Kieran O'Reilly: Cop of the Pops

Catching up over coffee in Fallon & Byrne, Hot Press’ chat with Kieran O’Reilly is briefly interrupted by a ringing phone – a glance at the caller ID reveals it to be none other than the man behind Love/Hate, Stuart Carolan. Kieran apologises, and quickly turns the phone off, but still; why was the creator of the hit RTÉ series calling one of the show’s stars?

“Because he’s my mate!” he earnestly protests. “Honestly, he’s just ringing ‘cos we’re friends.”
To be fair, the exploits of the Dublin native probably means his phone is ringing off the hook. Along with a new album to discuss in his guise as frontman of Hail The Ghost, he’s also part of the Bow Street Academy for Screen Acting; busy doesn’t quite seem to cover it.
“People sometimes have a preconception that you have to be something in particular,” he shrugs, grinning broadly. “But I don’t want to confine myself to one thing.”
While active in music for over a decade, it was playing the role of Detective Ciarán Madden on Love/Hate that catapulted him into the national spotlight; something that occurred, he says, completely by accident.
“I was down in The Factory shooting a video for White McKenzie, the last band I was in. Maureen Hughes had her office down there; she’s the Love/Hate casting director, a really receptive, friendly, cool woman. I was intrigued by the show, because every episode was nearly like a movie. I said I’d love to come down; she said, ‘Well, come and read’. I was so worked up I walked for about two hours beforehand, and afterwards I was convinced I was shit. But they asked me back – I think Aaron Heffernan and I were up for the same role, but we both got in.”
Of course, the media feeding frenzy when a real-life undercover drugs cop became a TV one was wild. It prompted an investigation by then-Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan, though with Kieran still in the service (and completely cleared of any wrongdoing to boot) it’s not really a topic for discussion. Mind, if Kieran had it his way, the tabloid headlines wouldn’t have been half as dramatic anyway.
“I would have been more interested in the dentist role!” he laughs. “I thought there was something extraordinary about it. I didn’t know where his character would end up. I thought the interaction between the dentist, and his world, and the world of gangland crime was so colourful. I’d love to have done something that was a departure.”
Kieran admits that it’s only since the conclusion of the show that he’s fully wrapped his head around it.
“My first day on set, I had a fairly big scene with a fair bit of dialogue. We just hit the ground running, to the extent that there was no time to be intimidated. It was surreal. It didn’t register, because I had nothing else by way of a reference point; it wasn’t until afterwards that I thought, ‘Wow, that was massive.’”
Of course, there’s plenty of folk ready to remind him just how big it was, for fear it might slip his mind.
“People do recognise you, and you have to get used to them saying things – often at the most inopportune times, if you know what I mean! Thankfully, my involvement in the industry was with something so successful that the reaction is overwhelmingly positive.”
While the acting bug has well and truly bitten, it’s interesting to hear – especially for a towering bloke with a scary enough day job – that it’s in a different setting where the nerves kick in.
“Even though I have less experience, I’d be more comfortable in front of a camera rather than playing music on stage. I still feel awkward. I remember playing at a Battle Of The Bands contest years ago, where someone took footage on a camera phone; I saw myself spend half my time facing the drummer. That was me doing my best to be a frontman!”
Is that why Hail The Ghost are only breaking their live duck on April 2?
“I was hoping you wouldn’t pick up on that!” he smiles “Well, we are a three-piece, so to replicate it live we obviously needed to recruit a few people. But honestly? If I could put it off a little longer, I probably would!”
It’s just as well the date is set, because it’s high time the material made its way into the wider world. Alongside former White McKenzie colleagues Éamonn Young and Ian Corr, Kieran has written and produced a record that the likes of The National or Whipping Boy would be proud of – or, as our own Colm O’Hare commented, "Talk Talk fronted by the Bunnymen’s Ian McCullough".
Forsaken is simultaneously lush and stripped back, unafraid to swing from cinematic flourishes to pensive sparseness. It’s a labour of love for Kieran – who also assumed production duties – and one of which he’s understandably proud.
“I’m playing music that I’ve written very sincerely. While it’s great if people listen to it – I mean, I’m humbled if people listen to it, it’s nice to hear they've ve taken the time – I just want to do what I want to do. I can’t really say much if people can’t connect with it, or don’t like it.”
The creative process included something that, for a music lover, must have seemed like the worst restriction in the world; a musical diet.
“As a songwriter,” he explains, “you become influenced by what you encounter, and change as a result. Because the album was going to take time, and I wanted a cohesive sound – I wanted a correlation between the songs, no matter what the journey – I inserted these kind of boundaries for myself. I limited myself to 10 or 15 albums: The Antlers’ Hospice, Other Lives’ Tamer Animals, Elbow, Sigur Ros…”
Clearly he’s a bit of an obsessive – an artist for whom there are no half-measures.
“I wanted to be taken seriously – anything I do, I’m not doing it to fuck around. I have really high levels of expectation; I don’t need anyone to beat me up, I do that myself. I don’t need anyone to set a bar.”
Of course, that self-motivation also means keeping busy; there’s a new short film set for release soon. Little Bear is Kieran’s latest venture in front of the camera, one he’s eager to share.
“I’m apprehensive, but excited,” he enthuses. “I’m dying to see the finished product because of the amount of effort that went in to it. The performances were great, and the attention to detail amazing. The two guys who wrote and produced it – Daire Glynn and Ger Duffy – were assistant directors on Love/Hate.”
He's also in the teaser for the Battlefield Hardline video game, which can be perused on hotpress.com now. Which brings us back to that phone call earlier…
“Er… Are you asking what I think you’re asking? No, I don’t think so. As far as I know, Love/Hate is done; there will be no Love/Hate Series 6. Then again, Stuart Carolan is the only man that really knows; I won’t know until my phone rings.”
Like the call he didn’t answer 20 minutes ago? Did our relentless conversation just kill Love/Hate off for good?!
“Maybe, yeah!” he laughs. “Damn you, Hot Press!”