The Irish may have only won two statues on the night but they captured millions of hearts in the process
As a nation, we were waiting with bated breath to see who would bring home the iconic gold statues from Hollywood’s biggest award night. With 14 nominations in a wide array of categories, there had never been so much Irish talent represented on the red, or rather, champagne carpet leading to the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
Despite conceding defeat in the acting categories to the film Everything Everywhere All At Once, there was huge excitement when the Northern Irish comedy-drama An Irish Goodbye won Best Live-Action Short Film and Dubliner Richard Baneham won his second visual effects Oscar for his work on Avatar: The Way of Water.
In possibly one of the most heart-warming moments in Oscar history, when accepting the award for An Irish Goodbye, writer-director Tom Berkeley asked the room of A-listers to sing Happy Birthday to the film’s star, James Martin, which they gladly did.
The men posed proudly with their statues after the surreal moment, with actor Seamus O’Hara (pictured on the right) representing Ireland in the style stakes as well. Seamus wore a three-piece Glencheck Donegal Tweed suit from fifth generation Irish family brand Magee 1866, known for designing and weaving natural fibre fabrics and creating iconic clothing and accessories in Donegal, Ireland for over 150 years. This was beautifully complemented by a custom pocket square in silk from Irish designer Sara O’Neil’s brand Éadach.
Sometimes it’s the bit of the night before it all kicks off that can be the most fun as our down-to-earth stars proved with these magic moments before the glitzy ceremony.
Oscar-nominee Paul Mescal posed with his mother Dearbhla in their finery in this sweet snap shared by his sister, singer-songwriter, Nell Mescal. Paul was nominated for Best Actor for the film Aftersun but the award was won by Brendan Fraser.
And he proved he’s just like the rest of us when he took a selfie with some of the fans outside the Dolby Theatre. What a legend!
And did you know that Brendan Gleeson and Lady Gaga were pals? We certainly didn’t and are loving these photos of the pair meeting on the champagne carpet, sharing a kiss and looking like they’re having the best catch-up ever.
It was also a family affair for Ireland’s second Best Actor nominee Colin Farrell, who attended the ceremony with his son Henry. Colin was hotly tipped to win for Martin McDonagh’s The Banshees of Inisherin. The film was nominated in nine categories but left empty-handed despite winning big at the Baftas.
Barry Keoghan proved just how far he has come as he posed in Louis Vuitton ahead of the 95th Academy Awards. The young Dubliner was nominated in the Best Supporting Actor category for The Banshees of Inisherin but lost to Ke Huy Quan for Everything Everywhere All At Once.
And we couldn’t love this gorgeous photo of him with Elvis star Austin Butler any more if we tried!
Actress Kate Nic Chonaonaigh from An Cailín Ciúin looked incredible on the champagne carpet. The actress wore a bespoke Blaithin Ennis Spinnaker neckpiece and cuff teamed with a floor length gold gown from the Designer Room in Dublin.
The widely-adored film An Cailín Ciúin was well-represented by cast and crew on the night. It was nominated in the Best International Film category but ultimately lost the gong to All Quiet on the Western Front.
Kerry Condon looked like every stylist’s dream in a buttercup yellow Versace gown. Despite conceding the Best Supporting Actress accolade to Jamie Lee Curtis (Everything Everywhere All At Once), the actress shared this picture to her Instagram feed with the caption: “I had the best time. Thank you so much.”
