Television Kirwan's first credited TV roles were in the TV series
Troubles in 1988 and
The Lilac Bus in 1990 alongside
Stephanie Beacham based on
Maeve Binchy's novel. Her breakthrough television role was appearing in the 1991 BBC Scotland production of
A Time To Dance, adapted by
Melvyn Bragg from his own novel, playing Bernadette Kennedy. Kirwan briefly appeared in
Casualty, and in the first three seasons of
Goodnight Sweetheart alongside
Nicholas Lyndhurst. For 23 episodes, from 1996 to 1998, she appeared in
Ballykissangel in the role of Assumpta Fitzgerald, the landlady of the village's only pub, Fitzgerald's. She reprised this role for a
Comic Relief special of
The Vicar of Dibley, and for a
Father Ted special. In 1999, she appeared in another BBC production, a made for TV Christmas film called
The Greatest Store in the World. She played the single mother of two girls who are made homeless a few days before Christmas. The show ran for two seasons. She starred in the Sky TV series
The Bombmaker as a former IRA bomb maker, and in 2001, she played Emma Rose in the BBC series
Hearts and Bones. She appeared in the
BBC 1 crime drama series
55 Degrees North with
Don Gilet, which aired in 2004. She returned for a second season in 2005. The series was shown in the US under the title
The Night Detective. In 2007, she appeared in the BBC drama
True Dare Kiss. Kirwan appeared as the villain Miss Mercy Hartigan in
The Next Doctor, the 2008 Christmas special of
Doctor Who. In 2009, Kirwan was in the BBC drama
Moving On, in the episode
Dress To Impress. She guest starred in
Law & Order: UK, playing the role of Beatrice McArdle. Kirwan appeared in the BBC drama series
Material Girl, which aired in January 2010. She was cast in the role of
Bundle in ''
Agatha Christie's Marple. Kirwan appeared in the four-part BBC drama The Silence in 2010. She played the role of Maggie, the warm-hearted aunt of a young deaf girl who witnessed a murder. In 2011, Kirwan worked on Injustice a five-part psychological thriller on ITV written by Anthony Horowitz. She starred as Jane Travers, wife of main character, Will Travers. In June 2012, Kirwan appeared on screen as Alex Demoys in the three part BBC1 drama miniseries Blackout''. In 2018, Kirwan guest starred in one episode of Sky's
Strike Back: Retribution. She played Rachel Sheridan who helped design Guantanamo and may have built the black site where a Jihadi leader was being held. In the same year, she appeared in the ITV drama
Strangers (originally titled
White Dragon) where she played the deceased wife of the titular character Jonah Mulray. In 2019, she appeared as a guest star in long-running BBC series
Silent Witness playing the role of pathologist Amanda Long. In 2020, she appeared on Netflix miniseries
The Stranger as Corinne Price. In 2020, Kirwan began work on the Irish
thriller series
Smother, for
RTÉ Television. Production began in early 2020 but was halted in mid-March, due to the introduction of
COVID-19 restrictions in Ireland. It recommenced in August 2020 and finished in late October. The series debuted on
RTÉ One and
RTÉ Player in early March 2021. The series was broadcast in the UK on
Alibi in autumn 2021.
Stage At the age of sixteen, Kirwan moved to London when she was cast in a play at the
Bush Theatre. She won acclaim in 1988 for her performance as the factory girl Linda in
A Handful of Stars, the Bush Theatre premiere of the first play in
Billy Roche's
Wexford Trilogy. In 1992, again at the Bush, she starred in a revival of the complete trilogy. In 1991, she appeared in the play
Water Music at the
Cockpit Theatre, written by award-winning playwright Lyndon Morgans (singer-songwriter with the Welsh
folk noir band
Songdog). In 1992, she starred in
Hush by
April De Angelis at the
Royal Court Theatre, while January 1994 found her playing in
Peter Hall's seasonal production of
Georges Feydeau's farce
An Absolute Turkey at the
Globe Theatre. In 2001, she appeared in a stage production of
Dangerous Corner by
JB Priestley in
Leeds alongside
Rupert Penry-Jones, to whom she is now married. Kirwan again appeared on stage with Penry-Jones in
Les Liaisons Dangereuses at the
Bristol Old Vic directed by
Samuel West in 2003. In 2005, she appeared on the Lyttelton stage at the
National Theatre in the role of Alice in
Brian Friel's
Aristocrats. In 2006, she played Bertha in
Exiles at the National Theatre. In 2007, she appeared on stage in
Harold Pinter's
Betrayal at the
Donmar Warehouse. From April to May 2012, Kirwan appeared on stage at the
Chichester Festival Theatre in a
Jeremy Herrin production of
Uncle Vanya. Kirwan played Sonya alongside an exceptional cast which included
Roger Allam (as Vanya),
Timothy West and
Lara Pulver. The play received warm reviews and response to Kirwan's performance was generally positive. In April 2013, Kirwan was cast as Valerie in
Josie Rourke's revival of
The Weir by
Conor McPherson at the
Donmar Warehouse. Kirwan appeared alongside
Brian Cox,
Ardal O'Hanlon, Risteard Cooper and Peter McDonald. Critics lauded the play and gave it four- and five-star ratings.
The Weir later transferred to the West End, playing at
Wyndham's Theatre from January 2014 to April 2014. In 2014, Kirwan made her second stint at the
Chichester Festival Theatre as Frankie in
Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune, a play by
Terrence McNally about the relationship between waitress, Frankie and short-order cook, Johnny played by
Neil Stuke. It was warmly received by critics who gave mostly four-star reviews. It ran from November 2014 to December 2014 at the Minerva theatre. She appeared on stage in the
Chichester Festival Theatre production of
King Lear in 2017, directed by Jonathan Munby, where she played
Goneril to
Ian McKellen's Lear.
Film In 1998, she starred alongside
Christopher Eccleston in the
Michael Winterbottom film
With or Without You as Belfast girl Rosie Boyd. In 2004, Kirwan starred in
School for Seduction. In 2009, Kirwan appeared in the Irish film
Ondine alongside
Colin Farrell and
Stephen Rea. She played Maura, the alcoholic bitter ex-girlfriend of Farrell's character, Syracuse. In 2007, Kirwan began filming the fantasy film
Luna by
Dave McKean, starring alongside
Ben Daniels,
Stephanie Leonidas and
Michael Maloney. However, due to budget setbacks, filming did not resume until 2011 and was finally completed in 2013. It premiered at the
Toronto International Film Festival in 2014. The film was positively received by critics and Kirwan's performance was highly praised.
Luna was awarded the Best British Film at the 2014
Raindance Film Festival. She starred in an independent thriller,
Entity as Ruth Peacock. The film premiered in 2013 at selected cinemas and DVD and won Best Horror film at the London Independent Film Festival 2013. In 2016, she starred as the violent and cruel crime boss Ed in
Branko Tomović's directorial debut
Red. In 2017, Kirwan appeared in the film
Interlude in Prague, taking on the role of Frau Lubtak alongside
Adrian Edmondson and
Morfydd Clark.
Other In 1997, Kirwan sang with
Dustin the Turkey on his cover of "
Fairytale of New York" for his album
Faith of Our Feathers. She provided the voiceovers for the "This is not just food" television advertising campaign for UK retailer
Marks & Spencer and a string of three UK
public information films about good
food hygiene for the
Food Standards Agency. ==Personal life==