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Jessie Buckley at this year's BAFTAs. Alamy Stock Photo
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Quiz: How much do you know about these award-winning Irish actors?

What do you know about Jessie Buckley, Daniel Day-Lewis and Saoirse Ronan, amongst others?
2.21pm, 18 Mar 2026
37

LAST WEEKEND, KERRY’S Jessie Buckley made history by becoming the first Irish woman to win the Oscar for Best Actress. 

We’ve a long history of Irish actors winning major awards. But how much do you know about them and the awards they’ve won?

Put your film knowledge to the test with this week’s Best of the Box quiz.

Who was the first Irish actor to win an Oscar - in 1944 for Going My Way?
Richard Harris
Richard Todd

Dan O'Herlihy
Barry Fitzgerald
Who was the first Northern Irish actor to be nominated for an acting Oscar?
Daniel Day-Lewis
Kenneth Branagh

Liam Neeson
Ciarán Hinds
Daniel Day-Lewis won his first Oscar in 1989 for My Left Foot. What real-life person was the film about?
Chris Brown
Christy Brown

Christian Baker
Chris O'Reilly
How many Oscars has Daniel Day-Lewis won in total?
2
3

4
5
What Shakespearean role did Ruth Negga (winner of multiple awards) play on stage at The Gate in 2018?
Lady Macbeth
Macbeth

Hamlet
Horatio
Saoirse Ronan has been nominated in total 137 times across various big and small awards ceremonies. But how many of these awards has she won?
15
37

69
102
Who is the only Irish actress to have won the Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role?
Jessie Buckley
Saoirse Ronan

Maureen O'Hara
Brenda Fricker
Cillian Murphy won an Oscar in 2025 for his lead role in Oppenheimer. But as a youngster he wanted to be a musician. What was the name of the band he was in aged 19?
Swordfish Trombone
The Disco Pigs

Sons of Mr Green Genes
Fathers of Zappa
Éanna Hardwicke won the IFTA for Best Actor - Film for his role in Saipan at this year's ceremony. He's currently treading the boards in which Irish play in London?
The Plough and the Stars
The Weir

Pygmalion
The Playboy of the Western World
Colin Farrell has won lots of awards, but never an Oscar. But how many times has he been nominated for an Oscar?
Once
Twice

Three times
Four times
Answer all the questions to see your result!
You scored out of !
Gold Statuette
You've been keeping a close eye on these winners!
Share your result:
You scored out of !
Runner-up
You know your stuff - but not everything...
Share your result:
You scored out of !
Third place
Still some swotting up to do!
Share your result:

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Best of the Box
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