Saoirse Ronan got an Oscar nomination when she was 13 years old for Joe Wright’s Atonement (2007) — an honor that arrived one year after the actress made her film debut in the less seen I Could Never Be Your Woman. Following her early successes, Ronan has chalked up a total of four Oscar nominations along with five BAFTA nominations and a Golden Globe. But more essential than her awards bona fides or prestige-film credits is Ronan’s other feat: She is connected to just about every other famous Irish actor working right now. Sure, Ireland isn’t that big a country. But if you look at the Irish acting scene, you’ll see a close-knit web with Ronan at the center, cementing her status as the most prominent Kevin Bacon–style Irish celebrity of our time.
Nicola Coughlan
The Derry Girls and Bridgerton star hasn’t directly worked with Ronan, but both share a link to Gerwig, who directed Coughlan in last year’s Barbie.
Jamie Dornan
Co-starred with Kristen Wiig in Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar. Might there be room for Ronan in a Barb & Star sequel? Barb & Star & Sersh has a good ring to it.
Colin Farrell
Co-starred with Brendan Gleeson in The Banshees of Inisherin and with Barry Keoghan in The Killing of a Sacred Deer
Australian auteur Peter Weir’s last movie prior to retirement was 2010’s The Way Back, a survival epic starring Farrell and Ronan as Russian and Polish refugees making a dangerous trek across the Gobi Desert.
Michael Fassbender
Steve McQueen directed Fassbender in Hunger
Brendan Gleeson
Co-starred with Colin Farrell in The Banshees of Inisherin; Domhnall Gleeson is his son
Domhnall Gleeson
Gleeson made up one point of the love triangle that propelled Ronan’s character in Brooklyn, her second Oscar-nominated role and first Best Actress nomination.
The Pluck of the Irish
The Pluck of the Irish
Eve Hewson
Jack Reynor and Hewson co-star as brother- and sister-in-law-to-be in Netflix’s pulpy The Perfect Couple, though the two had already worked together on Apple TV+’s Flora and Son.
Barry Keoghan
Co-starred with Colin Farrell in The Killing of a Sacred Deer
Jack Lowden
Ronan’s husband
Lowden starred alongside last year’s Best Actor winner and Irish notable Murphy and Sabrina Carpenter beau Keoghan in Dunkirk. While Keoghan and Murphy were relegated to the boat scenes, Lowden’s role had him mostly stick to the skies — but these guys must have overlapped on a red carpet or three during the film’s rollout.
Steve McQueen
Ronan stars in McQueen’s World War II epic, Blitz.
Paul Mescal
Co-starred with Andrew Scott in All of Us Strangers
Mescal and Ronan two starred in the steamy sci-fi Foe (2023), though perhaps more notably, they were seen living it up at Glastonbury this year.
Cillian Murphy
Co-starred with Florence Pugh in Oppenheimer
Ruth Negga
Steve McQueen directed Negga in 12 Years a Slave (her scenes did not make the final cut)
Florence Pugh
Co-starred with Ronan in Little Women and with Cillian Murphy in Oppenheimer
Jack Reynor
Co-starred with Florence Pugh in Midsommar
Reynor and Eve Hewson co-star as brother- and sister-in-law-to-be in Netflix’s pulpy The Perfect Couple, though the two had already worked together on Apple TV+’s Flora and Son.
Fiona Shaw
Shaw and Ronan co-starred in Ammonite. Remember Ammonite? Both of these actors may prefer you don’t.
Andrew Scott
Co-starred with Paul Mescal in All of Us Strangers
Scott and Ronan co-stars? No. Fellow Glastonbury partyers? Yes.
Kristen Wiig
In an infamous video for W magazine, Ronan said her favorite sex scene in cinema was Will Forte and Wiig in the MacGruber movie.