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Valerie O'Sullivan
Michael Fassbender with Alicia Virkander.
local boy done good
Michael Fassbender presented with Killarney's highest honour
Fassbender was inducted into the Order of Innisfallen this evening.
MICHAEL FASSBENDER MAY be used to the bright lights of Hollywood and the red carpet, but it wasn’t always this way.
The 39-year-old world famous actor has his roots in the soil of Co Kerry, and he was back in his hometown of Killarney this evening to accept the highest accolade it can bestow.
Fassbender was inducted into the Order of Innisfallen this evening at a ceremony in reception at Muckross House in Killarney National Park.
A gala black tie ball is being held this evening in his honour at the five-star Europe Hotel and Resort.
The Order of Innisfallen award is presented annually to people who have made a significant contribution to the economy of Killarney.
Fassbender – a multi-Oscar nominee and Hollywood A-lister – “availed of every opportunity to promote Killarney on an international scale”, according to a spokesperson for the award.
Fassbender was accompanied to the gala ball by Oscar winner Alicia Vikander and his Killarney based parents, Josef and Adele.
Upbringing
Fassbender’s family home is in Fossa on the outskirts of Killarney.
Growing up, he was an altar boy at the nearby Prince of Peace Church and attended the local national school.
Fassbender has starred in movies like 12 Years A Slave, Hunger, Steve Jobs, Prometheus, Frank, Shame, MacBeth and Jane Eyre and he has just completed Assassin’s Creed.
Other recipients of the Order of Innisfallen award include Daniel O’Donnell and Isolde Liebherr whose family has been a premier employer in Killarney.
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