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Saoirse - Ireland's Newest Young Star

Debbie McGoldrick

IrishCentral.com Staff Writer

Published Tuesday, March 10, 2009, 4:13 PM

Updated Thursday, July 23, 2009, 5:55 PM

Read more: Keira Knightley

IRELAND is certainly the place to come from these days if you're a female teen with an eye towards a Hollywood career. First up this summer was Co. Louth native Evanna Lynch, all of 15, who had a highly acclaimed co-starring role in the film Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. (She'll also feature in the next film in the series.)

Now comes Saoirse Ronan, only 13, who's got four films coming out in rapid succession over the next few months in which she's starred with the likes of Catherine Zeta Jones, Michelle Pfeiffer and Keira Knightley.

Ms. Knightley, in fact, is predicting big things for Co. Carlow-born Saoirse, who she filmed the upcoming Atonement with. "I take advice from Saoirse, I wouldn't dream of giving it to her!" Knightley said when they walked the red carpet together at the recent Venice Film Fest. Wow!

Saoirse's dad is fairly well known in New York acting circles. He's Paul Ronan, who lived in the Big Apple for 13 years and worked as an actor who scored some notable parts, including with Brad Pitt in the IRA themed movie The Devil's Own. (In fact, Saoirse's bio on the authoritative IDMB website says she was held by Brad as a baby, which surely means she's destined for stardom!)

The young star got her first exposure to acting courtesy of her dad, who was starring on an RTE series called The Clinic and obtained a part for his 9-year-old girl. It's been all onwards and upwards ever since.

"I don't want to brag or anything, but I always found it came very naturally. It's just easy. And I love the people you meet on set, and I just love doing it all and I never want to stop," Saoirse told The Irish Times.

This youngster has so much work on her plate. She's currently in Northern Ireland filming the Tom Hanks-produced City of Embers, which stars Bill Murray. ("Bill? He was brilliant, great craic. He's so funny, always making me laugh when I was trying to do a scene," she says.)

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As the Irish people have a genuine sense of fun, Irish entertainment can be found in every town, village, city and county. One of the most popular forms is the festival, which is used to celebrate all sorts of occasions &emdash; everything from literary pursuits to a love of oysters. Here are a few highlights of entertainment in Ireland throughout the year: Londonderry boasts the biggest Halloween Festival in the world with around 30,000 celebrating the ancient Celtic New Year every October. Grab a dodgy mask and join the party! / The Belfast Festival at Queen’s is Ireland’s biggest International Festival and boasts an eclectic mix of music, talks, comedy, exhibitions and film. / The Galway Races, the Rose of Tralee Festival, Puck Fair in Killorglin, and the Oul’ Lammas Fair in Ballycastle are world famous and offer a great chance to enjoy Irish entertainment, life and laughs with the locals. / Food festivals are now a big draw in Ireland with local produce scoring high among international foodies. Head to the famous oyster festivals in Clarenbridge in Galway, or Hillsborough, County Down. / Tune in to a spot of music with the Open House Festival in Belfast, the Waterford International Festival of Light Opera, or the Feile an Phobail in west Belfast. Or grab a pint and tap your feet to some cool tunes at the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival. / If you prefer your festivals small and intimate, try the harp festivals in Roscommon or the rough and ready horse and pony fairs from Cavan to Cork. Even today, the horses are priced in guineas, and bought and sold with a spit in the hand. / At the other end of the scale of entertainment in Ireland lies the Wexford Opera Festival with full-scale opera productions, concerts, recitals, talks, cabaret, fireworks, and, of course, parties. / For something a little different, try the Magnus Barelegs Festival in Downpatrick offering a slice of Viking life, or the Eagle Wing Festival in Groomsport, County Down, which celebrates Ireland’s cultural links with America. / Theater fans should head to Dublin for both the Dublin Theatre Festival and the excellent Dublin Fringe Festival, with wildly exciting performances taking place in fabulous venues. / Around March 17, the country turns a shade of green for a host of St Patrick’s Festivals. All over the country, from the Saint’s hallowed burial place in Downpatrick to the more carnival atmosphere of parades and exceptional fireworks in Dublin and Belfast. / Literary lovers should head to Dublin in June for the intriguing Bloomsday Festival, where fans of Joyce’s Gargantuan Ulysses dress up in traditional gear and scoff old Dublin food like “nutty gizzards” and “urine-soaked kidneys”. Alternatively, seek out the delights of the Aspects Literature Festival in Bangor in September, an annual celebration of Irish literature with lectures, discussion and music. But festivals are just one aspect of Irish entertainment—let's not forget about music! From impromptu sessions in your local bar to the thrilling beat of U2, Ireland has always been home to the best sounds of music. Ireland’s massive successes in the Irish entertainment world include some bands and artists you may have heard of…U2, The Corrs, Enya, Westlife, Snow Patrol, Ash, David Holmes, Van Morrison and The Thrills, to name just a few. Unique and distinctive, the harp holds a special place in Irish entertainment and has come to symbolize the harmony of people and music in Ireland. It’s the earliest musical instrument mentioned in Irish literature and has been used as an official emblem for Ireland since medieval times. Today, it’s on Irish passports and stamps. But there's more: Fleadhs, or festivals, are a major part of Irish entertainment as well as cultural life, and impromptu trad sessions have become the stuff of legend at West Belfast’s Feile an Phobail, the Galway Racing Festival or Kerry’s Puck Fair. Rock and dance music festivals are also big news with the Oxegen Festival, Tennents Vital Belfast and the Electric Picnic held in summer.

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