Clelia Murphy is best known for playing one of Ireland’s most loved on-screen characters, Fair City’s Niamh Cassidy. Lately, though, the actress has been venturing away from Carrigstown to tread the boards as part of Elvis is My Daddy with Eilish O’Carroll of Mrs Brown’s Boys and Elaine Hearty.

“I’m loving it. I love Fair City, but this is different to anything I’ve ever done because I’ve never sung or danced before,” she says.

The show follows Lana Lavelle, played by Eilish O’Caroll, who was kicked out of Las Vegas after the death of Elvis Presley and then forced to go on tour with her two daughters 40 years later.

Clelia plays Lulabelle, who she describes as a “handful” and completely different from Niamh.

“I play the cheeky daughter,” says Clelia. “Niamh is such a nice person in comparison. People really enjoy Niamh and have a soft spot for her. Lunabelle is more like Patsy from Ab Fab: she’s unapologetically bold.”

Speaking about the musical, Clelia says: “It’s like a little bit of Las Vegas in Ireland.”

“Lana was a Vegas star and is back on the road now with her two daughters because she has to be,” says Clelia. “During the show she starts telling her story, and some of it is brand new to the daughters. The way she thinks the show is going to go and the way it actually happens are two very different things.

“It’s full of songs that everyone knows, like Frank Sinatra and Shirley Bassey numbers. We want everyone to take part and sing along,” she adds.

The relationship between Lana and Lulabelle is very different to the one Niamh shares with her daughter Clarabelle, who turns 18 this month. It looks like she may follow her mother’s footsteps, with a starring role in the National Youth Theatre’s production of Salt Mountain already under her belt.

“Clarabelle is a lovely actress and really creative. She’s in school, though, so the leaving cert is still hanging over her at the moment,” says Clelia.

“In the old days, we used to rehearse [Fair City] on the weekends. On a Saturday she’d come in with us and colour in and watch what was going on. To her, it was just a game,” adds Clelia.

Like Clarabelle, Clelia has been acting from a young age, but considered it as a hobby.

“I started in the Gaiety when I was 12 and I would have done speech and drama in school from the age of five, but I was never confident enough to be the kid who said ‘I’m going to be an actress’,” she says.

“Then when I sat down and had to make the decision about what I actually wanted to be, I started to take acting seriously. I wasn’t a stage kid – I would have done it for the joy of it and because I loved it – but I never would have auditioned or done pantos or anything like that.”

After a hectic few years on Fair City involving a major storyline that saw Niamh leave Paul, only to reunite once again, Clelia says the show has been very supportive of her role on Elvis Is My Daddy. The reaction she received during the affair was also quite positive, she admits.

“Everyone was saying he completely deserved it and it made perfect sense,” she laughs. “It was a big decision for Niamh, and the writers made very good sense of it. She had to go with her heart and that’s the kind of character Niamh is. She’s a good person and is all about her family.

“When she decided to go back to Paul for the sake of her family, people were delighted,” Clelia adds. “It was like she had her bit of fun, but she was right to go back to him. They were delighted when she left him and delighted when she came back.”

Clelia is happily settled in Dublin and has no plans to leave to pursue roles abroad – but is happy to keep her options open.

“Ireland is a fantastic place to learn how to act. Look at what we’re doing now: an Irish musical. That in itself is a huge thing. It’s about making the most of where you are, whether you’re in Dublin or London,” she says.

“There are some fantastic roles out there for women – that are coming out of the material that’s being written here. People are getting up and making things happen. John Murphy (director of Elvis is My Daddy) is a prime example, he always had the dream of doing a musical and he got everyone around, and before you know it we’re going to the Olympia.

“You never know what’s coming down the road. All I know is that I’m doing a musical next!”

Elvis is My Daddy runs in the Olympia Theatre from 12-14 May and 18-21 May. Tickets cost from €26 including booking fee. Call 0818 719 300 or visit www.ticketmaster.ie to book.