Jessie Buckley’s historic Oscar win celebrated across Ireland

Hamnet star Jessie Buckley made history on Sunday night by becoming the first Irish woman to win the Academy Award for Best Actress. Back home in Ireland, Buckley’s achievement was celebrated by President Catherine Connolly, alongside Irish animator Richard Baneham, who won for Best Visual Effects on Avatar: Fire and Ash.

“Jessie Buckley’s award is a historic moment,” President Connolly stated in a Monday morning press release. “This achievement is a thoroughly deserved testament not only to Jessie’s outstanding performance in Hamnet, but to her career-long dedication to film and stage. I know that her proud community in Kerry and beyond will be sharing in this wonderful achievement.”

Taoiseach Micheál Martin also praised Buckley on social media, writing: “Congratulations Jessie Buckley on your historic Oscar success! A well-deserved win, too, for Richard Baneham on a wonderful night for Irish film and the performing arts.”

In Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet, Buckley plays a mother grieving the loss of her young son alongside co-star Paul Mescal. Her brother, Killian, supported her in an interview with Irish broadcaster RTÉ, saying: “I’m so, so proud of her; it’s just beautiful to see. She’s my sister, but she’s also such a kind and genuine person.”

During her speech, Buckley revealed that her family was present because “Ireland bought them flights.” She honored them by saying, “Mom, Dad, thank you for teaching us to dream and to never be defined by expectation, but to care from your own passion.” Buckley was previously nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role in The Lost Daughter.

The timing of the award held special symbolic meaning as it fell on Mother’s Day in the UK. Buckley, clearly moved, dedicated the win to mothers everywhere: “I would like to dedicate this to the beautiful chaos of a mother’s heart. We all come from a lineage of women who continue to create against all odds.” The actress, who recently became a mother herself, joked that her eight-month-old daughter probably “has no idea what’s going on and is probably dreaming of milk.”

Posters celebrating Buckley’s Oscar triumph have been displayed across her home county of Kerry.