Niall Rafferty

Niall Rafferty (born Matthew McQueen) is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Barry Sloane. He first appeared during an episode broadcast on 3 December 2007. Former Brookside actor Sloane was cast as the "mysterious" hairdresser Niall and was introduced by the series' producer Bryan Kirkwood. During Sloane's portrayal of Niall on-screen, he was central to a storyline involving the already-established McQueen family and it was revealed Niall was the illegitimate son of Myra McQueen (Nicole Barber-Lane). The storyline featured Niall seek revenge on the McQueens, which concluded in highly advertised episodes featuring Niall kidnapping his siblings and causing the death of his half-sister Tina Reilly (Leah Hackett). Niall was portrayed by upcoming actor Devon Jackson, the older brother of Hollyoaks actor Kieron Richardson, in flashback scenes depicting Niall's childhood.

Niall's other storylines included his relationship with Steph Cunningham (Carley Stenson). Sloane made his final appearance as Niall during Hollyoaks late-night special series Hollyoaks Later in November 2008. Sloane has been nominated for several awards for his portrayal of the character.