Cork delight as Jessie meets Oscar

Oscar winner Jessie Buckley’s former mentor from Cork is celebrating the Irish actress’ amazing win at Sunday’s ceremony in Los Angeles.

Bandon woman Fiona Crowley, of the Fiona Crowley Stage School, spoke with PJ Coogan and guest host Paul Byrne on Cork’s 96FM 'The Opinion Line' this week.

Ms Crowley, who first met Kerry native Jessie when she was just 16, described her win at the Oscars as “a wonderful day for Jessie, a wonderful day for the family, and a wonderful day for anyone involved in the arts”.

With the win, Jessie became the first Irish woman to snag the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in historical drama ‘Hamnet’, directed by Chloé Zhao and starring fellow Irish actor Paul Mescal. Ms Crowley said: “This isn't an overnight success. This is a girl who has really grafted with her art.

“I think really that's the biggest thing about Jessie, that it hasn't been about the awards, it's been about the work that she's done.

“In my world, really a success is when you're brave enough to put yourself up there, and so Jessie did that from a very early age. So, she was always a winner to me, without sounding clichéd. That's the bravery; that's the sign of a real, real performer. Someone who's brave enough to put themselves on that stage,” said Ms Crowley.

The Cork celebrations didn’t end there though, with Jessie’s first cousin and manager of the Castle Hotel in Macroom, Rory Buckley, also singing her praises on Cork’s 96FM ‘s ‘The Opinion Line’.

He said: “A lot of the cousins met there around 10pm last night in the bar, and the Oscars started at 11pm and at about 2.30am, she was awarded the Best Actress. So, we had a lovely night. We all got dressed up in our tuxes and we had champagne and cheese boards.

“It was just a really nice way to celebrate the moment.

“These things don't happen very often, as it's Ireland's first time ever winning the Best Actress in the Oscars. So, you have to celebrate these moments and mark them.

“All night it was kind of excitement, but when she got the award and gave her wonderful speech, I don't think there was a dry eye in the house really. It just hit everyone then what she'd achieved and where she had come from,” said Mr Buckley.