Ian McElhinney

“I was living in Britain and then America, but it wasn't until I returned to live in Ireland in the late '70s that I really became aware of Seamus Heaney. I discovered quickly that his poems are very accessible.”

“If someone said to me, 10 years ago, that I'd be spending effectively my retirement years in sci-fi and fantasy, I'd have said, 'Well, don't be ridiculous.'”

“Adrenaline, swords - you just get off on it.”

“It's weird... I've been an actor for a long time and you can walk around more or less anonymously.”

“On another level I'd unfortunately read the books. I knew Barristan had a different story in the books and I was hoping for a bit more of Barristan alive before he met his comeuppance... well, comeuppance is unfair, he didn't deserve a comeuppance.”

“For years, I was just Joe Bloggs. There was no excitement until 'Game of Thrones,' and then people started recognizing me.”

“It's always stressful working on a new piece, but it concentrates the energy.”

“With 'Stones is His Pockets' you have effectively a bare stage with two actors and yet a whole world in rural Ireland is created. There's the countryside, the bar interior, the dressing room and the star's bedroom.”