Brendan Gleeson on Banshees, his 'thrilling' Oscar nomination and his new role in Joker 

The Irish star traces the most-Irish-tinged Oscars ever all the way back to 1990, the year of My Left Foot, the World Cup, and the subsequent wave of optimism that nudged him from teaching to acting. Esther McCarthy also picks out his 10 best performances 

Brendan Gleeson is one of the nominees for The Banshees of Inisherin that have contributed to the Irish making up 25% of the acting nominations at the 2023 Academy Awards. (Picture: Jeff Spicer/Getty Images)

Brendan Gleeson was 34 and already making the transition from schoolteacher to full-time actor when My Left Foot made Irish Oscars history. It was 1990, and a busy stint with theatre group the Passion Machine had prompted conversations with his wife Mary about fully pursuing an acting career.

Jim Sheridan’s powerful and funny film caused a huge stir in Irish movie circles, recalls Gleeson, with five nominations including for Best Picture, Director and Screenplay. In the end, the remarkable Daniel Day-Lewis (Best Actor) as the real-life Dubliner whose disability did not deter him from his art, and Brenda Fricker (Best Supporting Actress) as his courageous mother Bridget, brought home the biggest prizes in cinema.