The picturesque Co Kerry hometown of Jessie Buckley is awash with pride and anticipation as the town prepares for Oscars night, celebrating its local star.
The 36-year-old has already garnered several significant accolades for her portrayal of Agnes Shakespeare in Hamnet, leading many to view her potential victory for best actress at the 98th Academy Awards as a distinct possibility.
In her native Killarney, a vibrant tourist hub already bustling with visitors in the run-up to St Patrick’s Day on Tuesday, the celebratory atmosphere is palpable.
Shop windows proudly display flags in the distinctive Kerry colours adorned with Buckley’s image and posters wishing her success, while banners promoting the town’s St Patrick’s Day parade depict her draped in a verdant cloak.
A prominent poster in Cronin’s butcher’s boldly proclaims: “Sam’s home, Oscar is on the way,” a nod to the Sam Maguire Cup, the Gaelic football championship trophy secured by Kerry last year.
Denis Cronin, proprietor of the butcher’s, noted that while a flag is always hoisted for the football championship, the Oscars represent “the next best thing.”
“The buzz is good, she’s local, she’s from a local family, her grandmother would have owned the Arbutus Hotel, the family still own it,” he said.
“We would have delivered to her grandmother 40 years ago, and her father as well. She started out the same as every child, her thing was acting, the next person’s thing is football, but she’s hopefully come to the top of her acting career, thanks be to god.
“It will be fantastic for the town if she wins, there will be a good celebration, it will make for a good Patrick’s Day in Killarney. Congratulations to Jessie and her family.”
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At The Dungeon Bookshop, proudly self-proclaimed as Kerry’s largest second-hand bookstore, a poster wishing Buckley well adorns the window, while the front page of the local newspaper, Kerry’s Eye, declares: “Hollywood, Here We Come!”
Maggie O’Connor, who works at the establishment situated directly opposite the Buckley family’s hotel and bar, described the local woman’s success as “amazing”.
“It’s great to see someone get out and do so brilliantly, between all the awards she won,” she said.
“It would be amazing now for the town if she won, well for herself really, it’s the biggest achievement you’ll ever get.
“It is great to see someone with all this fame, but they’re so down to earth that there’s no glitz and glam. It’s just ‘look, I’m a girl from Killarney town from Kerry, that’s who I’m going to be, that’s who I’m always going to be and I’m not going to be any different’.”
She added that even if an Oscar eludes her, the town remains immensely proud of her accomplishments. “Oh definitely, even to get the nomination for the award is better than winning the All-Ireland. Sure, how many people in Ireland can say they’ve gotten a nomination for an Oscar? You couldn’t ask for any more excitement in the town than that.”
Hazel O’Malley, owner of Hazel’s Nuts About Vintage, expressed that it was “really exciting” for Killarney.
“We’ve a long history with film, going back to the O’Kalem films and we’ve had lots of people involved in filmmaking. It’s really exciting that someone can just go for it and go for their dreams and get to Oscar level. It’s amazing.”
Her shop features a shelf adorned with cards depicting film stars and musicians as saints, notably including Paul Mescal, Buckley’s co-star in Hamnet.
“We need to get an upgrade and add her to our All Saints!” she quipped about Buckley. Ms O’Malley suggested that Killarney, also the childhood home of German-Irish actor Michael Fassbender, fosters a spirit of creativity.
“It’s a town that’s always had people coming in visiting and coming in from outside, so you feel you can do anything because the world has come to us, so we can go to the world. We’re in the middle of the national park, which is wild and free and it stirs your creativity to think bigger.”
She concluded that whether Buckley secures the Oscar on the night is secondary to the locals. “She’s a winner anyway – it’s amazing what she’s done for the town and the lift she’s given.”
Buckley’s parents, Tim Buckley and Marina Cassidy, alongside her sister, Lily, are set to attend the Oscars ceremony at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. The Buckley family’s bar will close its doors from 7pm, allowing the family to gather elsewhere and watch the awards collectively.
Irish premier Micheál Martin, currently in the US for a series of high-profile diplomatic engagements, extended his good wishes to Buckley on Sunday during the St Patrick’s Day weekend.
“We wish Jessie Buckley every success this evening at the Oscars, which would really cap off a great week for the Irish and for Ireland,” he stated at the Philadelphia parade.
