Saoirse Ronan's parents finalize divorce after decade of separation

Paul Ronan, father to Irish American actress Saoirse Ronan, has confirmed in an interview that his divorce from Saoirse's mother Monica has been finalized.

“The divorce came through a few weeks ago,” Paul, 60, recently told The Sunday World.

He and Monica met in the 1980s and got married in 1992. They welcomed Saoirse, their only daughter, in 1994 when the family was living in The Bronx - they moved back to Co Carlow in Ireland when Saoirse was three years old.

Paul told The Sunday World: “The barrister asked me when it was over, ‘how do you feel?’

"I said, ‘I don’t know, it’s a weird feeling, of feeling happy but wanting to cry, sick but wanting to throw up, but wanting to jump for joy.'

“It’s just a combination of a bunch of feelings, you know. It’s moving on. I have done that as far as the relationship is concerned.

“To know that it was all over and not hanging over your head. It’s a new chapter and it’s a new opportunity for a new start.”

He added: “I am heartbroken about it.

“We separated 10 years ago, it was 2015. And now we are divorced, just in the last few weeks.”

Paul Ronan and his daughter Saoirse Ronan at the 2011 Irish Film and Television Awards (IFTAs) in Dublin. (RollingNews.ie)

Paul was tight-lipped about his relationship with his Oscar-nominated daughter, who recently revealed that she is expecting her first child with husband Jack Lowden, whom she married in Edinburgh last year.

Like his daughter, 60-year-old Paul is an actor. He featured in the films "The Devil's Own" and "Veronica Guerin" and the television shows "Ballykissangel" and "Love/Hate." He also stars as Anto Collins in the long-running Irish soap opera "Fair City."

According to The Sunday World, Paul is back living in Co Carlow after spending several years in Dublin minding his elderly parents. Monica lives in Dublin, while Saoirse lives in London and owns a home in Co Cork.