Irish Oscar hopeful takes 'cool' nomination in her stride

A teenager from a small Co Carlow village could become one of the youngest ever Oscar winners.

A teenager from a small Co Carlow village could become one of the youngest ever Oscar winners.

Saoirse Ronan, 13, said she was proud and excited about the Los Angeles ceremony, where she is nominated for best supporting actress in the period drama Atonement, alongside established stars such as Cate Blanchett.

“It would be really nice… to go to the big ceremony and get to sit at the fancy table and everything, that would be pretty cool,” she said.

She added it was “absolutely brilliant” that other Irish people had been nominated for the blue riband event.

The star-studded Academy Awards are scheduled to take place on February 24 at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles.

With the US writers’ strike now in its 12th week, the biggest night in the Hollywood calendar is under threat however.

'Atonement' explores the life of writer Briony Tallis and looks at her character at three ages – 13, 18 and 77 – with separate actresses for each part.

Saoirse, with a life-long interest in acting, played the part of the young fledgling writer.

She was recently nominated for the Baftas awards for the British film industry.

Her father Paul is a well-known veteran of shows like Ballykissangel and the family is well known in the isolated village of Ardattin.

The dog-loving owner of a border collie recently left primary school, and local residents and family said they were delighted at her success.

Cousin Sarah also told RTE: “We are just over the moon, we can’t believe it, when she was nominated for the Golden Globes it was just out of this world,” she added.

“It is just amazing, she is so young and so down to earth, she just takes it in her stride.”

Daniel Day Lewis, 50, with a home in Roundwood, Co Wicklow, is nominated as best lead actor in the 'There Will be Blood' blockbuster.

In 2007, Day-Lewis appeared in director Paul Thomas Anderson’s adaptation of the Upton Sinclair novel 'Oil!', renamed 'There Will Be Blood'.

Day-Lewis has received a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for best actor for the role, and won both a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama and the Critic’s Choice Award for Best Actor.

Day Lewis is a regular in the 17th century Roundwood Inn, a mile from his home.

Owner Aine Schwalm said he enjoyed game, pheasant and venison.

“He is lovely, very ordinary and very nice,” she added.

“Sometimes you meet someone famous and they are different but he is down to earth and really nice, a nice family man.”

Glen Hansard from Dublin band The Frames and Marketa Irglova are nominated for best original song for 'Falling Slowly' in low-budget Irish romantic movie 'Once'.

Cinematographer Seamus McGarvey from Armagh is up for best cinematography for 'Atonement', having worked in the past with Oliver Stone, Stephen Frears and Conor McPhearson.

Sound editor on 'Transformers', Mike Hopkins, originally from Belfast, has also been nominated, for the second time.

Minister for Arts Seamus Brennan said: “I am delighted to see that Irish film-making and acting talent has once again been recognised with nominations.

“This is wonderful news for the Irish film-making community and a recognition for the talent pool that is there across a number of disciplines.”

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