Image copyright Ulster History Society Image caption A blue plaque is being unveiled in Belfast to remember actor JG Devlin

He was one of Northern Ireland's best known actors, and his career spanned almost 60 years.

Now, the Ulster History Circle are to unveil a blue plaque at Falls Road Library to remember JG Devlin, who died in 1991.

The west Belfast man began acting in amateur drama in the 1930s and his final film role was alongside Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman in Far and Away.

During a long career on stage and screen he also acted alongside stars like Sean Connery and Rock Hudson.

'Household name'

Born in 1907, Devlin's big break came on radio, when local actor and writer Joseph Tumelty created a series called The McCooeys.

The series, first broadcast in 1949, was based on the life of an ordinary working-class Belfast family and ran for seven years.

Devlin played the character of Granda, making him a household name in 1950s Northern Ireland.

He then went on to act on screen alongside Rock Hudson in Captain Lightfoot, which was shot in the Republic of Ireland in 1955.

Image copyright AP Image caption JG Devlin starred alongside a young Sean Connery in the 1959 film Darby O'Gill

His next big role was in the well-known 1959 Disney film Darby O'Gill and the Little People in which a young Sean Connery made one of his first starring appearances.

Meanwhile, he was a regular performer in theatre productions in Northern Ireland and in London's west end throughout his life, alongside actors like James Ellis and Stephen Rea.

'Wit and warmth'

Late in his life, he found renewed fame on TV, as Father Dooley in the popular BBC 1 sitcom Bread, set in Liverpool and featuring the roguish Boswell family.

A number of members of the actor's family are expected to be at the ceremony, where the plaque will be unveiled by Belfast's Lord Mayor Arder Carson.

Former Lord Mayor Tom Hartley will also give a talk about Devlin's life at the event.

Chris Spurr, chair of the Ulster History Circle, said JG Devlin was still revered among the acting community.

"He captured the wit and warmth of his native city in many of his roles.

"He was admired by those who worked with him, and by countless thousands who saw his performances."