The Corkonian actor recognizes his success builds on the island of Ireland’s long literary and cultural history
The green wave that’s been rolling through Hollywood peaked at this year’s Oscars ceremony, when Cillian Murphy became the first Irishman to win the Best Actor award for Oppenheimer. It wasn’t the only green moment of the night, as the Yorgos Lanthimos film Poor Things – produced by Dublin’s buzzy Element Pictures – scooped four statuettes.
The incredible wins topped off the Hollywood moment that Ireland has been having lately, from the 2023 Oscars win for short film An Irish Goodbye, to stars like Paul Mescal, Andrew Scott and Barry Keoghan being lauded in Tinseltown for their roles in films like All of Us Strangers and Saltburn.
This new generation shows just how much the island of Ireland punches above its weight in culture – and how a long literary and creative legacy has been building towards the creation of high-voltage stars from the Emerald Isle.
Today, Cillian Murphy is based in the Dublin seaside town of Monkstown, but he grew up in the Cork suburb of Douglas. As a young actor, he rehearsed for roles – like his breakout in Enda Walsh’s Disco Pigs– in one of the city’s cultural hubs, the Triskel. As a student in University College Cork, his band Sons of Mr Green Genes played various venues across the city center, including the iconic Sir Henry’s.
Though he left music for acting, Murphy has never left his musical roots behind. He’s one of the curators of the biennial Sounds from a Safe Harbour festival, which brings a vibrant week of music and art to venues like the Cork Opera House, the Everyman and Coughlan’s pub.
When he wants to get away from things, Murphy turns to Cork’s neighbor, travelling to West Kerry on Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way. He told Condé Nast Traveller it’s the place in the world that makes him feel happiest, and that going to the Blasket Islands “cleans out the cobwebs from your brain”.
One of the keys to Ireland’s cultural success was pinpointed by Murphy after his Oscar win. “I think in Ireland we’re really great at supporting artists,” he told the press. “And I think we need to continue to support artists and the next generation of artists and directors. I think that’s vitally important.”
Much support for Irish film today comes from Screen Ireland/Fís Éireann, which contributed to the game-changing 1990s Hollywood success of directors like Jim Sheridan and Neil Jordan. Actors like Murphy built on this, while younger performers such as Paul Mescal and Alison Oliver (Saltburn) are showcasing the current prowess of Ireland’s drama schools, like the Lir Academy at Trinity College Dublin.
Add to this the fact that the island of Ireland, with its gorgeous coastal vistas, rolling hills and ancient sites, provides endless inspiration for creators. Think of Dublin city as seen by James Joyce, or how rural West of Ireland inspired John McGahern (whose novel That They May Face the Rising Sun is to hit the big screen soon) and Kevin Barry; the stunning Aran Islands, which inspired the writer John Millington Synge and were the setting for the 2022 Oscar-nominated film The Banshees of Inisherin; or how Northern Irish locations such as Co Antrim’s Dark Hedges helped bring Game of Thrones to life.
From its picturesque countryside to its bustling city streets, the island of Ireland has much to offer global travelers. And for Cillian Murphy, the country provides even more than that. “It’s defined who I am as a person, and my values,” he told CBS 60 Minutes. “It’s just home.”
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