Tom Cruise was presented with an Irish heritage certificate yesterday at an official Government ceremony to celebrate his ancestry.

Eneclann, part of Trinity College, found that his great-great-great grandfather was a landlord called Patrick Russell Cruise, who helped evicted families reclaim their homes before the famine. The actor was born Thomas Cruise Mapother IV in Syracuse New York in 1962.

“I am very proud to be Irish,” Cruise said at the ceremony.

“That is why I wanted to make ‘Far and Away'.

“There is a pride in America being Irish.”

The 50-year-old Hollywood star was in Ireland for the premiere of his latest movie, ‘Oblivion,' which premiered at Dublin’s Savoy Cinema on Wednesday night.

The award winning actor received his "Certificate of Irish Ancestry" at a breakfast reception hosted by Deputy Prime Minister Eamon Gilmore at at Iveagh House on Stephen's Green on Wednesday.

Dressed in a navy jacket, the star told reporters on his way into the event it was “great to be Irish” and added that it was “a lovely day in Dublin."

Cruise spent a full hour at the venue where he was briefed by genealogists on his ancestors who date back 800 years.

Cruise also visited the Guinness Storehouse where he pulled a pint of stout and took the time to observe the panoramic views of Dublin City from the Gravity Bar.

Also accompanying Cruise on his visit are Oblivion director Joseph Kosinki and leading lady Olga Kurylenko.

Irish genealogy company Eneclann discovered that Cruise's ancestors date back to came to Ireland in the 12th century and a Cruise was one of the knights who came to Ireland with the infamous Strongbow, whose invasion lead to the English conquest of Ireland.

The actor's paternal great-great-grandmother was Mary Pauline Russell-Cruise. She married Dillon Henry Mapother whose family were from Kilteevan, Co Roscommon. Dillon Henry Mapother moved to Louisville, Kentucky.

"To learn about the history of my family – it was incredible,” he said of the discovery of his extensive and illustrious Irish roots, “I knew I was Irish but I had no idea where it went and the depth of it. It goes all the way back to the 12th century.”

Cruise spent some time in Ireland filming “Far and Away” in the early 1990s. His Irish accent has been remembered in various worse accents in film lists.

Plans by Co. Roscommon officials to honor the star were put on hold, as a tight schedule means he won’t be visiting the west this time around.