Roscommon resident features in new Liam Neeson movie

Boyle resident Conor Hamill hopes that the global exposure from Liam Neeson's latest movie, where he has secured his most significant role yet, will pave the way for new opportunities.

 The film 'In the Land of Saints and Sinners,' released recently on Netflix, focuses on the life of former assassin Finbar Murphy (played by Liam Neeson), who resides in a quiet Irish coastal town, seeking to escape his dark history.

Directed by veteran Clint Eastwood collaborator Robert Lorenz, the film is set at the height of the Troubles. When menacing terrorists show up, Murphy is drawn into an increasingly vicious game of cat and mouse.

Ballymena native Conor, who has been living in Boyle with his wife Maria and three children for the last eight years, is among the supporting cast, and plays Pat O’Donnell, the local shopkeeper who is “fond of a jar or two”.

Conor talks fondly about featuring in a number of scenes with Liam Neeson and another Oscar nominated Irish actor, Ciarán Hinds.

Coincidentally, Conor is from the same town as Neeson and it wasn’t the only local connection with the Hollywood Star. “Liam used to be a boxer, and Liam and I boxed in the same boxing club, All Saints in Ballymena. So when I met him, I had a bit of craic with him about that. Liam’s a lovely, man, a gentleman.” 

He was also very complimentary of Ciarán Hinds. “When we had a table read in Dublin the first two guys I got to talk to were Ciarán Hinds and Liam Neeson, and it was just like talking to your mates. There were no airs or graces. There was no ‘I’m a superstar’, it was just lovely.” ‘In the Land of Saints and Sinners’ was shot in southwest Donegal in 2022 and features a host of other Irish talent including Oscar nominated Kerry Condon, Colm Meaney, Niamh Cusack and Jack Gleeson.

Conor readily agrees that this is his biggest part to date, certainly in terms of exposure, and he’s hoping it will lead to other opportunities.

“Now that it's been out in the cinema in the States and it's gone to Netflix, I'm hoping that somebody says, ‘OK, there's a guy that I would love for my film’. You know I’m hoping it’s going to open a few doors for me.” 

Boyle is now home for him, Maria and their children who have also immersed themselves in the world of acting, especially Shona (12) and Conor (8). 

“I love the peace and the quietness of Boyle to be honest and the people are very friendly.” 

With strong family connections to the place, Maria, originally, from Dublin, has known Boyle since she was child, and the couple also run the acclaimed Harry Potter themed Airbnb in the town.

Conor has been acting for about seventeen years, featuring in a number of films and productions, including one with a Boyle connection.

Conor played the ER doctor in the ‘Ann’, filmed around the town in 2021. The film dramatised the real-life story of Ann Lovett, a 15-year-old girl who died in childbirth in a grotto in Granard in 1984.

Some of Conor’s current work involves upcoming roles in two short movies.