Philippa Dunne

Dunne was born in County Dublin and raised in County Mayo, Ireland.^[1][2] She trained at the Gaiety School of Acting before beginning her professional career in 2009.^[3][4] She made her acting and writing debut in the television film Dublin Stories and appeared in two episodes of Rental Boys.^[5] In 2010, she co-wrote and appeared in The Taste of Home. In 2014, she wrote and starred in the RTÉ One comedy The Walshes as Carmel Walsh.^[6][7][8]

Since 2016, Dunne has portrayed Anne Flynn in the BBC Two comedy Motherland, appearing in all 19 episodes.^[9][10] In 2019, she began appearing in the Channel 4 sitcom Derry Girls as Geraldine Devlin, the mother of established character Clare Devlin. Dunne appeared in the series on a recurring basis until its end in May 2022.^[11][12] Dunne was then cast in the BBC One medical comedy-drama series This Is Going to Hurt as Ria, the receptionist.^[13] The series began airing on 8 February 2022.^[14] She also appeared as a contestant on Celebrity Mastermind, with her specialist subject being the 1980 Stanley Kubrick film The Shining.^[15][16]

For her performance in Amandaland, Dunne received a nomination for the British Academy Television Award for Best Female Comedy Performance in 2026. Her co-stars Lucy Punch and Jennifer Saunders also received nominations.^[17]

Dunne is married; she and her husband have one child, born in late 2020. Dunne's infant child appeared in the third series of Motherland as Niamh, the daughter of Dunne's character.^[18]