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

She's done it. On Sunday night, Irish actress Jessie Buckley made history, becoming the first woman from her home country to win the Best Actress Oscar. The 36-year-old from Killarney took home the trophy for her role as Agnes Shakespeare in Hamnet, and yes, there weren't many dry eyes in the house during that moment.

Buckley herself seemed completely in her element – her speech started with infectious laughter and continued with a heartfelt line that hit home: "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." The speech was pure Buckley – down-to-earth, emotional, and perfectly timed.

The journey from Killarney to the heights of Hollywood

Many might not remember that Buckley's career actually started from a very different place. She was just 18 when she came in second on the British talent search show 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 defined the rest of her life: she didn't settle for being an understudy, instead applying to London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and graduating as a classically trained drama actress.

Before her big break, she supported herself by singing at London's upscale club Annabel's, where, as she herself put it, "the rich folks weren't really listening." But that's where she honed the skills that would later blow the roof off.

The years of 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 next year brought the role that truly woke up the world: Wild Rose. Buckley's portrayal of a Scottish ex-con and country music dreamer, Rose-Lynn Harlan, was so electrifying it earned her a BAFTA nomination.

And here's the best part – 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 best actresses of her generation.

From Chernobyl to Hollywood's brightest lights

If anyone still had doubts, she cemented her status in 2019. In the Chernobyl miniseries, Buckley played Lyudmilla Ignatenko, the wife of firefighter Vasily. It was a role that required real grit from viewers – 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 opposite Renée Zellweger in Judy and appeared in the fourth season of Fargo. In 2021, The Lost Daughter brought her first Oscar nomination (Best Supporting Actress), and it was Olivia Colman herself who had insisted Buckley play the younger Leda.

Since then, we've seen her in Women Talking, where she was Mariche of the 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 contest can grow into one of the world's most respected actresses, provided you have enough talent and enough stubbornness. Her role choices have always been bold – she's never gone for safe sympathy points, instead choosing complex, broken, and utterly human women who could have stepped straight out of 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 immediately showed her claws.
• 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 Ireland's first ever Best Actress Oscar.