Eileen O’Higgins plays Emma Coyne

Set in Northern Ireland during World War Two, My Mother and Other Strangers follows the fortunes of the Coyne family and their neighbours as they struggle to maintain a normal life after a huge United States Army Air Force (USAAF) airfield, with 4,000 service men and women, lands in the middle of their rural parish.

Published: 2 November 2016
I never thought that rural County Tyrone would be a glamorous place but when you put an American airbase in it, some American soldiers and a few local ceilidhs, it’s just magic.
— Eileen O’Higgins

Who is Emma Coyne?

Emma is the daughter of Rose and Michael and the eldest of the Coyne children. She is a fiercely intelligent 16 year old with a scholarship to University. When the show begins we discover that she will be taking a gap year, much to her dismay. When I read the script I really wanted to play the part because she is such a complex soul. Even though she is a bit of a smarty pants, she wears her heart on her sleeve and I found her vulnerability endearing. She’s in that rocky period of her life where she is no longer one of the children but not quite one of the adults either. She’s also in that awkward time when you suddenly start discovering boys and you just do not know what to do with yourself. She’s a great sister and she has a clear moral compass but in spite of this she does get herself into some very awkward situations.

How much did you know about the historical context of the story?

I, like most people, studied the history of the Second World War at school. I thought that I had a pretty good knowledge of those events but yet I had no idea that so many American servicemen and women were based in Northern Ireland waiting to be sent to the front. The fact that this story is set in a place so close to where I grew up made these events all the more real and relevant to me. I suddenly had more of a relationship to it - it wasn’t this far off thing that happened years ago in a place I’ve never been. It felt here and I think that’s what makes it so interesting.

How did you find filming in Northern Ireland?

In terms of the area, I think it’s beautiful. We’ve had a lot of Americans over from New York and LA and they’re like, “wow, this is unbelievable!” We think, “yeah, it’s nice” but then you have a look around where we are and where we live and you go, “yeah, it is nice.” We have people coming from big states in America and they are looking around at what we look at every single day and say “this is beautiful”, and we’re like, “yeah, we live here.”

How did you find working with Adrian?

I enjoyed every moment of working with Adrian. Even in a very domestic scene he will find ways of adding a little bit of magic and the unexpected. He simply breathes life into this story and made a very realistic world in which we could play. I was always excited to arrive on set to find out what he had in mind for a scene. Everything moves and lives, and the audience is always there in the thick of it, caught up in this movement. Everyone was a separate section of the orchestra playing their own part and Adrian was conducting with ease. His imagination is endless and this is just one of the reasons he is so incredible to work with.

What do you think will appeal to the audience?

I think this programme will have universal appeal. I never thought that rural County Tyrone would be a glamorous place but when you put an American airbase in it, some American soldiers and a few local ceilidhs, it’s just magic. I think people will genuinely fall in love with this world and these people. I just hope audiences find a bit of escapism in it because I’m certainly finding that. I escape into this world and I’m not ready to leave the Coyne kitchen!

Cast

  • Rose Coyne - Hattie Morahan
  • Michael Coyne - Owen McDonnell
  • Captain Ron Dreyfuss - Aaron Staton
  • Emma Coyne - Eileen O’Higgins
  • Francis Coyne - Michael Nevin
  • Voice of older Francis Coyne - Ciaran Hinds
  • Ned Hanlon - Des McAleer
  • Davey Hanlon - Seamus O’Hara
  • Mickey Joe Hanlon - Ryan McParland
  • Failey - Kerr Logan
  • Barney Quinn - Gavin Drea
  • Sally Quinn - Fiona O’Shaugnessy
  • Ellen Quinn - Maggie Cronin
  • Kettie Brady - Antonia Campbell-Hughes
  • Seamie Brady - Isaac Heslip
  • Doctor Black - Charles Lawson
  • Andrew Black - Ruairi O’Connor
  • Jemmy Fox - Frank McCafferty
  • Nellie Fox - Christina Nelson
  • Tillie Ziegler - Kate Phillips