Colin Farrell and new love Alicja Bachleda were the toast of Dublin last night as they made it back to Ireland for the premiere of 'Ondine' the new Niall Jordan film. The film stars Farrell as a fisherman who lands a mermaid, Bachleda, in his nets.

"It's gorgeous to be back in Dublin and premiere what is a very Irish film with familiar themes with regards to folklore and mythology," he said at the opening of the prestigious Dublin Film Festival.

The couple met on the set of the film 'Ondine' in West Cork during the summer of 2008.

"You start most films and wonder, are you going to get to the end of the film. I had very few expectations. In hindsight it was a more profound experience then I thought it would be," Farrell said.

"I didn't know Colin until I met him on set and he kept it professional, really professional throughout the shoot," Bachleda said. She admitted she was freezing through most of the movie because of the harsh Irish summer that year.

"It was such a cold summer. The water was freezing. It was so cold you can see my face is swollen from the cold in the film. That said, 'Ondine' and shooting the film in Ireland was my first introduction to Irish nature which is like nothing else in the world," she said .

The couple has a young son Henry and recently moved in together.