Where is Fair City’s Niamh Quirke now? Playing Rachel Brennan, moving to New York and soap return
After seven years of playing one of Fair City’s best known child characters, Rachel Brennan, the young actress decided the make the big move and began studying in America
by Shauna Bannon Ward · RSVP LiveNiamh Quirke grew up in front of Irish viewers after spending seven years playing Rachel Brennan on the much loved soap Fair City.
Despite her character’s father Paul Brennan being married multiple times and fathering several children, Rachel managed to survive all the chaos of Carrigstown and make it out.
In reality, the talented actress decided to attend college and packed up to move all the way to the Big Apple.
Acting career
Niamh is best known for playing Rachel Brennan on Fair City. She took on the role in 2009 and remained on the show until 2016 when her character fled after falling out with her dad Paul, played by Tony Tormey, and brother Oisin.
However, she briefly returned to the soap and made a cameo appearance in 2020 via FaceTime when her father was in hospital.
Since then, the actress appeared in the 2019 short called You Can't Change Anything About This, in which she played the character Robin. She also played Taylor in a movie called Old Woods in 2018 and Donna in the stage production of a play called Hurly Burly during the following year.
Moving to New York
Niamh announced that she was leaving Fair City in order to move abroad and study at The New York Conservatory of Dramatic Arts.
Ahead of her departure, she told the Sunday World: “Tony, my on screen dad, and my actual dad have a lot in common: neither want to believe it was happening. Tony may deny this but I know the truth.
“I want to mention everyone but they all know how much they mean to me. So I would hope it is goodbye for now and not goodbye forever. Hopefully you haven’t seen the last of Rachel.”
She moved into a student apartment on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue, with the goal of studying acting in order to have a long career in the industry.
“I would love to work alongside Tom Hanks,” she said. “His work is amazing. For now though, it is strictly college and I am not thinking outside of that.”
London life
After graduating from college, Niamh made the decision to move to London in 2019 with her boyfriend Rhys Wilson, who she met while studying, the Irish Independent reported.
“I'm going to move to London in May, so that's the goal right now," she told the Diary.
“I'll think about work closer to the time, but right now I'm being in the moment here in New York. I'm excited to start a new chapter.”
She added: “Sometimes I pinch myself and think how cool a city I'm living in. The other night I was in the car going over the Manhattan Bridge and you just see that skyline - it's beautiful, and I think how lucky I am to live here.
“Life's too short to stay in the one place, you go where the job takes you.”
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