First Encounters: Peter Coonan and Ronan Murdock

Peter Coonan is an actor who recently won an IFTA for best supporting actor for his role as Fran in 'Love/Hate'. He is currently filming the fifth series of the drama. Originally from Leopardstown, he lives in Donnybrook with his partner Kim O'Driscoll

We were four when we met in Scoil Lorcáin. Ronan’s nickname was Chubby and it’s lasted, though he’s far from that now. We became immediate friends. There was a group of about seven of us who were close and still are. Ronan was quite shy as a child, but a bit mad with his friends. When we were all about nine, me and my friend Ben would pay him 5-20p to punch him in the head. All the way through school, Ronan had a business mind. Now, for example, he sells Christmas trees in Dalkey every year.

Ronan had a big garden at his house on Rochestown Avenue and a lot of animals. We used to play there many a day after school. My Dad was principal of Star of the Sea school in Sandymount, my mother Betty was an amateur actress who passed away when I was 12. I was often in and out of trouble in school. Teachers nicknamed me gligín – messer – or clicador. Ronan was associated with me but he was good. I settled down around Junior Cert.

I went to Coláiste Eoin in second year, after a year in Ring. Ronan and I did quite well together in sport, played hurling and Gaelic football all the way through. He was a defender; I was a forward. Later, in UCD, we played a lot of soccer on a brilliant team of friends that Ronan and I and all the guys were on. Sometimes we’d have a row on the pitch but that’s the only time Ronan and I rowed. I have a tendency to be over zealous; he’s a reasonable but tough tackler. I stopped going to drama classes after Junior Cert, focused on football, hurling and the Leaving Cert. Ronan still plays for Cuala [GAA club in Dalkey] but I haven’t played there for three years. When I’m filming, I can’t play contact sports in case of injury.

We both went to UCD. I did arts, he did commerce. I hadn’t seriously thought of anything but acting. Ronan always wanted to be a teacher, was always great with kids. The thing about him is, he treats them like human beings.

Ben, my son, goes to the school nearest where he lives in Rathfarnham, but I’ve very fond memories of Scoil Lorcáin, it was a lovely school. I would massively regret it if Irish was lost, it would be a travesty. Once we lose our Irish, the power and the beauty of the language, we lose our identity.

Ronan’s getting married in June. I’ll miss his stag, because I’ll have a new baby then. It’s crazy when you think, we’re 26 years friends. I just turned 30, Ronan won’t turn 30 until June. And I can’t remember any time when we really fell out, to this day.

Ronan Murdock teaches economics and business in Coláiste Eoin in Stillorgan, Co Dublin. He plays for Cuala GAA club in Dalkey, and also coaches there, as well as in Coláiste Eoin. Originally from Glenageary, he lives in Dalkey and is getting married next month to Niamh Kelly

Peter and were in the same class all the way through primary school. I remember when we were in fourth class, he had watched a film called The Breakfast Club [about a group of teenagers who meet in detention]. He picked up from that the idea that he’d gotten detention. He kept goading the teachers to give him extra detention; the teacher would give him three and he’d say, why don’t you make it four. He ended up getting 10 detentions – I think from then on we knew that he wasn’t going to be a perfectly-behaved child. It’s true that I let him punch me in the head – it was a little money spinner I had.

He went to Ring for the year after sixth class: it didn’t interfere with our friendship. When he came into Coláiste Eoin in second year, the teachers didn’t know what they’d have on their hands. He never seemed to calm down. Would I like to have had him as a student? Definitely not, no discussion. He’d just be a nightmare. He likes to look back on his time in Coláiste Eoin and think he wasn’t a handful, but that’s not the case. The rest of us were good. Peter got away with a lot because he hung around with a bunch of lads who weren’t messers.

We had brilliant times there, great teachers. History was the subject Peter loved the most. Coming up to the Leaving Cert, we’d go to Peter’s room to study – Peter would tell history like a story, he was very good at it.

We always kind of knew Peter was good at acting but he never really spoke about it, it was just something he did. I knew he had a very good talent but wasn’t sure if he’d use it . . . I’m happy for him, for his success. I’d love to see him ending up in Hollywood.

My mum had always said, acting is what he should be doing. She knows first-hand how good his acting is: one night I told the lads a police officer had taken my details, just for messing. Peter rang my mum the next day pretending to be a guard, saying I’d be up in court. He let that stew for a few hours, got me into a lot of trouble at home.

We both played Under-21 Gaelic football and hurling in Cuala growing up and still have lots of friends from that. Coláiste Eoin won a double championship when we were in sixth year. I still play in Cuala and coach there and in Coláiste Eoin.

Peter and I had a lot of falling outs, but you can’t stay angry with Peter – he just makes you laugh. He’d be the first to say straight off when he was wrong.

We're lifelong friends. I'm stuck with him forever. Is he still a messer? He's calmed down a lot, that's the thing that shocks me more than his being famous, that he finally calmed down.

Scoil Lorcáin, an all-Irish school in Monkstown, Co Dublin, has a Buy-a-Brick fundraising campaign for refurbishment. See scoillorcain.ie