Originally Published: 2005-03-27

With one of Ireland's most recognizable faces, Colm Meaney has become as famous on these shores as he is at home. Playing O'Brien on Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and the dad in The Commitments, The Snapper and The Van, the 51-year-old actor has had his pick of the crop when it comes to Irish movie fare, and his taste has been impeccable.
His latest venture, John Irvin's The Boys & Girl From County Clare, sees Meaney as Jimmy McMahon and Bernard Hill as his brother, both fiddlers who haven't spoken in 20 years. They bring their Ceili bands to a music contest in a small Irish town in the early '70s to settle a grudge match. Hill's top fiddler (Andrea Corr) falls for one of Meaney's musicians. The love story unfolds amid Irish music, dancing, drinking and hilarious one-liners.
Tandem talked to Colm Meaney when he was in Toronto.

You worked with Andrea Corr in The Commitments, where you played her father. What was it like working with her again?
"I'm very proud of her-she's developed beautifully as an actress. She's such a great girl, I was trying to get her to be a bit of a bitch in this, pushing her to be a pop star. But she's such a sweet girl."

My understanding is John Irvin originally cast you in Bernard Hill's role, but you insisted on playing Jimmy.
"I felt like John Joe was the kind of thing that I'd done before. It was kind of a nice guy and I was intrigued by Jimmy, because I just felt he's so brash and shallow and an idiot in many ways, and I thought 'That's something I haven't really done.' And when we found Bernard to take my original part, I thought that was great. Obviously, with brothers you've got to match them. I've got three brothers, and I think relationships between siblings are very interesting and not examined very much in film."

The film is a celebration of Irish music, in particular Ceili bands. How would you explain the music to newcomers?
"It's a dance band. There are no vocals, ever. You have fiddle, accordion, flute, drums. And each tune they play is for a specific dance, and everyone knows all the steps. I wasn't into it when I was a kid, but I was aware of it. My dad was a big Ceili fan. But we were city boys, and the music was more popular in the country."

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