Jessie Buckley makes history: First Irish woman to win Best Actress Oscar

She's gone and done it. Irish actress Jessie Buckley made history on Sunday night, becoming the first woman from her homeland to win the Best Actress Oscar. The 36-year-old Killarney native took home the trophy for her role as Agnes Shakespeare in the film Hamnet, and let's just say, there weren't many dry eyes in the house.

Buckley, ever the natural, kicked off her speech with a burst of laughter before landing a line that hit straight in the feels: "It's Mother's Day in the UK, so I want to dedicate this to the beautiful chaos of a mother's heart." She thanked her eight-month-old daughter Isla, who was probably "dreaming of milk," and her husband Freddie Sorensen, with whom she wants to make "another 20,000 kids." It was pure Buckley – down-to-earth, heartfelt, and perfectly pitched.

The journey from Killarney to Hollywood's heights

Many might not remember that Buckley's career started from a completely different place. She was just 18 when she came second in the British talent search I'd Do Anything, which was looking for a new Nancy for the musical Oliver! The win went elsewhere, but Buckley made a decision that would define the rest of her life: she didn't settle for the understudy role, instead applying to London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and graduating as a classically trained drama actress.

Before her big break, she paid her dues singing at London's high-end club Annabel's, where, as she herself put it, "the rich people weren't listening." But it was there she honed the skills that would later blow the roof off.

The years of the Wild Rose and the Beast

Buckley's film debut came in 2017 with the thriller Beast, where she played Moll, a young woman on the violent Isle of Wight. Even then, it was clear a star was being born. The following year brought the role that made the world sit up and take notice: Wild Rose. Buckley's portrayal of Rose-Lynn Harlan, a Scottish ex-con and country music dreamer, was so electrifying it earned her a BAFTA nomination.

And here's the kicker – Buckley can genuinely sing. She holds eight-grade qualifications in piano, clarinet, and harp from the Royal Irish Academy of Music. The Wild Rose soundtrack hit number one, and she even performed at the Glastonbury Festival. This woman is no mere "actress who can sing a bit" – she's a musician who also happens to be one of the finest actresses of her generation.

From Chernobyl to the brightest Hollywood lights

If anyone still had doubts, she put them to rest in 2019. In the miniseries Chernobyl, Buckley played Lyudmilla Ignatenko, the wife of firefighter Vasily. It was a role that demanded the audience brace themselves – the scene where she tries to get to her dying husband in the hospital is one of the most harrowing of the decade.

Around the same time, she also starred in the film Judy opposite Renée Zellweger and appeared in the fourth season of Fargo. In 2021, The Lost Daughter earned her first Oscar nomination (Best Supporting Actress), and it was Olivia Colman herself who insisted Buckley play the younger version of her character, Leda.

Since then, we've seen her in Women Talking as Mariche, a member of a Mennonite community, and Alex Garland's psychological horror film Men, in which she carried the entire weight of the movie on her shoulders.

What's the takeaway?

Buckley is proof that a country singer from a talent show can grow into one of the world's most respected actresses, provided you have enough talent and enough grit. Her role choices have always been brave – she's never gone for safe sympathy votes, instead opting for complex, fractured, and deeply human women who could have stepped straight from the pages of a Virginia Woolf novel.

And now it's official: Jessie Buckley is an Oscar winner. And we all know this is just the beginning.

Buckley's key roles at a glance:

• Beast (2018) – film debut where she showed her claws straight away.
• Wild Rose (2018) – breakthrough role as a country singer.
• Chernobyl (2019) – Lyudmilla, the firefighter's wife who touched millions.
• The Lost Daughter (2021) – young Leda, which brought her first Oscar nomination.
• Women Talking (2022) – Mariche as part of a stellar ensemble.
• Hamnet (2025) – Agnes Shakespeare, the role that won the first Irish Best Actress Oscar.