17 Of The Hottest Irish Actors To Bless Your St. Patrick's Day
Forget the Blarney Stone — these guys are the Irish treasures we'd most like to kiss!
Tinseltown, Featureflash Photo Agency, and CarlaVanWagoner / Shutterstock To celebrate St. Patrick's Day, we thought we'd take a moment to honor some of Ireland's hottest actors.
So, pour yourself a pint of Guinness and raise your glass to these sexy lads!
17 of the Hottest Irish Actors (to Celebrate St. Patrick's Day!)
1. Pierce Brosnan
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Pierce Brosnan, 69, is no stranger to lists of handsome famous men. The diverse actor has won over generations of female fans, with his portrayal of the dashing '80s detective Remington Steele and as the hottest James Bond ever throughout the '90s and '00s. And once he appeared in Remember Me as Robert Pattinson's father, he began stealing Twihard hearts as well! And in his role as DC's magical superhero, Doctor Fate, he's taken a new generation by storm.
The actor has been married to long-time love Keely Shaye Brosnan since 2001.
2. Colin Farrell
Photo: Frazer Harrison / Getty Images
Jeff Bridges' Crazy Heart co-star became a major Hollywood player and sex symbol in 2002, when he appeared alongside Tom Cruise in Minority Report and as the lead in Phone Booth. Now 46, Farrell appeared to trade in his bad boy image when he seemed to settle down with now former partner Alicja Bachleda-Curu and focus on becoming a better dad to his two sons — Henry, 13, and James, 19. Most recently, he's been reported to be in an on-and-off relationship with Kelly McNamara, PA to U2's The Edge.
Bad boy, good guy — does it matter? He's hot either way!
3. Jamie Dornan
Photo: Denis Makarenko / Shutterstock
You may not have realized it, but the man who brought Christian Grey to life on the big screen was born James Peter Maxwell Dornan in Northern Ireland back in 1982. Before becoming a model, he was part of a folk band called Sons of Jim, and he has since sealed his status as a top class movie star.
Interestingly, he's been married since 2013 to Amanda Werner, an English musician and actress who married Colin Farrell in a non-legal ceremony in 2001.
4. A.J. Buckley
Photo: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock
A.J. Buckley is best known for his role as the quirky lab tech Adam Ross on C.S.I.: NY, but he's also recognized by TV audiences as the cute, scruffy guy who's shown up on Supernatural, Bones and Entourage. Since he and his parents immigrated to Canada when he was six, A.J. only has a slight hint of an Irish brogue... but that doesn't make him any less Irish — or sexy!
5. Jonathan Rhys Meyers
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This 45-year-old actor with the piercing blue eyes first caught our attention as an androgynous glam rocker (who got to make out with the sexiest Scotsman, Ewan McGregor, no less) in Velvet Goldmine and has continued to delight us with his scarily intense portrayals of a cheating husband in Match Point and the sex and power hungry Henry VIII in Showtime's The Tudors.
6. Cillian Murphy
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Cillian Murphy, 46, was born and raised in Cork, Ireland. He's especially well known for his multiple "villainous" roles, including Dr. Jonathan Crane (aka Scarecrow) in Batman Begins, Jackson Rippner in Wes Craven's Red Eye, and perhaps most popularly as Thomas Shelby in the BBC television series Peaky Blinders, which recently went wild on Netflix.
7. Chris O'Dowd
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Funny guy Chris O'Dowd, 43, is beloved for his role as Roy Trenneman in the sitcom The IT Crowd. He's also appeared in several films, including Bridesmaids, This Is 40, The Sapphires, Thor: The Dark World, Calvary, and St. Vincent.
8. Robert Sheehan
Photo: DFree / Shutterstock
Robert Sheehan was born in Portlaoise, Laois, Ireland in 1988. He's starred in multiple TV series, in The Misfits and Netflix Original series The Umbrella Academy. Not only is this handsome lad an accomplished actor, he's a published novelist as well!
9. Michael Fassbender
Photo: Christine Pettinger/Getty Images
Michael Fassbender, 45, was born in Germany but raised in Killarney, County Kerry, Ireland by his German father and Irish mother. "It's totally schizophrenic isn't it?" the Shame star has said of his dueling heritage. He's also self-deprecating about his success, which he claims is "all luck and timing."
10. Gabriel Byrne
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This well-known and respected actor has an impressive list of films under his belt. He first won audiences over with his portrayal of a gangster in Miller's Crossing, and has continued to draw us in with a wide range of characters: Winona Ryder's shy, sensitive love interest in Little Women, the crook trying to go straight in The Usual Suspects, and his Golden Globe-winning role as a psychotherapist on HBO's In Treatment.
12. Liam Neeson
Photo: Tinseltown / Shutterstock
Whether as the sensitive single dad in Love, Actually, the evil villain in Batman Begins, or the historical hero of Schindler's List, Liam Neeson, now 70, has always wowed us with his great acting chops and rugged good looks.
13. Eoin Macken
Photo: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock
Irish actor, director, and model Eoin Macken, 40, was born in Dublin and was pursuing a degree in psychology when his modeling and acting career took off. He's since been since in nearly 30 films and another dozen or so TV series, including his current role as Gavin Harris in La Brea.
14. Allen Leech
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Allen Leech, 41, grew up in Killiney, County Dublin, Ireland. He's known for his portrayal of Tom Branson on historical drama series Downton Abbey and Paul Prenter in 2018's Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody.
15. Colin Morgan
Photo: CarlaVanWagoner / Shutterstock
Northern Ireland's Colin Morgan, 37, is best known for his work as the title character in the BBC series Merlin.
16. Jack Reynor
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Jack Reynor, 31, was born in Colorado and moved to the Irish village of Valleymount with his mother when he was two years old. He's starred opposite Felicity Jones in On The Basis Of Sex, Florence Pugh in Midsommar, and Tom Holland in Cherry.
17. Colin O’Donoghue
Photo: Featureflash Photo Agency / Shutterstock
Our third and final Colin on the list, O'Donoghue, 42, was born and raised in Drogheda, County Louth, Ireland. He is best known for his role as Captain Killian "Hook" Jones on Once Upon a Time, 2011 horror thriller film The Rite, and Guillermo del Toro's animated series, Tales of Arcadia on Netflix.
Becky Broderick is a freelance writer whose childhood dream was to grow up to be Olivia Newton-John. In addition to her work for YourTango, Becky writes TV recaps and features for Starpulse.com and authors The Pop Eye, a repository for much of her useless knowledge.