Athlone actor joins star-studded cast of new RTÉ drama
By David Flynn
Coosan native Clodagh Kate Moriarty has reached another important milestone in her acting career with a role in RTE’s new crime drama, The Galway Bay Murders.
The series is set against the dramatic landscape of Connemara and has brought together an impressive cast, including Kate Mulgrew, (star of TV’s Orange is the New Black and Star Trek: Voyager), Colm Meaney (from ‘The Snapper’ and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) and actor John Connors (from ‘Cardboard Gangsters’ and Love/Hate).
Clodagh Kate plays the character Natalie Ward in the series which deals with an experienced New York detective Nora Savage, played by Kate Mulgrew, who takes a career break following a traumatic incident and returns to her family home in Galway through an exchange programme with An Garda Siochana.
Clodagh Kate had auditioned for the role through an open casting process and immediately connected with the material when she received the script.
She was particularly pleased to have the opportunity to work alongside Kate Mulgrew.
“She is just a really lovely person, and she gave me career advice while I had some genuine chats with her,” she said.
Clodagh Kate was equally enthusiastic about working with John Connors.
Recalling an important scene they shared, she said they immediately developed a genuine friendship. “John came over and we were talking through the script - we just had such a genuine friendship from the get-go. He’s such a joy to work with, so kind and just a really genuine person,” said Clodagh Kate.
The Athlone actress spoke warmly about the entire cast and production team, describing the people involved as being at the heart of what made the experience so special.
The experience reached another memorable moment when she attended the screening at Galway’s Palas Cinema.
“It was just so amazing to sit down with everybody and see it all come together,” she said. “I’m so proud.”
While The Galway Bay Murders represents a significant new chapter, Clodagh Kate has been building her acting experience for a number of years.
When the Westmeath Independent first interviewed her in 2018, she was already making the transition from a background in music and broadcasting into screen acting.
Her first television experience came with the American science-fiction series Krypton, filmed in Belfast, where she appeared in the pilot and subsequent episodes.
She subsequently worked on RTE’s Fair City and Can’t Cope, Won’t Cope, as well as appearing in the television movie Royally Ever After, alongside veteran Irish stage and screen star Barry McGovern.
She has also featured in advertising campaigns, including a prominent Woodie’s commercial. Among the productions she particularly remembers is her lead role as Queen Matilda in a tv miniseries, The Last Journey of the Vikings. She also appeared in Channel 5’s The Au Pair, alongside David Suchet (from the Hercule Poirot series).
Her work has also extended into voiceovers.
Clodagh completing an Acting for Camera course at the Gaiety Theatre in 2018 before undertaking acting studies at LAMDA in London in 2022.
Clodagh Kate is the daughter of Cyril Moriarty and the late Marguerite (nee O’Donoghue) and she sang and played guitar from a young age and became known internationally through her YouTube channel, ZanyClo, which attracted millions of views. Her musical achievements included having one of her Beyoncé cover videos selected to play at the beginning of the 2010 Grammy Awards.
She also studied English and Music Performance at Brunel University in London.
As for her acting ambitions, she is happy to see where the right scripts take her, rather than necessarily pursuing one particular type of production.
“It’s more about loving the story and wanting to connect that with the audience and hoping you can deliver it in a truthful way,” she explained. “I’ve been able to do that with many of my roles including in The Galway Bay Murders.”