Irish Eyes Are Smiling as Banshees Gets Nine Oscar Noms
On Tuesday morning – at 5.30 am local time – the nominations for the 95th Oscars were revealed by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Beverly Hills, California. The timing of the announcements gave much of the global viewing audience sore eyes.
Colin Farrell and Martin McDonagh could take two of the biggest prizes at the Academy Awards for their parts in The Banshees of Inisherin. ©GettyImages
But many in the UK were reduced to tears. With just two Oscar nominations, 2023 represents the poorest showing by British actors at the Academy Awards in a decade. In 2021, the UK provided almost half (eight) of all the 20 acting nominations. Twelve months later, the number had fallen to five.
On March 12th, first-time nominees Bill Nighy – in the best actor category for the period drama Living – and Andrea Riseborough – in the best actress category for her role in To Leslie – will hope to bring home an Oscar. There is only a slim chance. The best novelty betting sites quote Nighy at 33/1 and Riseborough at 18/1.
Irish Film Industry Makes Prime-Time News
But Irish prospects are far better. The Emerald Isle celebrated a record 14 Oscar nominations on Tuesday. It claimed five of the 20 acting spots that were up for grabs and, for the first time, earned a nod for a feature film made in the native Irish language.
The haul – which included nine nominations for The Banshees of Inisherin, a dark comedy filmed on a remote island off the western Irish coast – was the lead item on Ireland’s flagship evening news program, relegating politics to second place. Additionally, Irish Prime Minister, Leo Varadkar, quickly declared his approval via Twitter.
Congratulations to all the Irish #oscarnominations2023. It is fantastic to see Irish creative talent achieving well deserved recognition on the world stage. Comhghairdeas mór leis An Cailín Ciúin @quietgirlfilm – the first Irish language movie ever to receive an Oscar nomination.
— Leo Varadkar (@LeoVaradkar) January 24, 2023
According to the Reuters news agency, only the United States and Britain – with populations and film industries that dwarf Ireland’s – have been represented by five or more acting nominees in a single year.
Will Banshees Be Best?
Unsurprisingly, Irish betting sites are already reporting heavy support for Martin McDonagh’s The Banshees of Inisherin for the Academy’s top prize, Best Picture. The film reunites In Burges stars Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson. With three big awards on Golden Globes night already under its belt, its prospects are good.
McDonagh’s biggest hit to date, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, missed out on the Best Picture gong at the 2017 Oscars. But punters believe the writer/director has an even stronger chance with The Banshees of Inisherin.
The movie was clipped into 5/2 from 7/2 after taking its place amongst the final shortlist of ten for the 95th Academy Awards bash in Los Angeles in March. By Wednesday morning, online betting sites had uniformly cut it into 2/1.
Four in the Frame for an Acting Award
McDonagh himself faces hot competition in the Best Director category at 8/1. Reportedly, there has been some early interest in the 33/1 offered about a spectacular treble involving that accolade taking pride of place alongside the Best Picture gong and the Best Actor award for star Colin Farrell.
Farrell, who walked off with his second Golden Globe for his leading role earlier this month, is the second favorite at 9/4 in the Best Actor category behind The Whale star Brendan Fraser (4/6). Fellow Dubliner Brendan Gleeson is 11/2 second favorite to scoop a statue for Best Supporting Actor.
Cork actor Barry Keoghan is 7/1 in the same category following rave reviews for his portrayal of Farrell’s hapless young pal. And Kerry Condon is also firmly in the running for Best Supporting Actress – she is the 9/4 second favorite.
Giving the Donkey a Nod
In total, The Banshees of Inisherin has Oscar nominations in eight categories. The only surprise is that another character, Jenny the donkey, didn’t get the nod when the Oscar candidates were revealed!
If the betting trends are to be believed, The Banshees of Inisherin can claim three or more Academy Awards on March 12th. If it does, the date will represent one of the biggest nights in Oscars history for Irish talent.
