Hiraeth: Yearning for Home? With Michael Smiley and Miranda Sawyer
Hiraeth: (n) a homesickness for a home to which you cannot return, a
home which maybe never was; the nostalgia, the yearning, the grief for lost
places of your past
Michael Smiley is a Northern Irish actor who has come a long
way since his days as a stand-up comedian in Belfast. His extensive
filmography includes performances in Rogue
One, Censor, Perfume: The Story of
a Murderer, The Other Boleyn Girl
and The Lobster. Michael is perhaps
best known for his acclaimed performance as Gal in Ben Wheatley’s Kill List (for which he won Best
Supporting Actor award at the 2010 British Independent Film Awards)
and has previously appeared in three more of Ben Wheatley's films; Down Terrace, A Field in England and Free
Fire.
He came to prominence playing Tyres O’Flaherty in cult show Spaced and his television credits
include Luther, Black Mirror, Ripper Street,
Bloodlands, Utopia and Doctor Who.
As well as acting, Michael has written and presented
two series for BBC Northern Ireland ― Something To Ride Home About ― focusing on his love of
cycling, and he has recently written, directed and produced his first short
film, La Petite Mort, which premiered
at the Galway Film Fleadh. He is currently completing his first screenplay.
Michael is married to Miranda Sawyer, the acclaimed, award-winning
writer and journalist. Miranda
is the author of two books, Park and Ride
and Out of Time and she hosts the
film and music show Sound & Vision
for BBC 6Music.
They have been together for over twenty years and we are
delighted to welcome them both to HomePlace where they will be chatting about
the idea of ‘hiraeth’ and the notion of home, Michael’s love of Seamus Heaney
and his long and varied career.
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