Irish talent, including Killarney star Jessie Buckley, makes strong show in Oscar noms

Irish talent will be well represented at the 98th Academy Awards, the winners of which will be announced on Sunday, March 15, in Hollywood, California.

Killarney native Jessie Buckley leads the Irish pack with a nomination for her starring role as Agnes Shakespeare in "Hamnet," the film adaptation of Irish author Maggie O'Farrell's novel.

Buckley is nominated in the Actress in a Leading Role category alongside Rose Byrne ("If I Had Legs I'd Kick You"), Kate Hudson ("Song Sung Blue"), Renate Reinsve ("Sentimental Value"), and Emma Stone ("Bugonia").

Having already won the Golden Globe for her starring role in "Hamnet," Buckley stands a strong chance of bringing home the Oscar. Should she win, Buckley will be the first Irish actress ever to win the Actress in a Leading Role Academy Award.

This is Buckley's second Oscar nomination. In 2022, she was nominated in the Actress in a Supporting Role category for "The Lost Daughter," but lost out to Ariana DeBose for "West Side Story."

"Hamnet" was also nominated in seven other categories: Best Picture, Directing, Writing (Adapted Screenplay), Music (Original Score), Casting, Costume Design, and Production Design.

However, in what is being considered a snub, Buckley's Irish co-star and previous Oscar nominee Paul Mescal missed out on a nomination for "Hamnet."

Other Irish Oscar nominees

In addition to a nod in the Actress in a Leading Role category, "Bugonia," which was produced by the Dublin-based Element Pictures, also picked up nominations in the Music (Original Score), Best Picture, and Writing (Adapted Screenplay) categories.

Ed Guiney and Andrew Lowe, the Irish founders and co-CEOs of Element Pictures, said on Thursday: "We’re honoured that 'Bugonia' has been nominated for four Academy Awards, and in these important categories. 

"We are so proud of Yorgos [Lanthimos], Emma [Stone], Jesse [Plemons], Will [Tracy], Jerskin [Fendrix] and all the incredible talent behind 'Bugonia,' and once again so grateful to the amazing Element team in O’Connell Street [in Dublin] who have worked so hard to help bring the film to life and out into the world."

Meanwhile, Richard Baneham, a native of Dublin, is among the nominees for "Avatar: Fire and Ash" in the Visual Effects category. Baneham already has two Oscars to his credit, one for "Avatar" in 2010 and another for "Avatar: The Way of Water" in 2023.

"Retirement Plan" from Dublin-based filmmaker John Kelly is nominated in the Animated Short Film category. Irish actor Domhnall Gleeson voices the project that was co-written by Kelly and Tara Lawall and commissioned by Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland and RTÉ.

"Blue Moon," which was filmed in Ireland and produced in association with the Dublin-based Wild Atlantic Pictures, is nominated in the Actor in a Leading Role (Ethan Hawke) and Writing - Original Screenplay (Robert Kaplow) categories.

"Another powerful moment for the Irish screen industry"

“These nominations represent a remarkable recognition of the artistic strength and range of Irish creative talent,” Désirée Finnegan, Chief Executive of Fís Éireann / Screen Ireland, said on Thursday.

“It is another powerful moment for the Irish screen industry and underlines the importance of supporting talent and investing in filmmakers and artists.

"We are immensely proud to see Irish storytelling and talent so strongly represented on the global stage and wish those nominated all the best at the Academy Awards ceremony in March.”

The 98th Academy Awards will air on Sunday, March 15, from the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood in California. Irish American funnyman Conan O'Brien will be returning as the Oscars host.