Charlene McKenna welcomes first child

Charlene McKenna has told RTÉ Radio 1’s Arena that she recently welcomed her first child, a baby girl, with her husband and Ripper Street co-star Adam Rothenberg.

The Monaghan actress was on the show to discuss her new animated film, the Roddy Doyle adaptation A Greyhound of a Girl, when presenter Kay Sheehy asked McKenna about being “fairly busy” with “a new production, a beautiful production” of her own.

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“I think it’s an incredibly special and poignant and beautiful production, if I do say so myself,” the Peaky Blinders star replied.

“Yeah, I had a little baby, so I’ve been kind of out of the loop for a long time now. I’ve just been in nesting mode and enjoying my little girl. She’s just, I mean, anyone… I don’t know… she’s very special!”

“This is Martha Josephine and she’s just three months old, is that right?” asked presenter Sheehy.

“Just three months – and she’s already giving me chat!” McKenna laughed.

McKenna said the “circle of life” at the heart of A Greyhound of a Girl is so powerful for her, as her father Brendan died two weeks after her daughter was born.

“Martha was born in April and two weeks later I very, very suddenly lost my father, so I am both feet welded in the circle of life right now – the birth of my child and the loss of my father,” McKenna said.

“It’s actually insane that this film is coming out right now because he was the biggest Roddy Doyle fan and he could not wait to see this film and it’s heartbreaking that he won’t now.

“It’s just crazy that I did a film about grief and it’s coming out right in the depths of grief and having a child. Yeah, it’s a very, very, I guess, existential time.”

A Greyhound of a Girl is in cinemas now and sees McKenna joined by Sharon Horgan, Brendan Gleeson, Rosaleen Linehan, Mia O’Connor, and Paul Tylak in the voice cast.

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“It’s such a beautiful movie and I’m so excited that it’s finally coming out,” McKenna told the programme.

“It tracks four women across the generations and it’s just about family and love and connection and loss and all the messy, wonderful human emotions.”

Arena, RTÉ Radio 1, weeknights, 7pm