Maria Doyle Kennedy joins the Outlander cast

Maria Doyle Kennedy has bagged a starring role in Outlander, the hugely successful time-travelling US romantic drama, which has made a global superstar out of former Monaghan model – and Hot Press fan! – Caitriona Balfe.
Maria, whose own acting CV includes Orphan Black, Titanic, Downton Abbey, Dexter and The Tudors, will play Jocasta, the auntie of male lead, Jamie.
Season Four of the yarn, which is based on Diana Gabaldon’s eight-book Outlander series, commenced this week in Scotland.
On the musical front, Maria has just released her new self-titled album, which will be reviewed in the next issue of Hot Press.
“Mostly the songs come from my efforts to explain the world to myself, a thing I sometimes find difficult or confusing,” she says of the collection. “I don't worry when I'm singing, more than that, I don't think when I'm singing, I just sing. I trust the songs. They make things clearer for me.”