Some of them have been knocking around for a while; some of them are brand new. We expect big things of all of them in the new decade. Louise Finn, Neil Brennan & Bridget Hourican meet ten talented Irish people who deserve to be household names in 2010
Alan Taylor
Fashion Designer
Sure, there’s the hair. Sure, there’s the clothes. Sure, there’s the confidence of a 22-year-old who’s already racked up 14 months’ work with designers like Alexander McQueen and modelled for Hedi Slimane. But here’s the thing about Alan Taylor – he’s got a top-notch handshake. “Since the first time I was told to get my elbows off the table, my family let me know how important it was to have good manners and a good handshake,” says the Balinteer boy.
We may be jumping the gun a bit by declaring 2010 the year for Alan since, Christ, he only graduates from NCAD in the summer – but we’re fond of saying “We told you so,” and aim to do plenty of that with Alan in the future.
The seeds of his design future started when he was just a young skater boy doing woodwork and construction studies in school. “I love the making of something, seeing how it all comes together. I didn’t know anything about fashion when I started in NCAD – but my tutor told me that was refreshing!”
After graduation he’ll move to New York – “I love Dublin but there’s just not the kind of jobs here I want” – but for the moment, he’s getting his foot in as many doors as possible, with his sideline gigs in modelling and club promotion. “The experience I’ve got so far is from going out and talking to people, so when I go to New York I’ll just start knocking on doors.” Good thing he’s got that handshake. Alan is on the decks in Crawdaddy every Tuesday night for CU Next Tuesday. pod.ie
Luke O’Neill
Scientist
“Some people call me the car mechanic of the immune system, because I lift up the bonnet and see what’s in there.” This car mechanic won the Boyle Medal for Scientific Excellence, was Science Foundation Ireland’s inaugural Researcher of the Year and discovered a protein that could help create more effective vaccines for AIDS and Malaria. And that was just in 2009. Professor Luke O’Neill is not a household name and he’s modest about the recognition he’s received so far – “to get the two awards was pretty wild!” – but his work in the field of biochemistry could change the lives of millions.
In 2010 his company Opsona Therapeutics begins human testing of a new anti-inflammatory drug they have developed. “We’re going to test it first on kidney-transplant patients. It could help more kidneys become available.” He continues, “it could also work after a heart attack when the heart becomes inflamed.”
Further work with TAG, the protein his lab discovered this year, is another one of Luke’s priorities. “Our big challenge is to develop vaccines for malaria, HIV or TB. If we can dampen the immune system down, a vaccine might work more effectively. Next year we’re going to test that.”
He maintains that “everyone’s a scientist” – a credo that explains his involvement with the Science Gallery. He’s co-curator of their next exhibition, Love Lab, which will launch on Valentine’s Day. “It’ll be a place to come and find your ideal mate, using science.”
As far as the future goes, Luke sees endless possibilities. “We’re just beginning.You never know what might turn up...” sciencegallery.ie
Sarah Bolger
Actress
Did she always want to be an actress? There’s not even a pause for breath. “I really did. I started acting when I was six. It’s completely contagious.” This former child star, now 18 – you’ll remember Sarah and her sister Emma from Jim Sheridan’s In America – has taken the rigours of the profession in her stride. “You have to grow up very quickly. You go onto a film set and you can’t be childlike.”
Her biggest achievement of 2009 was far from the bright lights though. “The Leaving Cert. It was a difficult thing to do.” Coming a close second was a Shooting Star Award from the Berlin Film Festival: “That was incredible.”
After her roles in teen smashes The Spiderwick Chronicles and Stormbreaker, Sarah donned a corset for the most recent series of The Tudors. Clearly she enjoyed the role of ‘Bloody’ Mary Tudor, daughter of Henry VIII, who she describes as “very dark and deep and somewhat evil.” When we try to get a few nuggets about series four, we’re rebuffed with an emphatic, “Absolutely not!” Sarah’s equally mysterious about her other upcoming roles in 2010, but there’s one she sounds thrilled about. All she’ll say right now is, “Yes it’s an American project.” Hmmm...
And although a move to LA could be in the pipeline, Sarah is sure of one thing. “My home is always going to be in Dublin. I couldn’t imagine being away from home for too long.”
David Kearney
Rugby
The first mention of David Kearney’s name in the national press came when he was barely 15, with the Irish Times reporting that he did “marvellously well” playing for Clongowes in a schools rugby match. Since then the glowing reports have only gained momentum as Kearney worked his way through the ranks, recently earning his first Magners League start for Leinster.
“It’s all about gaining experience,” he tells us. “You just have to keep developing, taking it on yourself to improve your skills. I’m getting as many league games as I can now, I want to keep pushing myself and trying to make a claim for my place.”
In case the surname sounds familiar – and it should – David’s older brother Rob made his senior Ireland debut just two years ago; by 2009, he was one of the star performers for the Lions in South Africa. Luckily there’s three years between Rob and David – any less and there might be some serious sibling rivalry going on. “He always gives me good advice on what to expect,” says David, who adds that the so-called Golden Generation (that cursed title) are all taking an active role in blooding the apprentices. “The more experienced lads are coming to an end, but they’ve done it all, so you can definitely pick up some tips. It’s great to be training with lads like Brian O’Driscoll and Shane Horgan.”
And your brother David – don’t forget to mention your brother. leinsterrugby.ie
Julia Kelly
Writer
With My Lazy Eye moved only briefly outside Dublin to London, but Julia’s second novel – still untitled but due to hit bookshelves in Autumn 2010 – is much more far-flung. According to the author, “it tells the story of a religion teacher’s summer holiday from her job in London, that begins in Bray but, inspired by an encounter with an elderly woman, becomes a personal journey which takes her across the Atlantic to New York and ends in the dusty deserts of the Mojave, California.”
Since writing her first book, Julia met her current partner, painter Charlie Whisker, and gave birth to a daughter, Ruby Mae. So much has changed for the former civil servant in less than three years. So what’s next? A film deal? Who’ll play Julia/Lucy?
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