Claire Parkes

Claire was born in Omagh, Co. Tyrone, Northern Ireland. She attended a girls' convent grammar school and went on to complete a degree in Speech and Language Therapy, in the University of Ulster, Belfast. She also has a masters degree in Palliative Care. Claire came late to acting. She is best known for her theatre work, playing diverse roles in comedy, period drama and complex dramatic pieces. Most notably, Claire played the lead role of Winnie Carney in The Revolutionary and The Soldier, in The Dublin Festival of History. She also played the role of Miss O' Callaghan in James Joyce's acclaimed The Dead, in the Pearse Museum, Dublin. In 2020, Claire had the lead role of The Manager in Mike Barlett's ink black comedy, Contractions in The Mill Theatre, Dublin. She has also played the lead role in the comedy Positive Dead People and the comedy role of Miss Brady in TrIsh Dunleavy's Percy French Versus The West Clare Railway. At the time of press (November 2020) she was rehearsing the lead role of Cora in the Mark Rowe's dark drama, The Approach. Claire, along with her husband Roger were cast members of series 4 of Gogglebox Ireland. Claire works part time as a Clinical Specialist Speech and Language Therapist, working with people with voice, speech and swallowing disorders as a result of head and neck cancer. Claire is professionally qualified to work with people with voice disorders including professional voice users.