Siobhan McSweeney won her first BAFTA TV award on Sunday night for her role as Sister Michael in Derry Girls.
The 43-year-old took home the award for Best Female Performance in a Comedy programme, and delivered an epic acceptance speech.
At the start her speech, the actress joked: “As my mother laid dying in Cork, one of the very last things she said to me was, would I not consider retraining as a teacher… If she could see me now getting a BAFTA for playing a teacher. Joke’s on you.”
Siobhan went on to thank the people of her native Cork “who supported me despite the fact I’m not Cillian Murphy”, adding “it must be very difficult for you”.
The actress then ended her speech on a political note by saying:Â “To the people in Derry, thank you taking me into your hearts and your living rooms.”
“I am daily impressed with how you encompass the spirit of compromise and resilience despite the indignities, ignorance and stupidity of your so-called leaders (in) Dublin, Stormont and Westminster.”
“In the words of my beloved Sister Michael, ‘it’s time they started to wise up’.”
Check out the full list of winners from the 2023 BAFTA TV Awards here.
