When Hollywood meets Letterkenny! Saoirse, dad Paul and new friends from Donegal!
A group of young Donegal actors were left star-struck when Hollywood star Saoirse Ronan paid them a surprise visit.
Teenagers at the An Grianan Youth Theatre in Letterkenny were literally left speechless when The Lonely Bones star dropped by.
Saoirse was accompanied by her dad and agent Paul Ronan.
Paul is friendly with An Grianan Youth Theatre Co-ordinator Ronan Carr who arranged the shock visit.
And instead of just visiting the young actors and signing autographs, Saoirse and Paul delivered a workshop for the delighted students.
Daithi Ramsay of An Grainan Theatre said it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the young stage students.
And he had nothing but praise for the young Dublin starlet’s approach to her fellow actors.
“She was so down-to-earth and just got stuck in with the rest of the students.
“She passed on some great information including how to approach a script and Paul was just so helpful.
Saoirse gets a birthday cake from Patricia Toye from Patti Cakes
“There was no airs or graces with them and everyone got on so well with them because they took the time to help everyone,” he said.
But although Saoirse may have shocked the young acting students, they managed to get their own revenge.
The group learned that Saoirse turned 19 today and presented the slightly-embarrassed star with a cake for the occasion.
“It was the perfect end to a perfect day and we are so indebted to both Saoirse and Paul and to Ronan for organising the visit,” added Daithi.
Saoirse helped put the group through their paces for their upcoming showcases on Wednesday, 15th May which will include An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge and Johnny Baluba Teenage Detective by Ronan Carr. The Youth Theatre is run by An Grianán Theatre and is affiliated to the National Association for Youth Drama.
Saoirse told the students she would love to return for the youth theatre’s end-of-year drama presentation but may have to film instead.