movie 'Beast' last year. In recent years, Buckley has starred in such TV series as 'The Last Post',  Tom Hardy starrer 'Taboo' and 'War & Peace' with Lily James. She has four feature films currently in production.

 

Seána Kerslake

Seána Kerslake's breakout film was 'Dollhouse' back in 2012 and in more recent years, she has come to prominent national attention by starring in such Irish films as 'A Date for Mad Mary' and 'Dublin Oldschool'. She is the lead in hit RTÉ series 'Can't Cope Won't Cope', about two twenty-something friends who share a house in Dublin and love to party. Kerslake stars in horror film 'The Hole in the Ground', which is in cinemas now.

 

Patrick Gibson

After getting his first feature film role in Lenny Abrahamson's 'What Richard Did', Gibson continued to pursue acting, notably in BBC war series 'The Passing Bells'. His biggest gig has been Netflix series 'The OA'. Since then, he has continued to star in both TV series and films, the biggest of which is probably YA sci-fi flick 'The Darkest Minds', from the last couple of years. Season two of 'The OA' is, according to Netflix, going ahead and here's hoping we'll see the return of his character. If not, we'll next see Gibson in 'Tolkien', based on the life of the 'Lord of the Rings' author.

 

Fionn O'Shea

Fionn O'Shea's first big leading role was in John Butler's charming, 'Dead Poets Society'-esque 'Handsome Devil'. Before that though, he starred as a kid in the Oscar-nominated short 'New Boy', lent his voice to the hit Irish animated series 'Roy' and starred in 'The Siege of Jabotville' opposite Jamie Dornan. In 2018,  he also starred in the TV mini-series 'Innocent' and 'Hang Ups'. O'Shea will next be seen on the big in war film 'The Aftermath', which stars Keira Knightley, Alexander Skarsgard and Jason Clarke.

 

Gavin Drea

Like Gibson, Gavin Drea also starred in 'What Richard Did' and like Keoghan, he also had a role on the series 'Love/Hate'. In more recent years, the actor has had roles in such films as sci fi epic 'Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets' and TV series 'The Alienist'. This year, he played Michael Collins in the RTÉ period drama 'Resistance'. Drea next stars in a film called 'Sweetness in the Belly' with a cast that includes Dakota Fanning, Kunal Nayyar from 'The Big Bang Theory' and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Manta in 'Aquaman').