The Irish Actress You Need to Know

Who is Caitriona Balfe? Well, you better commit that name to the memory because this Irish girl is about to go global with the impending release of the hotly anticipated television show Outlander later this month. Here we list our top three reasons to watch the Balfe.

She’s only gone and nabbed one of the most coveted roles in television
Outlander is a new television show that has been shooting in glorious Scotland these last few months and Caitriona Balfe landed the lead role. Directed by Battlestar Galactica?s Ronald D. Moore, the series is an adaptation of Diana Gabaldon bestselling novel series and tells the story of Claire Beauchamp, a nurse who is on her second honeymoon with her husband in the highlands after their work kept them apart during the Second World War. One day she visits some standing stones and finds herself transported back to 18^th century Scotland where a group of highlanders help her survive amid clan wars and British occupation. In her time travels she encounters a young man named Jamie who wears a kilt all the time and with whom she might have to enter a marriage of convenience. Also, the network behind the production is Starz so expect ‘scenes of a romantic nature?. The buzz around Outlander is electric and Comic Con audiences have had nothing but praise for Balfe’s Claire.

She seems totally down to earth
Picture Me was a well received documentary from a few years back candidly following the lives of international models. Although the main subject was Sara Ziff, Caitriona Balfe often stole the show with her humour and displayed a level-headed attitude to her job. She also did this killer impression of Nicole Kidman’s acting abilities.

She has a history of breaking the mould
Here at Image.ie we really admire people who do things differently – a varied life and all that. Caitriona has been modeling since she was nineteen and was the first Irish model to walk in a Victoria’s Secret show, however in recent years has been transitioning careers and steadily building an acting resume. Small roles in the Steven Spielberg produced?Super 8 and the magician heist drama?Now You See Me brought her to the attention of studio executives so it seems like she’s on the right path. The Monaghan native was studying acting in DIT before she was scouted in a Dublin shopping centre so it’s pretty awesome to see her returning to her earlier ambitions. Just goes to show you can put some dreams on hold and still have an amazing twenties. Of course, travelling the world walking runways for Roberto Cavalli and wearing Burberry and Gucci across the pages of fashion magazines doesn’t constitute most people’s first decade out of school but there is an inspiring lesson in there somewhere.