Saoirse-Monica Jackson

Jackson was born in Derry in November 1993.^[2] She split her time growing up in Derry and Greencastle, County Donegal, where her parents ran a village pub.^[3][4] After obtaining GCSEs and A-levels at St Cecilia's College in Derry,^[5] she trained in acting at the Arden School of Theatre in Manchester.^[6]

Jackson's television debut came in 2016 when she landed the role of Sasha in Harlan Coben's The Five, appearing in four episodes.^{[citation needed]} In 2016, she also played Curley's wife in the Birmingham Repertory Theatre tour of John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men.^[7] She appeared briefly in the final episode of 2017 BBC One drama series Broken.^{[citation needed]} In 2018, she portrayed Shena Carney in a West End production of The Ferryman at the Gielgud Theatre.^[8]

Jackson made her debut as Erin Quinn in the Channel 4 sitcom Derry Girls in the show's first episode, airing on Channel 4 on 4 January 2018.^[8][9][10] Her performance saw her nominated for the IFTA Gala Television Award for Best Female Performance.^[11] She portrayed the role for three seasons until the conclusion of the series in May 2022.^[12]

She was the overall winner in the 2019 episode of The Great Christmas/Festive Bake Off.^[13]

On 26 June 2020, she and her fellow Derry Girls co stars performed a sketch with Saoirse Ronan for the RTÉ fundraising special RTÉ Does Comic Relief. All proceeds from the night went towards those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.^[14]

In 2025, she played the role of Cheryl Crawford, wife of Davey Crawford (portrayed by Stephen Walters), in the BBC One Liverpool-based gangster television series, This City Is Ours (2025).^[15]

In 2026, Jackson played the role of Feeney in Lisa McGee's Netflix series, How to Get to Heaven from Belfast.^[16]

Jackson became engaged to Scottish DJ Hector Barbour, known professionally as Denis Sulta, in 2023. Muriel Gray is her mother-in-law.^[17] They married in a Celtic-themed ceremony in County Kerry in August 2025.^[18]