TORONTO-When John Irvin was casting The Boys & Girl From County Clare-a romantic comedy about two rival brothers who face off in an all-Ireland traditional-music competition in 1970-he knew he wanted Colm Meaney as the heart of his movie, the sweet, responsible John Joe.

Meaney met Irvin (Hamburger Hill) and knew he wanted to work with him. But as soon as Meaney read the script, he asked about switching parts and playing the rakish brother, Jimmy, instead.

"I felt like John Joe was the kind of thing that I'd done before. It was kind of a nice guy and I was intrigued by Jimmy because I just felt he's so brash and shallow and an idiot in many ways, and I thought 'That's something I haven't really done,'" says Meaney between sips of coffee at a patio table at the Hotel InterContinental, just after the movie's world premiere at last September's Toronto International Film Festival. (The movie opens in Vancouver on Friday [March 18].)

Irvin, who spoke to the Straight in a separate interview on the same patio, was startled but intrigued by the idea. "He wanted to do something a little different, and I respect that. I think it's fantastic," recalls Irvin. "I wanted Colm in it because I felt that he gave the thing gravitas, he gave it truth. So if he wanted to play that role, fine; I'll find another actor who's compatible." That actor was Bernard Hill (King Theoden from The Lord of the Rings).

"To find the chemistry between the two brothers was really, really important," Irvin says.

"Obviously, with brothers you've got to match them," Meaney observes. "I've got three brothers, and I think relationships between siblings are very interesting and not examined very much in film."

Meaney also had instant chemistry with costar Andrea Corr (of the Corrs), who plays John Joe's star fiddler. "When she was a baby she'd played one of my kids on The Commitments. Any time our paths cross we always have a great laugh, and she calls me 'Daddy' and I always check to see if she's behaving herself."

A fan of Meaney before the film, Irvin was even more impressed after working with him. "Obviously, he's a brilliant actor. He's dedicated, he's serious without being solemn, he's got a wonderful spontaneity, and he takes risks," the director explains.

"I think great acting is about your ability to give to the other players, not hoard your talent, and he's very, very generous and he has a wonderful esprit, élan. And, of course, his face is a real face. He doesn't look as though he's been to charm school. It's a face that, to me, is authentic. It's real, it's true, and it's lovable. You don't look at his face and say, 'He's an actor.' The same with Bernard. They look lived-in. There's a history. A reality in the way they look."

That lived-in look has helped Meaney build an impressive film career while still spending 14 years as the first family man in the Star Trek franchise. "Here I was, the only guy living on a space station with a wife and kid to go home to."

Meaney began his performing career as an actor in Ireland before touring England with the left-wing troupe 784. The numbers stood for seven percent of the population in Great Britain controlling 84 percent of the wealth.

He moved to New York to work in theatre before switching coasts to L.A. in the mid-1980s to pursue work in film and TV. In 1987, Meaney appeared as a background character in the series premiere of Star Trek: The Next Generation. He eventually gained a recurring role, and a name: Miles O'Brien.

When the series spun off into Deep Space Nine, he was offered a promotion to chief engineer and series regular.

But he worried about putting his film career on hold. "You don't want to be just playing one character for the rest of your life," says Meaney-who was obviously well aware of the fate of most Trek alumni. He shared his concerns with executive producer Rick Berman. "And he said he would always get me out to do a feature I really wanted to do. And for seven years he was true to his word. It was amazing. They'd write me out of a couple of episodes or they'd maybe shoot two days back-to-back-the last day of one episode and the first day of another episode-which would cut me loose for two or three weeks. It was kind of a scheduling nightmare, but it was well worth doing. And I'll always be grateful to Rick for that, because for seven years he really made that work."

Meaney says that although he enjoyed his Trek stint, he doesn't miss beaming up on a weekly basis. "Seven years was the perfect length of time to spend on something like that."