Clare Dunne joins us this week to discuss the journey of writing, creating and starring in her first feature film “Herself”. Until now Clare was best known for work on stage but here for the first time she examines how her life as an actor almost never came to be. “Herself” is an up-lifting and heartbreaking story of a young Dublin mother attempting to escape her abusive partner and with the help of some friends building something they can rely upon. It sparks a discussion with Jarlath about the true meaning of Irish identity and its impact on every decision that went into making this critically acclaimed film (15:00). Clare speaks about the value of having Sharon Horgan in her corner (54:00), her rollercoaster of being broke one minute then on the set of Spiderman the next(48:00). In rare brutal detail Clare explains the lightning bolt that hit her while struggling to make ends meet in New York (43:00). This is one of those chats where you need to hear every single minute. This is just a taster. To hear this episode in full and to gain access to the entire back-catalogue of over 350 Irishman Abroad episodes that are not available on iTunes for just the price of a pint every month visit www.patreon.com/irishmanabroad. Supplementary research provided by John Meagher.   Our charity partner is jigsawonline.ie. In these tricky times, Jigsaw provides a range of resources, advice and care for your people to help them strengthen their mental health and the skills needed to navigate life. Please visit their website and consider making a donation. For updates on future episodes and live shows follow @jarlath on Twitter, visit www.jigser.com or email the show directly on [email protected]. Disclaimer: All materials contained within this podcast are copyright protected. Third party reuse and/or quotation in whole or in part is prohibited unless direct credit and/or hyperlink to the Irishman Abroad podcast is clearly and accurately provided.