Dervla Kirwan
Dervla Kirwan (born 24 October 1971) is an Irish television and stage actress who has had roles in British television shows which included Ballykissangel and Goodnight Sweetheart among others. She also appeared in the Doctor Who Christmas special episode, "The Next Doctor" and provided the voiceovers for the "This is not just food" television advertising campaign for UK retailer Marks & Spencer.
Early life
Kirwan was born in Churchtown, Dublin, Ireland. Her father, Peter Kirwan, was an insurance broker, and her mother, Maureen O'Driscoll, was a language teacher. She is the youngest of three daughters. She attended Loreto Beaufort in Rathfarnham, Dublin, a Catholic school for girls, until the age of 16, when she was asked to leave as her career as an actress started to progress. Kirwan completed secondary school at the now-defunct non-denominational school Sandymount High School in Dublin.
Kirwan's paternal great-grandfather was a Polish Jewish immigrant who had married Kirwan's paternal great-grandmother, a Catholic, in Ireland. Kirwan is a great-granddaughter of Margaret Collins-O'Driscoll, who was a sister of Michael Collins, one of the Irish leaders during the Irish War of Independence. Kirwan's maternal grandfather Finian O'Driscoll was Michael Collins's nephew.
