Mullingar star wins at IFTAs
Mullingar’s double IFTA winner Niamh Algar hopes that her success shows local young people that they can succeed in the competitive world of acting if they believe in themselves.
Nominated for four gongs, the highest number of nominations in the history of the event, Niamh won the Best Actress In A Supporting Role in Film category for her performance in Calm With Horses, and the Best Actress In a Leading Role In A Drama for her role as Dinah in the The Virtues.
Speaking from the set of her latest project, the Channel 4 drama, My Name is Lizzie, Niamh said it was “unbelievable” to be nominated in four categories, especially given the calibre of the talent she was up against.
“To be surrounded by people that you really admire and whose work that inspires you, it’s huge,” she said.
Due to Covid-19, this year’s IFTA Awards was a virtual event. Niamh was filming up to shortly before her first live appearance on the IFTAs show to accept the award for Best Supporting Actress.
“I am on location in Reading. The production here made it really special. Ten minutes beforehand I was shooting a scene and had to run and get my hair done and clothes out and jump on a Zoom call. They set up the whole place, flowers, champagne and pizza. I had a live stream with my family at home.”
Since her breakthrough role in the film Without Name in 2017, Niamh has worked with some of the most respected faces in the world of TV and cinema, including the likes of Ridley Scott and Shane Meadows.
With a string of acclaimed roles behind her and a number of projects in the pipeline, Niamh says “10 years of hard work is beginning to pay off”.
“What’s more important is for your family to experience those rewards. I grew up in Mullingar and there was no kind of template of any actor that had gone on to work in this field.
"For my parents, it was a terrifying experience knowing that their daughter was off trying to pursue something that for them there was no example of from the town.
"We have Joe Dolan and we have The Blizzards, but there was no-one in the field of drama. I hope that this helps anyone in Mullingar and Westmeath who has dreams of going on to do it that it is achievable – you just need to have that drive and you just believe in yourself.”
Niamh spent the first three months of the pandemic in Mullingar, the longest period she has spent at home since she left school. She says that she especially enjoyed time with her nieces and nephews.
“We were forced to do nothing bar use our imaginations. What better way to do that than spend time with the youth? That’s where they thrive.”
Joking that the town’s musical wall on Dominick Street needs to become the dramatic arts wall, Niamh says her success is particularly special for her parents, David and Angela.
“Your family enjoy your success more than you do. At a time like this when everyone is getting bad news all the time, it’s nice to have good news.”
Niamh wasn’t the only Mullingar performer at the virtual IFTAs. The Blizzards debuted the video of their new single, One Good Thing, at the show. Recently shot on local lakes, the video was directed by the IFTA award winning film maker and Mullingar native Terry McMahon.