A group of well-known Irish actresses, including Eve Hewson and Eva Birthistle, have reacted with surprise after they were described as British by The New York Times.
In an end of year list of the best TV of 2022, the newspaper highlighted Sharon Horgan's comedy Bad Sisters, writing: "A quintet of British actresses - Eva Birthistle, Ann Marie-Duff, Sarah Greene, and Eve Hewson and Sharon Horgan . . . "
OH DEAR @nytimesarts WE ARE IRISH, PLEASE AND THANK YOU https://t.co/7MHiuiKXbu
— Eve Hewson (@EveHewson) December 1, 2022
Reacting with puzzlement, Hewson, the daughter of U2 front man Bono, tweeted, "OH DEAR @nytimesarts. WE ARE IRISH, PLEASE AND THANK YOU." She added, "P.S. Anne Marie is Irish/ English but… still."
Awh. I was born in Hackney, London but I'm Irish. Only my little brothers refer to me as British. When they want to wind me up.
— Sharon Horgan (@SharonHorgan) December 1, 2022
Birthistle said, "I’ll just speak for myself here but I’m definitely really 💯 an IRISH actor @nytimesarts."
I'll just speak for myself here but I’m definitely really 💯 an IRISH actor @nytimesarts https://t.co/45qddoRJ1N
— Eva Birthistle (@EBirthistle) December 1, 2022
The NYT article has since been amended but it follows a history of Irish artists and sports people having their success claimed by British broadcasters and journalists. Irish people have been extremely sensitive about the issue, reacting with either annoyance or eye-rolling dismissal.
After the 2020 Emmy nominations, The Guardian and the Daily Mail described Kildare-born actor Paul Mescal and Dubliner Andrew Scott as British, while Roscommon actor Chris O’Dowd has had to clarify that he is in fact Irish.
Wicklow-born comedian and TV presenter Ó Briain has also had his nationality misplaced and Cork’s Cillian Murphy has also pointed out his Irishness.
I'm Irish.
— Paul Mescal (@mescal_paul) July 29, 2020
Appearing on the Late Late Show in 2010, Samuel L Jackson spoke up for his SWAT co-star Colin Farrell when the Dubliner was referred to as British during an interview, with Jackson saying, "People in the UK have a big problem claiming people who aren’t theirs."
In 2016 hackles were raised when Sky News described Saoirse Ronan as "one of our own".
Farrell and Michael Fassbender were both nominated for "Best British Actor" at the 2016 Bafta awards, and following a backlash, the London Film Circle renamed some categories as "British and Irish".
The late Derry-born poet Seamus Heaney was included in The Penguin Book of Contemporary British Poetry prompting his pithy response, "Be advised my passport's green, No glass of ours was ever raised to toast the Queen".
Alan Corr @CorrAlan2
