Celebrating St. Patrick's Day These stars are from Ireland - do you know them all?

On March 17, the whole of Ireland celebrates St. Patrick's Day - and these Hollywood stars join in the celebrations. Because they were born or grew up on the Emerald Isle.

For years he was in the service of Her Majesty as James Bond, but Pierce Brosnan was born in Ireland. He is not the only actor to have taken Hollywood by storm from the Emerald Isle.

To mark St. Patrick's Day on March 17, find out which other stars from Ireland are celebrating today.

He now also has US citizenship, moved to Scotland at the age of twelve and later lived in London: for Pierce Brosnan (71), however, his home is in the small Irish town of Navan, where the future "James Bond" actor spent his childhood.

He is still attached to his homeland today: Cillian Murphy (48) was not only born on the Emerald Isle, but also lives in the capital Dublin with his wife Yvonne McGuinness (52) and their two sons. Today, he will have to leave his home more than ever. Since winning an Oscar for the biopic "Oppenheimer", Murphy has long been one of the most sought-after stars in Hollywood.

His father was a professional footballer for Irish record champions Shamrock Rovers: Colin Farrell (48), who starred in "The Lobster" and "The Batman", was born in Castleknock, a suburb of Dublin, in 1976.

She starred in "The Banshees of Inisherin" alongside her fellow countryman Colin Farrell and was nominated for "Best Supporting Actress": Kerry Condon (42), also known from the TV series "Better Call Saul", "Rome" and "Ray Donovan", was born in the small Irish town of Thurles.

He was also nominated for an Oscar - for Best Supporting Actor - for "The Banshees of Inisherin": Dublin-born Barry Keoghan (32) first caused a stir in Christopher Nolan's "Dunkirk", and most recently made a cameo appearance as supervillain Joker in "The Batman".

Not only is he Irish, but he always seems a little crazy: "The Tudors" and "Vikings" star Jonathan Rhys Meyers (47). The actor, who was born in a suburb of Dublin, had his international breakthrough with Woody Allen's masterpiece "Match Point" (2005). And which character does he play there: an upstart who murders his affair. So please allow the above pun.

Cheers! Before Liam Neeson (72), who was born in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, celebrated his breakthrough as an actor, he worked as a forklift driver in a Guinness brewery, among other things.

He had long been a TV star in Ireland before he wowed audiences as one of "The Usual Suspects" and as psychotherapist Paul Weston in the HBO series "In Treatment": Gabriel Byrne (74) was born in Dublin.

His surname almost gives away his origins - as does his honorary title: actor and director Kenneth Branagh (64), known from "Hamlet" and "Murder on the Orient Express" among others, was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and was made a Sir by Queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022) in 2012.

Her name - pronounced as follows: Ssirscha Rohnan - is not only a tongue twister, but also unmistakably Irish: "Brooklyn" and "Lady Bird" star Saoirse Ronan (30) was born in New York to Irish parents, but grew up on the Emerald Isle. Today, the Irish-American actress lives in London with her husband and colleague Jack Lowden (34).

An Irishman conquers space: Colm Meaney (71) was born in Dublin and played the (chief) engineer Miles O'Brien in the two "Star Trek" series "The Next Century" and "Deep Space Nine". His character was not only from Ireland, but even claimed to be descended from the first and only Irish High King, Brian Boru (940-1014).

The surname also gives him away: Michael Fassbender's (47) father is German. The 'X-Men' star was born in Heidelberg, but also has Irish citizenship thanks to his mother. When Fassbender was two years old, the family moved to Ireland, where the Hollywood star grew up.

He almost became the new James Bond after George Lazenby (85) and became a blockbuster star as Dumbledore's replacement in the "Harry Potter" film series at a more mature age: Sir Michael Gambon (1940-2023) had British citizenship and was ennobled by the Queen, but the character actor was born in Dublin.

He also appeared in "Harry Potter": Brendan Gleeson (69), also known from "Braveheart" and "Gangs of New York", played Alastor Moody, a pure-blood wizard who is considered the most famous Auror of all time. He also provided the next generation of Irish Hollywood stars: his sons Domhnall and Brían are also actors.

This is probably due to the fact that many of the filming locations are in Ireland, but of course also because "Game of Thrones" had a huge cast. One thing is certain: many of the actors in the fantasy series epic come from the Emerald Isle - such as Ian McElhinney (76), who as Ser Barristan Selmy has long been a loyal companion and protector of Daenerys Targaryen.

She is the mother of strong characters: In "Harry Potter", Michelle Fairley (61) made a brief appearance as Mrs. Granger, the mother of Hermione, played by Emma Watson (34). In "Game of Thrones", she played Catelyn Stark, the matriarch who takes over the leadership of House Stark after the death of her husband, until she herself dies a gruesome death.

Roose Bolton is responsible for the "Red Wedding", one of the bloodiest and most gruesome scenes in the series: Michael McElhatton (61) made his breakthrough with "Game of Thrones" and has since appeared in blockbusters such as "Justice League" (2017) and "King Arthur: Legend of the Sword" (2017). In the latter, he met a series colleague ...

Aidan Gillen (56) also starred in Guy Ritchie's (56) "King Arthur" adventure and also had a major role as music manager John Reid in the Queen biopic "Bohemian Rhapsody". However, he also became famous thanks to the fantasy epic "Game of Thrones": as the opaque and power-hungry string-puller Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish, he played one of the most important characters in the fantasy series.

Speaking of string-pullers: as the "Master of Whisperers", Lord Varys is always forging new intrigues as the man in the background. Northern Irish-born Conleth Hill (60), who played the eunuch in all eight seasons, was also seen in the 2019 political thriller "Official Secrets" as legendary British journalist Roger Alton.

And possibly the most popular and the most hated character in "Game of Thrones" are also Irish-born: Liam Cunningham (63) played Lord Davos Seewert, one of the few characters who does not act out of pure selfishness and hunger for power.

Once again, all fans must have rejoiced at his death: The royal snot Joffrey Baratheon, played by Jack Gleeson (32), did not make many friends in "Game of Thrones". After the end of his series character, the Dublin-born young star initially withdrew from film and television. However, Gleeson is now active as an actor again: he has been part of the British series "Five Friends" since 2023.

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