A History of Irish Prowess At The Oscars
Words: Dray Morgan
There’s no denying that big Irish heads in media have become far more commonplace as time goes on. With the turn of the ’20s, we have seen an explosion of Irish influence on the big screen, whether it be behind the scenes or in the spotlight. However, this didn’t happen overnight. Let’s look through some of the monumental moments which carved the pathway for Irish domination in the film sector.
Ireland’s First Oscar
More than just a pretty pub name, George Bernard Shaw was a wordsmith whose influences extended across the world. In 1938, Bernard Shaw won the Academy Award for ‘Best Adapted Screenplay’ for the film production of his work ‘Pygmalion’. The film is about the struggle of Eliza Doolittle as she is lifted from her lower-class roots and transformed into an upper class woman. Bernard Shaw would go on to win the Nobel Prize in Literature.
First Award For An Irish Actor
Ireland saw its first acknowledgement of excellence on the stage when Dublin-born Barry Fitzgerald won ‘Best Supporting Actor’ for his role in the American musical ‘Going My Way’. Fitzgerald played a priest alongside lead Bing Crosby, with the film being one of the most successful in Academt Award history. Fitzgerald was the only actor that year to be nominated for two different awards for his acting role here.
My Left Foot
My Left Foot is now an iconic piece of cinema. Here, Daniel Day-Lewis became the first actor with Irish citizenship to win the coveted Oscar for ‘Best Actor’, a feat he would repeat two more times in 2007 and 2012. Alongside Day-Lewis, Brenda Fricker became the first Irish actress to win an Academy Award, winning under ‘Best Actress in a Supporting Role’ for her role as Bridget Fagan Brown, the mother of Day-Lewis’ character.
An Cailín Ciúin
The Irish language short, An Cailín Ciúin, made Irish history as the first Irish language film to be nominated for ‘Best International Film’. Following the story of a nine-year-old girl who experiences a loving home for the first time while visiting Rinn Gaeltacht in Waterford, the film swept Irish awards as well as receiving international recognition.
Theory Can Only Take You So Far
In 2024, Cillian Murphy made Irish history when he won the Academy Award for ‘Best Actor in a Leading Role’ for his performance in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer. One of the highest-grossing films of the decade, Murphy still stands as the first and only Irish-born winner of the award.
Behind The Scenes
Ireland has also seen success behind the scenes. Over the lifespan of The Academy Awards, 21 Oscars have been won by an Irish person, with 11 of those coming from Irish creatives behind the scenes. This year, we saw the Irish-produced Donald Trump film, ‘The Apprentice’, received two Oscar nominations, as well as Lisburn native Nick Emerson, nominated for his editing work on ‘Conclave’.
