Irish pride: The Banshees of Inisherin took home three awards from last night’s Golden Globes ceremony

It’s a great day to be Irish.

As any and all In Bruges fans will know, it’s always a good idea when Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson and Martin McDonagh get together.

Pulling up to the 80th Annual Golden Globe Awards ceremony in Beverly Hills, California on Tuesday evening with a staggering eight nominations — the most for any film in 19 years — there were plenty of Irish faces among the big names and well-known faces being honoured on the night.

Hotly tipped for quite the run at the Oscars this year, Martin McDonagh’s The Banshees of Inisherin fared extremely well at the first major event of 2023’s award season calendar. Of the eight nominations received by the film, the dark tragicomedy took home three, namely Best Picture (musical or comedy), Best Screenplay, with Colin Farrell winning Best Comedy Actor.

The film, which was released back in October, has been generating quite the buzz among movie buffs across the globe, even receiving a 13-minute standing ovation at its Venice Film Festival premiere.

For those who have not yet had the pleasure of drinking in The Banshees of Inisherin, the film centres around two lifelong friends as they find themselves at a bit of an impasse when one of the pair abruptly ends their relationship. Naturally, alarming consequences ensue.

Soak in the WIN! Congratulations to our winner for Best Actor – Motion Picture – Musical/Comedy, Colin Farrell! ??

Watch the #GoldenGlobes LIVE on NBC and Peacock now! pic.twitter.com/TDgxB9rPZy

— Golden Globe Awards (@goldenglobes) January 11, 2023

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Set during the Irish Civil War on Inis Mór and Achill Island, Farrell makes a point of thanking the locals that helped to blur the lines between cast, crew and layperson, making them like “one big family for the betterment of all of our souls”.

Colin Farrell’s speech — which manages to be equal parts sincere, witty, wholesome and emotional — also addresses his love for his “dance partner” Brendan Gleeson, long-time collaborator Martin McDonagh, co-star Barry Keoghan, and the loves of his life; his children.

“Martin McDonagh, I owe you so much, man,” Farrell says during his acceptance speech. “Fourteen years ago, you put me working with Brendan Gleeson, my dance partner, and you changed the trajectory of my life forever in ways that I will, begrudgingly, be grateful to you for the rest of my days.”

.@banshees_movie WINS the award for Best Picture – Musical/Comedy! Congratulations on your big WIN tonight! ? #GoldenGlobes pic.twitter.com/DLrvYVx5pr

— Golden Globe Awards (@goldenglobes) January 11, 2023

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Of his co-star Brendan, he said: “Brendan, I love you so much. To get to cohabitate in this creative space with you every day, all I did when I got to work every day was aspire to be your equal. I’m not saying I even got there, but the aspiration kept me going and I thank you for that for the rest of my days also,.”

Colin Farrell had previously won the same award back in 2009 for his role in McDonagh’s In Bruges, so there’s clearly something in the water when these guys get together.

In Martin McDonagh’s acceptance speech for the Best Screenplay award, he paid tribute to Farrell and Gleeson. “The beautiful, nuanced performances just blew me out of the water as usual,” he said. “I love you, as you know, for your brilliance on screen, and I’ll try not to leave it another 14 years till I do the next one.”

Irish viewers can tune in at 9.05pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player tonight to see the Irish stars steal the show at The Golden Globes.