 He was in amateur dramatic productions with the Lantern Theatre and the Guinness Players, and was awarded a diploma from The Royal Irish Academy in Speech and Drama.He appeared as an extra in a number of films in the 1970s and 1980s, including "The Big Red One".Conroy made his first appearance on Irish television in 1982 on the "Late Late Show", going on to present his own show, "Paint For Fun."