First photos as Saoirse Ronan’s dad Paul makes Fair City debut tonight

Saoirse Ronan's dad Paul will be making his debut in Fair City's Carrigstown tonight.

The longtime actor, who previously appeared on Striking Out, The Tudors and Ballykissangel, will play Anto Collins, the father of Hayley (Rebecca Grimes) and Harmony (Eleanor O’Brien). Anto's arrival in Carrigstown stuns his daughter - and with his suspicious behaviour, especially when it comes to questions about her mum, leads Hayley to think he's trying to keep something from her. As she tries to figure out why Anto has suddenly reappeared, he begins to make himself at home in Carrigstown. Meanwhile, Anto's wife Sharon - played by Love/Hate's Neili Conroy - will arrive in Thursday night's episode. His debut on the RTÉ soap comes days after his daughter Saoirse was up for the Best Actress award at the Oscars. While the statuette ended up going to Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri's Frances McDormand, Saoirse credits her dad for helping her get into the entertainment industry. She was born in New York where Paul and her mother lived in the early nineties while trying to break into acting there. The 23-year-old previously said:

"They had to struggle for a long time. "Ma watched dad lose out on parts or star in shows off-off-Broadway and make buttons. "She watched these really talented people never get the shot they deserved. So they prepared me to be realistic."