STAR DELANEY
Simon and his four boys
The 49-year old Dubliner tunes in every Monday night as RTE airs re-runs of the hit cult series.
It centres around Barry (Keith Mcerlean), who is looking for a get-richquick scheme; film critic Raymond (Don Wycherley), and Michael played by Delaney, a would-be barrister, who share a house in Bachelors Walk in Dublin.
Simon told the Irish Sunday Mirror: “It was brilliant watching it back, such good fun, but my eldest son watched it and he said, ‘Dad you’re smoking a lot’. I had a fag in every scene. It’s gas, watching it with him.
“Obviously the language is a bit fruity but what can you do? I keep saying, ‘I’m just acting son, that’s not really me saying that’.”
Set in a Dublin of almost two decades ago, the dad-of-four said he could barely control himself watching the re-runs.
LAUGHING
He said: “It was 19 years ago and I couldn’t help wetting myself laughing and remembering the day we shot this scene and that scene.”
With a whole new younger audience Simon’s character Michael is getting a resurgence in popularity.
He added: “Jesus, it’s such a trip down memory lane, but we’re getting great comments on Twitter and people are loving the soundtrack.
“People loved seeing Dublin back in the day, seeing people having a fag indoors, going to the internet cafe to go online. It’s like the 1940s but it’s only 19 years ago, this is 2001.
“It was a different world, Celtic Tiger Dublin.
“You would look around Dublin then, all there was were cranes, things were getting built and built. It’s like an historical document at this stage.”
The actor and TV star had his fill of cigarettes over the years and now vapes.
Commenting on the prodigious smoking he said: “Yeah, they were the real Mccoy but now I vape, I’ve been vaping for years.”
It was a poignant era too as it was then Simon met his future wife Lisa – the mother of his four kids.
He added: “I remember every scene, every actor. I remember first dating my wife and her coming to first visit the set and first meeting the lads.
“Hindsight is a wonderful thing but they were very happy days.”
From presenting Ireland AM at the weekends to his Simply Simon food
Taking part in Heads Up for challenge
People loved seeing Dublin back in the day. It’s like the 1940s but it’s only 19 years ago SIMON DELANEY DUBLIN YESTERDAY
Mark and Lisa marry
brand and more recently a stint on Emmerdale, he is a grafter.
Simon said: “If you throw enough mud at the wall eventually some of it will stick.”
Joking over his lockdown essential worker status he admitted he counts his lucky stars the show is still on air.
He added: “Thanks be to Christ Ireland AM is still on. We’re deemed