What celebs have you met in Cork?
Paul Rudd, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Taylor Swift: these are just some of the super famous faces that have been spotted pottering around Cork over the years.
That’s according to a recent post on Cork’s dedicated Reddit page which has prompted a flurry of excited responses from people with first-hand stories of celebrity encounters on Leeside and across the county.
With over 250 replies, the post has stirred up some very interesting memories, although the Cork Independent does advise a small pinch of salt be taken with some of these.
One Redditor claims they unknowingly chatted with country/pop sensation Taylor Swift back in the day.
They wrote: “Chatted with Taylor Swift in Crane Lane many moons ago for 10 or 15 mins when Ellie Goulding played for Arthur's Day. I had no idea who she was, just some friendly blonde American girl enquiring if I knew who was playing.”
Another says they rubbed shoulders with one of Hollywood’s most famous couples while enjoying a bit of trad.
“Sat next to Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard for a while at Sin É not too long ago. Both lovely, had some nice chats in between tunes,” they recalled.
It's no secret that Hollywood superstar Paul Rudd has strong connections to Cork, with his late father having been a Titanic expert who led tours to Belfast and Cork, but seeing him in person was a real unexpected thrill for one Cork Redditor.
“Met Paul Rudd in a restaurant in Cobh, he apparently loves the place but what a sound fella, took pictures with everyone that came up to him without hesitation. A friend working there said he was tipping the staff €50 every drink,” they wrote.
For one Leeside husband, things got a little uncomfortable when he bumped into one of Ireland’s most beloved actors, the late Mick Lally, known best as Miley from Glenroe.
He wrote: “Myself and the wife walked into a bar just off Patrick Street; she goes to get a round in, and I'm standing at a tall table awaiting her return. I look around. Mick Lally is sitting at the bar and staring at me. I'm getting a little uncomfortable and when herself returns, I mention that Mick Lally is staring at me. She looks around and then looks back at me: ‘You're standing under the TV ye eejit, he's watching the racing’!”
Some of the other big names mentioned include actor Angela Lansbury (of 'Murder She Wrote') who used to live in Cork, musician Nick Cave, comedian Billy Connolly, John C McGinley, aka Dr Cox from 'Scrubs', actor John C Riley (apparently buying toilet paper in Tesco), and Sofia Vergara ('Modern Family') eating Lennox’s chips with her husband in Fitzgerald’s Park.
One of us! One of us!
Of course, Cork has it’s own fair share of celebs, and though many of them live elsewhere these days, they can sometimes be spotted on their home turf.
“Roy Keane walked past my office window right as some fella ran across the road to ask for an autograph. Roy gave him a bollocking then gave him the autograph anyway. Gas!” wrote one lucky witness.
Another posted: “Denis Irwin. One of the soundest lads you'll ever meet. Took time to play ball with me down the Lough in his Sunday best, left his missus on the path an' all. A true Cork gent!”
And of course, we can’t leave out our golden boy, Cillian Murphy, who is probably one of the most regularly seen A-listers in Cork.
“Served Cillian Murphy a diet club orange and asked him did he have a Boots card… he didn’t,” said one star struck Redditor.Another shared: “My dad used to play trad sessions in Charlie's. Many a time you would see Cillian Murphy there, this was around when ‘28 Days Later’ came out.”