10 Irish TV actors to keep an eye on in 2014

If there's one thing us Irish are known for it's our charm so is it any wonder that our actors make TV waves around the world?

2013's been another great year for our most beloved exports and, from the sounds of it, things can only get better in 2014. Here are 10 Irish TV actors worth keeping an eye out for over the next 12 months.

1. Andrew Scott
He scooped both a BAFTA and an IFTA for his work on Sherlock at the start of the year and even though he claims he won't be back for more with Cumberbatch, we defintiely haven't seen the last of Andrew Scott just yet. After a particularly funny starring turn in Channel 4's dates and a very strong performance in spy drama Legacy, we're expecting big things from this Dubliner in 2014. Sure isn't he filming Frankenstein at the moment, apparently.

2. Tom Vaughan-Lawlor
Is there nothing this lad can't do? Tom Vaughan Lawlor's been knocking about the acting world for quite a while but when he stepped into Nigel 'Nidge' Delaney's shoes a TV star was born. Lawlor nabbed an IFTA at the start of the year before going on to give a powerhouse of a performance on stage in Howie The Rookie. Keep an eye out for him in new TV miniseries Citizen Charlie, in which he plays Charlie Haugher's political advisor P.J. Mara.

3. Charlie Murphy
Another Love/Hate IFTA winner, Charlie Murphy has been a busy gal over the past 12 months. Not content with giving one of the strongest female performances in Love/Hate Season 4, the actress also headed across the water for a plum role in BBC One's wartime drama The Village, made an appearance in good old Ripper Street, and popped up in Steve Coogan's wonderful film Philomena. See if you can spot her alongside Gabriel Byrne in Quirke in 2014.

4. Allen Leech
From brazen bit part chauffer to Branson to deputy Lord of the manor, Allen Leech took centre stage on Downton Abbey this year. The Irish actor's career seems to be going from strenght to strength as Downton takes America by storm and with a big Christmas Special still to come we're guessing we'll be seeing lots more of him on the telly too. Oh, and did we mention he's got a rather big movie in the pipeline? Catch him alongside Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley and Charles Dance next year.

5. Kerry Condon
One of her earliest acting jobs was on Ballykissangel and she went on to become quite the enchanting Octvavia in HBO's Rome so it's no surprise that the wonderful Kerry Condon has been poppping up on our TV screens again this year. This Irish lass brought a touch o the Emerald Isle to The Walking Dead this year so who knows when or where she's going to pop up next, eh?

6. Colin O'Donoghue
Now here's a young man who hit us like a bolt from the blue. Colin O'Donoghue may look familiar and that's because he once played Amy Hubermann's fella on the telly. Yep, he's that young lad from The Clinic who was in love with pretty receptionist Daisy and my has he gone through quite the transformation. The Irish lad took on the role of Captain Hook in ABC's Once Upon A Time in 2012 and his popularity has skyrocketed among the show's fans since then. We're sure we haven't seen the last of him.

7. Sarah Bolger
Well, the little girl from In America and The Tudors has definitely grown up, eh? Sarah Bolger's become something of a star in the ascendant Stateside since she took on the role of Sleeping Beauty in ABC's Once Upon A Time. We said it in 2002 and we'll say it again in 2013 - this young lady's going places.

8. Jamie Dornan
Funnily enough this fella also had a role in Once Upon A Time but it was RTE and BBC's The Fall that really brought Mr Dornan to the world's attention. The Hollywood (Northern Ireland) hunk is Hollywood (Los Angeles) bound in 2014, to take on the role of the infamous Christian Grey. Needless to say you'll be seeing A LOT more of him in 2014.

9. Ruth Negga
It's been a bumper year for Love Is The Drug and Love/Hate star Ruth with roles on both the big and small screen in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D and World War Z. Things certainly don't look set to slow down for her any time soon either as she's currently working on HBO's The Money, a rather fancy TV pilot featuring Ray Liotta, Andrea Riseborough, and our very own Brendan Gleeson. We have a feeling Love/Hate's Rosie has a bright future ahead of her.

10. Chris O'Dowd
Ok so he's more of an all rounder at this stage but Chris O'Dowd is never far from a telly now , is he? Between Moone Boy, The IT Crowd finale, Girls and Family Tree he was quite busy in 2013. There's much more to come from Chris over the next year or so, with a fair few movies (including a Lance Armstrong biopic) on the cards and the long anticipated return of Moone Boy to our TV screens. T'is a long way from The Clinic's Brendan this fella has come.