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Degnan Geraghty Degnan Geraghty is an actor by tr
ade, but after accepting a role in Penny Dreadful that demanded he keep his beard, he was asked if he’d like to be Santa Claus for the holiday season. It makes sense. In addition to his impressive beard, which comes complete with whiskers above the lip, Degnan has a twinkle in his eye that seems totally fitting for Santa. His soft, measured voice adds to the magic. But even though Degnan is a natural fit for the role, the job didn’t always sit well with him. “I was going through a phase where I was searching for truth in my life, and I had my doubts about the lies you tell kids. I wondered if I should be involved in perpetuating this lie.” That doubt came from his own pain at discovering Santa wasn’t real. When he was 11, Degnan went up to the dark attic in his family home to fetch something, despite the protests of his sisters. Up there, he found a terrible secret; Santa’s presents, all waiting to be put out on Christmas Eve. “I believed in Santa when no one else in my class did. When I think about it now, I was so stupid! But after finding out, I realised the magic was gone, there was none of that excitement.” Degnan’s unease led to him stepping away from Santa for a couple of years. He kept the beard for acting gigs, but it was only when DIT film students asked him to play Santa for a charity fundraiser on the campus that he put back on the red and white suit. “It was completely different to what I’ve done before, because it was with adults. And what struck me at the time was the effect Santa Claus had on grown men and women. I couldn’t get over it.What I noticed was that when you start talking to these adults, they reverted back to children. There was a place in their hearts where Santa still lived, and it was coming out. I was getting something from these guys and girls that I hadn’t experienced before, that you don’t get with ordinary kids. And I realised it was ok. It’s something in our childhoods, a part of growing up.” I was going through a phase where I was searching for truth in my life, and I had my doubts about the lies you tell kids. As his acting career continues to grow, Degnan finds himself with less and less time to play Santa, but he always manages to fit in a charity event or fundraiser every year. Having made his peace with Santa, Degnan can see both the joy and the important lessons that St. Nick has to offer children. “I love it, because it brings out the child in me. I love kids anyway, and I love to give them that little bit of special magic. And if I portray that, I think it’s great, because we have to nurture kids and give them little surprises. “But you also realize it’s a learning experience. You reinforce to kids that not everything that you hear is true. It’s true at the time, but then you have to go out and develop for yourself. The pain that you feel when you discover that Santa isn’t real is a learning curve.” But though Degnan has embraced the role, there are times when even Father Christmas needs his downtime. “I was in a restaurant a year ago, having a meal with my wife, and there was some children sitting across from us in the aisle. I was drinking a pint of Guinness, and I overheard this girl saying ‘Mammy, Santa drinks Guinness!’ I thought ‘Oh my god is this going to follow me all my life?’ Degnan Geraghty is represented by Alex Cusack Management. You can find out more at alexcusackmanagement.com 24