Gabriel Byrne at the Cork Film Festival: 'Festivals like this keep alive the idea that cinema matters'

Ahead of Cork Film Festival, Gabriel Byrne looks back on a near five decades of working in the industry with Colin Sheridan

Gabriel Byrne attends the world premiere of "Ballerina", presented by Lionsgate, at TCL Chinese Theatre on June 03, 2025 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images)

Gabriel Byrne appears on screen in the small square of a Zoom call, his face instantly familiar but lighter than expected, the Dublin timbre unhurried.

“I go down to Cork very regularly,” he says, rolling the word as though tasting it.