Every county has a favourite son or daughter. A native the people feel they have collectively produced and is their finest export. Someone to be proud of, an ambassador of sorts.
People can also feel this collective identity in relation to their province, and there’s often a belief that different provinces have different character traits.
In honour of this Leinster-themed edition, we have profiled some notable people from Leinster in the arts and entertainment world. From writers to actors, singers and presenters, Leinster has a little bit of everything.
Outside of the big cities, one of the most prolific towns in Ireland to produce musical talent has to be Mullingar, Co Westmeath. And, who is the biggest singing star the town has ever produced? Well, that depends on who you ask. Speaking broadly here, younger people will say Niall Horan of One Direction fame, who has certainly the biggest international profile, or possibly even The Blizzards’ Bressie. But, among the people of Ireland, Joe Dolan is definitely a contender for the most well-known Mullingar man, that’s for sure. People in Mullingar love Joe Dolan. There’s a statue of him and a bridge named after him in the town. With his iconic white suit, many people miss his stage presence since his passing in 2007. Niall Horan, of course, is both a member of one of the most successful boybands ever and now a recording artist in his own right.
Maeve Binchy.
Ireland’s literary history is embossed with names known the world over. From the great writers of the early 20th century, the tradition has been upheld unwaveringly into the 21st century. Among the modern Irish greats to wield the pen is of course the late great Meave Binchy. Born in Dalkey, Co Dublin, Maeve was first a teacher, but not for too long, as her passion and talent for writing shone through. She went on to write for The Irish Times and of course then became an extremely popular novelist, writing books such as Light a Penny Candle, Tara Road and Circle of Friends – the latter was adapted into a movie starring Minnie Driver. At the time of her death in 2012, Maeve had sold over 40m copies of her books in 37 languages and this has only increased in recent years, as her themes of love, changing Irish culture and religion, family dynamics and the rural-urban pull, continue to enthral new generations of readers.
Laura Whitmore pictured at the launch of Diet Coke's Because I Can. \ Andres Poveda
Long-standing readers may remember some years ago when Laura Whitmore appeared on the cover of Irish Country Living towards the start of her television career in MTV. Since then, the presenter has only gone from strength-to-strength, fronting and working on a plethora of shows, including I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! Now! and Survival of the Fittest. Most notably, early this year she replaced Caroline Flack as the presenter of Love Island UK. Sadly, Caroline passed away during the last series of Love Island and Laura paid an emotional tribute to her friend on her BBC radio show, Laura Whitmore’s Sunday Session. From Bray, Co Wicklow, Laura studied journalism at Dublin City University (DCU). She landed her first role in MTV News, through a talent search.
Saoirse Ronan pictured at the special screening of Mary, Queen of Scots at The Stella Theatre. \ Andres Poveda
You can’t talk about Irish stars of any description without including Saoirse Ronan. Jimmy Kimmel once introduced her: “Our next guest is one of the very few people to be nominated for an Academy Award before they were old enough to drive.” Ronan has been nominated for four Academy Awards, the first when she was just 13 for The Lovely Bones. The now-26 year old’s breakthrough role came in 2003 in Irish medical drama, The Clinic. She has since gone on to act in blockbuster movies such as The Grand Budapest Hotel, Lady Bird, Brooklyn and Little Women. Although she was born in America to Irish parents, Carlow claims Saoirse entirely, as that’s where she attended national school and grew up.
Children’s author Eoin Colfer is synonymous with his most famous children’s book series, Artemis Fowl. The first book was released in 2001 and to date the series has sold over 25m copies. His other books have also frequented bestseller lists. Artemis Fowl has been made into a movie, which was set for release next month. Eoin grew up in Wexford town. His father was a school teacher, historian and artist, while his mother was a drama teacher. Eoin himself went on to qualify as a teacher and worked in Wexford for a while. After getting married he and his wife spent four years working in Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Italy; experiences which he subsequently went on to base his first book, Benny and Omar, on. It was published in 1998. Eoin still lives in Wexford.
Read more
Let loose in Leinster
'You’re the girl from the Farmers Journal?'
Every county has a favourite son or daughter. A native the people feel they have collectively produced and is their finest export. Someone to be proud of, an ambassador of sorts.
People can also feel this collective identity in relation to their province, and there’s often a belief that different provinces have different character traits.
In honour of this Leinster-themed edition, we have profiled some notable people from Leinster in the arts and entertainment world. From writers to actors, singers and presenters, Leinster has a little bit of everything.
Outside of the big cities, one of the most prolific towns in Ireland to produce musical talent has to be Mullingar, Co Westmeath. And, who is the biggest singing star the town has ever produced? Well, that depends on who you ask. Speaking broadly here, younger people will say Niall Horan of One Direction fame, who has certainly the biggest international profile, or possibly even The Blizzards’ Bressie. But, among the people of Ireland, Joe Dolan is definitely a contender for the most well-known Mullingar man, that’s for sure. People in Mullingar love Joe Dolan. There’s a statue of him and a bridge named after him in the town. With his iconic white suit, many people miss his stage presence since his passing in 2007. Niall Horan, of course, is both a member of one of the most successful boybands ever and now a recording artist in his own right.
Maeve Binchy.
Ireland’s literary history is embossed with names known the world over. From the great writers of the early 20th century, the tradition has been upheld unwaveringly into the 21st century. Among the modern Irish greats to wield the pen is of course the late great Meave Binchy. Born in Dalkey, Co Dublin, Maeve was first a teacher, but not for too long, as her passion and talent for writing shone through. She went on to write for The Irish Times and of course then became an extremely popular novelist, writing books such as Light a Penny Candle, Tara Road and Circle of Friends – the latter was adapted into a movie starring Minnie Driver. At the time of her death in 2012, Maeve had sold over 40m copies of her books in 37 languages and this has only increased in recent years, as her themes of love, changing Irish culture and religion, family dynamics and the rural-urban pull, continue to enthral new generations of readers.
Laura Whitmore pictured at the launch of Diet Coke's Because I Can. \ Andres Poveda
Long-standing readers may remember some years ago when Laura Whitmore appeared on the cover of Irish Country Living towards the start of her television career in MTV. Since then, the presenter has only gone from strength-to-strength, fronting and working on a plethora of shows, including I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! Now! and Survival of the Fittest. Most notably, early this year she replaced Caroline Flack as the presenter of Love Island UK. Sadly, Caroline passed away during the last series of Love Island and Laura paid an emotional tribute to her friend on her BBC radio show, Laura Whitmore’s Sunday Session. From Bray, Co Wicklow, Laura studied journalism at Dublin City University (DCU). She landed her first role in MTV News, through a talent search.
Saoirse Ronan pictured at the special screening of Mary, Queen of Scots at The Stella Theatre. \ Andres Poveda
You can’t talk about Irish stars of any description without including Saoirse Ronan. Jimmy Kimmel once introduced her: “Our next guest is one of the very few people to be nominated for an Academy Award before they were old enough to drive.” Ronan has been nominated for four Academy Awards, the first when she was just 13 for The Lovely Bones. The now-26 year old’s breakthrough role came in 2003 in Irish medical drama, The Clinic. She has since gone on to act in blockbuster movies such as The Grand Budapest Hotel, Lady Bird, Brooklyn and Little Women. Although she was born in America to Irish parents, Carlow claims Saoirse entirely, as that’s where she attended national school and grew up.
Children’s author Eoin Colfer is synonymous with his most famous children’s book series, Artemis Fowl. The first book was released in 2001 and to date the series has sold over 25m copies. His other books have also frequented bestseller lists. Artemis Fowl has been made into a movie, which was set for release next month. Eoin grew up in Wexford town. His father was a school teacher, historian and artist, while his mother was a drama teacher. Eoin himself went on to qualify as a teacher and worked in Wexford for a while. After getting married he and his wife spent four years working in Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Italy; experiences which he subsequently went on to base his first book, Benny and Omar, on. It was published in 1998. Eoin still lives in Wexford.
Read more
Let loose in Leinster
'You’re the girl from the Farmers Journal?'
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