TORONTO — St. Patrick, a patron saint of Ireland, wasn’t Irish but the date of his death has long been observed as a religious and cultural holiday on the Emerald Isle.
While St. Patrick remains intimately connected to Ireland, the country of 6.5 million people has produced many other famous people, including great writers like Oscar Wilde, Bram Stoker, James Joyce and George Bernard Shaw as well as actors like Peter O’Toole and Maureen O’Hara.
READ MORE: St. Patrick’s Day history, myths and fun facts
More recently, Ireland has given us immensely talented actors and musicians. Here’s a look at 17 of the island’s best known living exports.
Bob Geldof
The 63-year-old singer-songwriter was lead singer of The Boomtown Rats in the ’70s and ’80s but is best known for co-founding Band Aid, which raised millions for famine relief in Africa. Geldof was born and raised in County Dublin.
Ciaran Hinds
The Belfast-born character actor has a long list of stage, film and television credits. The 62-year-old is most familiar to North American audiences, though, as Aberforth Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and as the voice of the Troll King in Frozen.
Cillian Murphy
The 38-year-old, a native of County Cork, started out as a rock musician and became famous for playing the lead in 2002’s 28 Days Later. He has since appeared as the Scarecrow in Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises.
READ MORE: 17 songs for getting your Irish on
Colin Farrell
Hailing from County Fingal, this 38-year-old actor had a breakout role in 2000’s Tigerland and went on to become a huge star thanks to roles in films like Minority Report, Daredevil, Phone Booth and Miami Vice. He’s also made several movies in Toronto — The Recruit, A Home at the End of the World and Total Recall.
Colm Meaney
The 61-year-old Dubliner is famous for playing Miles O’Brien on Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He’s also been in a long list of movies, including Get Him to the Greek and Law Abiding Citizen. He also stars in the Alberta-shot series Hell on Wheels.
Gabriel Byrne
This popular actor, who starred in the acclaimed series In Treatment and appeared in six episodes of the Canadian co-production Vikings, is familiar to moviegoers for roles in The Usual Suspects, Stigmata and The Man in the Iron Mask. The Dublin native, now 64, also produced the Oscar-nominated film In the Name of the Father.
Enya
Born Eithne Ní Bhraonáin in County Donegal, the 53-year-old singer is Ireland’s best-selling solo artist with sales of more than 75 million records worldwide. She has also won four Grammy Awards and earned both an Academy Award and Golden Globe nomination.
Jamie Dornan
The former musician and Calvin Klein model from County Down became a household name this year thanks to his leading role in the Fifty Shades of Grey movie. He has also appeared on Once Upon a Time and The Fall. The latter earned the 32-year-old a pair of Irish Film and Television Awards last year.
Jonathan Rhys Meyers
Born Jonathan Michael Francis O’Keeffe in Dublin, the 37-year-old actor has a long list of film and TV credits, including Velvet Goldmine, Bend it Like Beckham and The Tudors. He earned a Golden Globe for portraying Elvis Presley in the 2005 miniseries Elvis.
Kenneth Branagh
This multi-talented Belfast native has achieved success on both sides of the camera and on stage. He has collected five Oscar nominations and five Golden Globe nominations and taken home an Emmy and three BAFTAs during his career. In addition to starring in films like Valkyrie and Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, he has appeared in a string of big screen adaptations of Shakespeare plays. The 54-year-old, who was knighted in 2012, directed the latest Cinderella, which topped the box office in its first weekend.
Liam Neeson
Hailing from County Antrim, this 62-year-old actor has become an unlikely action star thanks to films like Taken, A Walk Among the Tombstones and Run All Night — but his long list of credits includes memorable roles in films as diverse as Michael Collins, Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Gangs of New York and Batman Begins. He earned an Oscar nod for his role in Schindler’s List.
Niall Horan
One-fifth of boy band One Direction, this 21-year-old was born in County Westmeath. He played music from an early age and sang in his school choir — but didn’t became world famous until competing on The X Factor. One Direction is now one of the most successful acts of its kind.
Pierce Brosnan
The only Irishman to play James Bond, this 61-year-old actor was born in County Louth but considers County Meath his homeland. In addition to serving as 007 three times, he starred in movies like Mrs. Doubtfire, The Mirror Has Two Faces, Dante’s Peak, Grey Owl and The Thomas Crown Affair.
Sinéad O’Connor
A native of County Dublin, this 48-year-old singer became a global sensation with her 1990 version of Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U” and went on to make another eight albums. She has made headlines for her behaviour and outspoken nature — including ripping up a picture of the Pope on Saturday Night Live and challenging Miley Cyrus online.
Stuart Townsend
This 42-year-old actor from County Dublin honed his skills on stage before starring on screen in films like The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and The Best Man and TV shows like Betrayal and the Toronto-shot XIII: The Series.
U2
Though formed in Ireland, U2 is only half Irish. Singer Bono, 54, and drummer Larry Mullen Jr., 53, were born in Dublin. The group, which includes Brits The Edge and Adam Clayton, came together at a school in Dublin in 1976. U2 went on to record more than a dozen studio albums and collect 22 Grammy Awards — more than any other band. They were inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005.
Van Morrison
Born George Morrison in Belfast, this 69-year-old singer is best known for his classics “Brown Eyed Girl” and “Moondance.” Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993 and the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2003, he has earned six Grammy Awards during his long career. One of his nicknames? The Irish Cowboy.
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