March 16, 2023: Aer Lingus welcomes home Oscar winners "An Irish Goodbye." Pictured are (back) Ross White and Tom Berkeley with (front) James Martin and Pearce Cullen from 'An Irish Goodbye' proudly clutching their Oscar after landing in Ireland on Aer Lingus flight EI68 from Los Angeles.RollingNews.ie
The team of "An Irish Goodbye" received a hero's welcome at Dublin Airport on March 16 after winning Best Live-Action Short Film at the Oscars last Sunday.
Belfast native James Martin, who plays Lorcan in the short film, told reporters in Dublin Airport that he couldn't believe he was coming home with an Oscar.
Martin, who famously celebrated his birthday on stage at the Oscars, described the award as a "really nice birthday present."
An Irish Welcome Home to Oscar winner James Martin 🥳☘️
Special scenes on arrival in Dublin this aftenoon on EI68 from Los Angeles ☺️ pic.twitter.com/JvlE6JlE06
— Aer Lingus (@AerLingus) March 16, 2023
Discussing potential future projects, Martin said he would "see what happens."
His mother Suzanne said she could "feel the love and support from the island of Ireland" when her son and the rest of the Irish Goodbye team won the Oscar on Sunday night.
She added that James will be meeting President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins over the weekend, while he is also set to appear on the Irish Late Late Show.
"What a dream weekend," she told the UK Independent.
There was an emotional Irish hello at Dublin Airport this afternoon for the Oscar-winning team behind the "An Irish Goodbye" movie. Amongst those waiting deliver a surprise welcome home for the trio was Mrs Cullen, the mother of the film's producer Pearce Cullen... pic.twitter.com/MrcN1HiI0T
— Dublin Airport (@DublinAirport) March 16, 2023
Ross White, who directed "An Irish Goodbye" alongside Tom Berkeley, described the Oscar-winning experience as "mind-boggling".
"When you’re making a short film on a wee farm in Northern Ireland, you’re not thinking of these kind of lofty heights. And to be with the boys on this man’s birthday was just remarkable," White told the Independent.
"We’ve been blown away. It’s been a remarkable trip, we had the best time and said we’d celebrate regardless.
"To be back home is great and we’re excited to get back up the road to Belfast for another little homecoming."
Pearce Cullen, the film's producer, also arrived home on Friday morning, describing the experience as "fantastic".
"It is starting to slowly sink in now that we have touched down on earth," Cullen said.