The New Irish it boy: Dónal Finn Dazzles in “Young Sherlock”
By Georgia Glennie
Is Dónal Finn joining the ‘it boy’ league of young Irishmen? With his appearance in Amazon Prime’s Young Sherlock, Finn is in the running to join the likes of Anthony Boyle and Paul Mescal as Ireland’s on-screen representation for young, talented actors.
Young Sherlock
Finn, originally from County Cork, has made waves after his work playing the beloved James Moriarty in Guy Ritchie’s Young Sherlock as co-star to After actor Hero Fiennes Tiffin as Sherlock Holmes. Finn’s Moriarty carries the same charming wit as fellow Irish actor Andrew Scott’s did in the 2010 BBC version of the show Sherlock, but Finn provides a fresh, youthful and ambitious perspective on the character. The Guardian describes him as ‘explosively charismatic’, and The Playlist describes Finn and Tiffin’s dynamic duo as having ‘real charisma’. Having watched the show myself, I must say I agree wholeheartedly with these statements. While the show is a masterclass of Guy Ritchie writing, Finn’s captivating performance in major scenes renders his co-stars defenceless against his skill.
The Wheel of Time
Finn took over from actor Barney Harris on Amazon’s The Wheel of Time in the second season. As in Young Sherlock, Finn steals the show with his charming but rough around the edge’s portrayal of reluctant hero Mat Cauthon. With big shoes to fill when replacing an already established actor of a beloved character, Finn’s mindset remained hopeful when acting on the show, and by now has established himself as a show frontrunner. Season three of The Wheel of Time came out in March of 2025, and Finn, alongside Marcus Rutherford’s powerful Perrin Aybara, put out an extremely delightful performance as returning character Mat Cauthorn’s emotional turmoil and responsibilities hit a peak. Despite season three being extremely highly rated, The Wheel of Time was not picked up for a fourth season. Fortunately, those who miss Finn’s charisma will be glad to know that his character in Young Sherlock provides a similar enthralling performance.
An ode to Ireland
Finn attributes a large amount of his successes and ease to his Irish upbringing, as well as to fellow Irish actors. In an interview for The Rake, his listed inspirations are Jessie Buckley, Cillian Murphy and Jack O’Connell, and his favourite city is Cork, His home city. Notably, Finn, in all his major series (such as The Wheel of Time and Young Sherlock), has opted to keep his Irish accent. Even for his role as Orpheus in the first West End production of the Tony Award-winning Hadestown.
“I felt really proud to be performing in my Cork accent, doing that show, and that people responded to it.” Finn for the Irish Examiner, March 2025.
Finn’s choice of keeping his accent shows a true pride for Ireland, especially the choice to do so in his debut production on the West End. However, Finn’s choices were so loved by theatre fans that it eventually earned his version of the beloved Orpheus the nickname ‘Corkeus’. The overwhelming amount of support for his accent represents a turning of the tide towards Irish actors acting in their natural accents. Finn’s version of Wait for Me packs a serious punch in an Irish accent and does an excellent job of portraying a desperate Orpheus searching for Eurydice. I definitely recommend giving the West End version of the Hadestown soundtrack a listen if you want to hear Finn’s powerful voice (and accent) in action as he left Hadestown in August of 2024.
Dónal Finn is an all-around extreme talent from stage to screen and is decidedly upholding the standard of young Irish actors, maybe even breaking through the ceiling. His unabashed pride for Ireland, combined with his unending dedication towards seeking roles, sets a good example for young Irishmen in all forms.
References:
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/mar/04/young-sherlock-review-guy-ritchie-prime-video
https://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/artsandculture/arid-41584036.html
https://therake.com/default/stories/rake-in-progress-donal-finn
