Irish American actor, musician, producer and confirmed Hibernophile John C. Reilly will be the International Guest of Honour at this year's national St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
The Oscar and Tony Award nominee, who has starred in numerous films including Step Brothers, Stan & Ollie, and Kong: Skull Island, will take part in the parade in Dublin on Thursday March 17.
Reilly has often spoken about this Irish roots.
Speaking to RTÉ Entertainment in 2018, he reminisced about his time filming The Lobster in Kerry, and said he hopes to return to Ireland "as soon as possible".
"I'm trying to get citizenship there right now," he said, adding with a laugh, "I hope someone has the good sense to send me a passport."
The actor previously spoke about his links with Ireland in an interview on The Late Late Show in 2013, saying he had a "very Irish upbringing, I think I had 35 first cousins", adding that they had a reputation for being "insane".
The fifth of six children, John grew up in an Irish-Lithuanian household in Southwest Chicago, in a predominantly Irish neighbourhood.
John’s paternal great grandfather, along with various other family members, emigrated in the early 1900s from Ireland and set about building a life in Chicago.
Speaking about his role as International Guest of Honour, he said "I am so excited to have been chosen as the International Guest of Honour for Dublin’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade this year!
"It’s been a long time since we have all been able to celebrate life together and I can’t think of a better place to do it than Ireland.
"I’m honoured to be part of the celebration of the rich history of Ireland with all of the good people in Dublin. A great day for hope and a great day for the Irish and the Irish at heart. See you there!"
John will appear alongside Grand Marshal's Paralympic gold medal swimmer Ellen Keane and Olympic gold medal boxer Kellie Harrington.
The Parade commences at 12 midday and runs from Parnell Square to Cuffe St/Kevin St junction, for approximately two hours.
The Parade will be broadcast on RTÉ One and can be watched across the world on the RTÉ Player.
Anna McGowan, Interim Director at St. Patrick’s Festival said: 'We are incredibly excited that John C. Reilly can make the journey to Dublin to take part in the national St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
"John has proudly and consistently worn his Irish roots with pride on the world stage. His family story is that of millions of our diaspora across the world and we look forward to welcoming him home."
The full programme of events at St. Patrick’s Festival 2022, which runs from March 16 to 20, can be viewed here.
