The Irish Counties Producing the Most Oscar Talent

Dublin takes the crown, producing overall 53 Oscar nominees and winners and ranking as the Irish county with the highest number of Academy Award recognised figures. Some well-known Oscar nominees and winners from Dublin include Brenda Fricker, who won Best Supporting Actress for “My Left Foot” in 1989 and became the first Irish actress to win an Academy Award. Dublin has also produced behind the scenes talent such as Richard Baneham, who won Best Visual Effects for “Avatar” and later again for “Avatar: The Way of Water”. More recently, Colin Farrell was nominated for Best Actor for “The Banshees of Inisherin” in 2022, showing that the capital continues to produce Oscar recognised talent.

Kildare ranks second with a combined total of seven Oscar nominations and wins. Much of the county’s success comes from award winning makeup artist Michèle Burke, who has received multiple Academy Award nominations throughout her career. She won Best Makeup and Hairstyling for “Quest for Fire” in 1982 and again for “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” in 1992.

More recently, Paul Mescal, born in Maynooth, brought Kildare back into the Oscar spotlight when he earned a Best Actor nomination for “Aftersun” in 2022, an impressive achievement for a debut leading film role. Mescal’s rise is part of a new wave of Irish actors gaining international recognition, following his breakout role in the hugely successful series “Normal People”.

Galway and Cork share third place, with five Oscar nominations and wins each. In Galway, much of this success is linked to filmmaker Martin McDonagh. Although he was born in London to Irish parents, he spent much of his childhood in Connemara, which helped inspire his love of storytelling. In 2005, he won the Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film for “Six Shooter”. Galway itself has become a major creative hub for film, home to the internationally respected Galway Film Fleadh, which has helped launch numerous Irish filmmaking careers.

In Cork, Cillian Murphy won Best Actor for “Oppenheimer” in 2023, becoming one of the most recent Irish performers to take home the award. Cork has also played a role in Ireland’s animation success, with director Nora Twomey receiving Best Animated Feature nominations for “The Secret of Kells” and “The Breadwinner”.

Carlow and Limerick share fourth place, with a combined total of four Oscar nominations and wins. In Carlow, all four nominations come from actress Saoirse Ronan, recognised for her roles in “Atonement”, “Brooklyn”, “Lady Bird” and “Little Women”. She received her first nomination at just 13 years old, making her one of the youngest Oscar nominees ever.

Limerick has also produced major Oscar-recognised names, including legendary actor Richard Harris, who received Best Actor nominations for “This Sporting Life” and “The Field”. The county also celebrated an Oscar win through Tyron Montgomery, whose animated short “Quest” won Best Animated Short Film.

Roscommon and Kerry share fifth place, with three Oscar nominations each. In Roscommon, producer Paul Young has been central to Ireland’s internationally acclaimed animation industry, earning Best Animated Feature nominations for “The Secret of Kells”, “Song of the Sea” and “Wolfwalkers”.

In Kerry, actress Jessie Buckley has earned Oscar nominations for “The Lost Daughter” and this year for Best Actress in a Leading Role for “Hamnet”. The county has also seen success through producer Fodhla Cronin O’Reilly, who was nominated for Best Animated Short Film for “Head Over Heels”.

Other Oscar hotspots across Ireland include counties such as Mayo, where filmmaker Neil Jordan received two nominations in the same year at the 1992 Academy Awards for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay for “The Crying Game”. Mayo is also the home county of Bill Naughton, who was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay for the film “Alfie”.

Cavan has also featured in Oscar history, with screenwriter Shane Connaughton receiving a nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay alongside Jim Sheridan for “My Left Foot”.

Donegal can claim its own Academy Award recognition through singer-songwriter Enya, who was nominated for Best Original Song in 2001 for “May It Be from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring”.

Elsewhere, Tipperary-born Kerry Condon received a nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role in “The Banshees of Inisherin”. In Waterford, animator and director Nicky Phelan was nominated for Best Animated Short Film in 2009 for her work on “Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty”.

Wicklow also has its place in Oscar history, with actress Geraldine Fitzgerald nominated for Best Supporting Actress in 1939 for her role in “Wuthering Heights”. Meanwhile, Wexford is the home county of Dan O’Herlihy, who was nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role for the film “Robinson Crusoe”.

We analysed publicly available data on Irish Academy Award nominees and winners from 1928 to 2025. The research examined nominations and wins across major Oscar categories including Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Actress in a Leading Role, Best Director, Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor and Actress, Best Original Screenplay, Best Costume Design, Best Visual Effects, Best Animated Feature and more.

Each nominee and winner was assigned to an Irish county based on their place of birth or where they were raised. The nominees and winners in each county were added together to see which counties have produced the most Oscar recognised talent.