Mrs Brown’s Boys child star ‘Bono’ is unrecognizable as he competes for the Ulster U18s
TV favorite Danny O’Carroll admits he’s surprised his son Jamie – who has played Mrs Browns Boys’ grandson Bono since childhood – is now a towering giant, playing rugby for Ulster Youths.
So promising is 16-year-old Jamie in rugby that he was recently contacted out of the blue on Instagram by Irish star Tom O’Toole to say he was impressed with his progress and flagged him as one for the future.
“I think Jamie is 6ft 1in, I don’t know where he got his height from because I know what my family is like,” says Danny, whose wife and Jamie’s mother, Amanda Woods, plays Betty Brown on the hit series.
“He won’t be 17 until July, but he plays U18 for Ulster. As big as he is, he’s pretty small on the team because they’re big brutes there. He has two big months ahead, aiming for his first full cap for Ulster with Inter Pros.”
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Danny O’Carroll with son Jamie
Jamie plays as a flanker at No. 7 for his club Letterkenny, while he plays as a lock at No. 8 for the province.
“It was really nice for Ireland’s Tom O’Toole to tell him the other day that he’s fine and to stay tuned. There is something very special about the brotherhood in rugby.”
Dublin native Danny has lived in Manorcunningham, Co. Donegal for almost 20 years. He and Amanda have another son who is an avid rugby player, Blake (12).
“I get tears in my eyes thinking back to Jamie when he was younger on the show,” admits Danny. “He was a great little actor; he was so good He was on the last Christmas special and a lot of people didn’t know who he was since he’s grown so much. He works out at the gym up here and eats beef. He’s a great kid, I’m so proud of him.
“Blake was also in the Christmas special, he played Buster’s son named Blister. He’s done a few gigs.”
Danny reveals he and Mrs. Brown’s Boys co-star Paddy Houlihan will star in a new TV comedy series they’re developing around Men’s Sheds.
And Danny, who plays the lovable villain Buster on the hit series, adds that his famous father Brendan will leave Agnes behind for a while and join them as part of a new cast in their fledgling series.
“Paddy (who plays Dermot) has a show written at the moment and it’s about to be commissioned by BBC1,” says Danny, 39.
“It’s our little gem at the moment and it’s a great show called Shedites. It’s based on Men’s Sheds, about people who are lonely and what they do socially.
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“Well, Paddy wrote an episode with all these characters that’s in a men’s barn.
“It’s brilliant for men’s health, it’s brilliant for comedy and there’s not enough of it on TV right now … We’ve been making it for a couple of years and it looks like we’ve got the pilot.”
Danny adds that the different characters are assigned.
“Of course we have to get involved,” he smiles. “Me and Paddy would be the youngest characters in it. My dad said he would be one of the characters in it too, which is great. It’s a perfect character for him. He’s a great actor, you could almost say the role he has was written for him.”
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Jamie O’Carroll on Mrs. Brown’s Boys
Best friends in both Mrs Brown’s Boys and real life, Danny and Paddy will soon be flying to Amsterdam as part of RTÉ travel show High Road, Low Road.
The guys weren’t told where they were going until they got to the airport.
“When they said Holland…I just thought that might get hairy,” chuckles Danny.
“You know the stories about Amsterdam and all the people who go there and the vacation they had. I experienced Amsterdam in a completely different way and enjoyed every minute.”
Danny, who keeps fit by running in his spare time, will be filming a Mrs Brown mini-series for the BBC in April, then tour with the live show over the summer before filming the Christmas specials in October.
“I’m recognized around the world and it’s hard not to be recognized, but I love it. I love Buster, I absolutely love him,” he admits
High Road, Low Road is Tuesdays at 7pm on RTÉ One
https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/television/tv-news/mrs-browns-boys-child-star-bono-is-unrecognisable-as-he-lines-out-for-ulster-u18s-42331873.html Mrs Brown’s Boys child star ‘Bono’ is unrecognizable as he competes for the Ulster U18s