At The Mike Stand With... Donall O'Healai

By Mike Fitzpatrick

So there we were minding our own, and well, everybody else's business, when who, (or is that whom), should we bump into, but young Irish actor, Donall O'Healai.

The County Galway native, who grew up in the Irish-speaking community of Indreabhan, began acting as a teenager, playing the lead role of Jeaic Wallace, in the popular Irish television series, 'Aifric'.

Since then he's gone on to star in several more acclaimed Irish language dramas, as well as co-hosting a number of television shows in his native country (Ireland, weren't you paying attention?).

Having recently relocated to New York City, Donall's already set his sights on establishing himself as a part of the Big Apple's thriving drama scene, and also hopes to share his knowledge of Irish heritage, by helping Americans, young and old, learn the language through the mediums of theater and drama.

Clearly his is a name you'll be hearing again (sure we're always talking about him when he's not around; we're dreadfully gossipy round here, you see), Donall, despite his rather busy schedule, politely sat down to answer some frightfully nosey questions 'At The Mike Stand'.

What would you like your own tribute act to be called?
Westlife.

When's the last time you laughed out loud?
Watching a skit 'MTV Cribs' that my buddies did, priceless.

What act would you like to have seen perform live?
Bill Hicks.

What team(s) do you support?
Aston Villa, I don't know why any more, and of course Galway.

What period in history would you most like to have visited?
Around 500 BC Ireland, when Fionn MacCuil was knocking about.

What song would you most like to have written?
Vanilla Ice's 'Ice Ice Baby'. Lyrical genius

Who or what, would make you leave a room?
Smoothie farts... unless they're my own.

What decade rules (and why)?
The '60s, for the freedom.

What cover version do you most enjoy performing?
'Juicy' by Biggy Smalls.

What movie role would you like to have played/play?
Derek (Edward Norton) in 'American History X'.

Have you ever been told you looked like somebody?
Ryan Reynolds.

What's the first album you remember buying?
Christy Moore's 'Live at the Point'.

Who's your favorite Beatle?
John Lennon.

What's your favorite Christmas song?
Band Aid's 'Do they know it's Christmas'.

Who's the most rock and roll person who ever lived?
Dickie Rock.

What artist/song/genre do you secretly enjoy listening to?
Bruno Mars.

Who would you most like to meet/have met?
Nelson Mandela.

What book can you read again and again?
'Blink' by Malcolm Gladwell.

What's the greatest album ever recorded?
Bruce Sprinsteen's 'Born in the USA'.

What do few people know about you?
That I speak Irish on a daily basis.

What sitcom character can you most identify with?
Although it's technically a drama series, Johnny Drama from 'Entourage'.

What movie can you watch over and over again?
'Dazed and Confused'.

Who's your favorite cartoon character?
Peter Griffin ('The Family Guy').

What's the greatest place you've visited?
The day of the mart in Maam Cross in West County Galway.

What's mankind's most wonderful invention?
The iPhone.

What's mankind's most irritating invention?
Again, the iPhone.

Who's the funniest person who ever lived?
Dermot Morgan.

Who's your favorite namesake (person who shares your first name)?
I guess Donall O Conaill. Can't think of any other Donall's!

Who's your favorite character from literature?
Cu Chulainn and or Adrian Mole.