Irish Examiner view: Modesty stands out amid Oscar glory

Murphy did Ireland proud, finding time to namecheck the country's support for the arts and the need for the nation to continue to back the next generation of artists

Cillian Murphy's achievement at the Academy Awards will resonate in Ireland and will continue to shine a broader light on the Irish film industry. Picture: Patrick T Fallon /AFP

He did it. Cillian Murphy’s dazzling acting talent finally summitted the Everest of his trade, by winning this year’s Best Actor Oscar for his performance as the titular lead in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer.

Despite rabid favouritism to win the “gong-of-gongs”, nothing is guaranteed when it comes to the Oscars — just ask luminaries such as Cary Grant, Samuel L Jackson, Richard Burton, and Lauren Bacall, among others — and the Corkman was suitably humble in victory.

His achievement is something that will always resonate here and will help continue to shine a broader light on an Irish film industry that is becoming increasingly influential in a global context.

Coming alongside the four Oscars won by Poor Things, produced by Dublin-based company Element Pictures, Murphy’s achievement will reverberate far and wide and will — unfortunately for him — end what was previously a very guarded private life as superstardom beckons.

However, as has become the man’s trademark, it was his modesty that stood out amid all the hoopla of victory. That he found time to namecheck Ireland’s support of the arts and the need for this small nation to continue to back, financially and morally, the next generation of artists was welcome.

Cheltenham Festival

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Having now completed a clean sweep of all this year’s major acting awards — Emmys, Baftas, and Oscars — who knows what the future holds for a man who has been the pre-eminent male actor from this country for nearly two decades?

One thing is for sure, however, and that is it will be celebrated with tea and biscuits at his parents’ home in the heart of Ballintemple.

Cheltenham seeks to get its mojo back

In 2022, some 280,627 people packed into Prestbury Park in Cheltenham over the four days of the annual extravaganza.

It was a post-pandemic knee-jerk and it was something that could not have been comfortable for the punters in attendance.

Last year, after the decision was taken to limit the daily attendance to 68,500 per day, there was a succession of supposedly intelligent observers complaining that this was a huge financial own goal for the Jockey Club, the owners of the festival venue.

It turned out that it was not, even if Gold Cup Day on Friday was the only one that sold out.

Day three saw the venue at 90% of capacity, day two a paltry 74%, and day one was 88%. Attendances are expected to be similar this year.

Subsequent analysis of the figures showed that entry price, combined with widespread rail strikes and poor weather conditions were all factors in the downturn in 2023, but the trend is expected to continue this year — largely because people do not want to go to a venue that has become steadily more uncomfortable down the years because of the crowds.

For "the Olympics of racing" this is a sad turn of affairs, but an indication of what people will and will not put up with at sporting venues.

It is expected that the racing there this year will be as exciting and competitive as ever, and that the Irish hoards travelling to the Cotswolds will have more winners than ever to cheer on, such is our increasing dominance of the races.

The impact of one man, Willie Mullins, is largely responsible for this and, conceivably, he could be responsible for 10 winners out of the 28 races this year.

That is a level of dominance unheard of at Cheltenham, even going back to the days of the great Corkman, Vincent O’Brien, who saddled legends such as Vickerstown, Cottage Rake, Hatton’s Grace, and Knock Hard.

Mullins has many hot-pots at this year’s festival — Galopin Des Champs and State Man most notably — and his achievements this year will breathe new life into an event that was in danger of losing its mojo.

Far-right gains

The swing to the right in Portuguese politics — as evidenced by the results of last weekend’s general election — was seemingly fuelled by a broader European trend that has seen big gains made by the far-right across the continent, from Sweden to the Netherlands to France, and will be seen elsewhere this year.

A narrow victory for the Democratic Alliance, made up of the large Social Democratic Party (PSD) and two smaller right-wing parties, over the Socialist Party (PS) which ruled Portugal for the past eight years and — in large part — since the fall of the authoritarian Salazar regime in 1974, is seen as a creditable boost for right-wing parties across Europe.

Part of the reason for the Socialists’ fall from power is that younger voters remember nothing of the Salazar dictatorship and a large number of them voted for the far-right Chega party, mainly in the 18-24 demographic.

Chega enjoyed a surge in popularity in last weekend’s poll, quadrupling its seat count from 12 to 48 to finish third in the election.

However, the result has posed a headache for Luís Montenegro. He has said he will not do business with Chega because of the “often xenophobic, racist, populist, and excessively demagogic” views of its leader, André Ventura, who is a former football pundit.

Montenegro is expected to come under increasing pressure to change his tune on Chega in order to get legislation through parliament.

If that happens, then the European far-right will once more have succeeded in garnering influence in a country where it previously had none.