Saoirse-Monica Jackson (/ˈsɜːrʃə/; born November 1993) is a Northern Irish actress, best known for portraying Erin Quinn on the Channel 4 sitcom Derry Girls between 2018 and 2022.

Early life

Jackson was born in Derry in November 1993.^[1] She split her time growing up in Derry and Greencastle, County Donegal, where her parents ran a village pub.^[2][3] After obtaining GCSEs and A-Levels at St Cecilia's College in Derry,^[4] she trained in acting at the Arden School of Theatre in Manchester.^[5]

Career

Jackson's television debut came in 2016 when she landed the role of Sasha in Harlan Coben's The Five, appearing in four episodes.^[6] In 2016, she also played Curley's wife in the Birmingham Repertory Theatre tour of John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men.^[7] She appeared briefly in the final episode of 2017 BBC One drama series Broken.^[8] In 2018, she portrayed Shena Carney in a West End production of The Ferryman at the Gielgud Theatre.^[9]

Jackson made her debut as Erin Quinn in the Channel 4 sitcom Derry Girls in the show's first episode, airing on Channel 4 on 4 January 2018.^{[9][10][11][12]} Her performance was well received and, in turn, saw her nominated for the IFTA Gala Television Award for Best Female Performance.^[13] She portrayed the role for three seasons until the conclusion of the series in May 2022.^[14]

She appeared in an episode of The Great British Bake Off: Festive Specials.^[15]

On 26 June 2020, she and her fellow Derry Girls co stars performed a sketch with Saoirse Ronan for the RTÉ fundraising special RTÉ Does Comic Relief. All proceeds from the night went towards those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.^[16]

Filmography

Film

Television