7 Of The Hottest Irish Actors – Sorry, We Mean ‘Best’

English and Australian actors have long maintained a stranglehold over American cinema, but Irish thespians are now emerging as the true reigning talents of the English-speaking world.

With their melodic accents, easy charm, and sneaky wit, Emerald Isle actors like Paul Mescal and Saoirse Ronan are beginning to appear all over the Internet, forcing Americans to have recurrent fantasies of long, Guinness-fueled nights enjoyed amongst fields of clovers and horseshoes, against skies of tasty red balloons. While some Irish actors are treated less forgivingly than others, the truth is undeniable. Americans want to get lucky with the Irish. With that in mind, here are seven of the best Irish actors around.

1. Barry Keoghan

I’ll start with Barry because he needs some love right now. Barry is currently being buried by the Internet after his split from Sabrina Carpenter, despite having the largest penis known to man. Of course, this says more about the Internet and its widespread encouragement of antisocial behavior than it does about Keoghan, but I will still defend this ruddy-cheeked, funky-looking sex leprechaun with my life. Whether he’s daffily ranting in The Banshees of Inisherin or humping graves to completion in Saltburn, this man is a dazzling talent and deserves the Internet’s confused, hesitant sexual attraction. Sabrina Carpenter will be fine.

2. Saoirse Ronan

Ronan is another Irish actor who was having a rough time at the end of 2024, depending on whom you asked. The Oscar-nominated star of Lady Bird and Little Women had failed to earn a Golden Globe nomination for her work in Blitz or the Outrun – both allegedly good movies that I’ll pretend to have seen on Oscar night. However, Ronan will have plenty more opportunities. Just look at her chilling, preternaturally precocious turn as Briony Tallis in 2007’s Atonement, in which she ruins a hot guy’s life simply because she’s not allowed to date him. First of all: Can relate! Second: This Irishwoman is rizzalicious.   

3. Paul Mescal

Is it the earring? The mattail? (Mullet+rattail.) The lost, innocent gaze? Whatever the reason, Americans want to get messy with Mescal. People of all genders have the hots for this Irishman, and he’s about to become an even bigger star. After anchoring the unnecessary Gladiator 2 with his empathetic, dreamy-eyed performance, the County Kildare native is now set to star as Paul McCartney in Sam Mendes’s upcoming film about the Beatles. On top of that, his Blarney bottoming in All of Us Strangers had Gay Twitter convinced that he was queer in real life, which is no easy feat. (Who am I kidding … That’s a very easy feat.) After all, much like a clumsy person eating Lucky Charms, whenever Mescal’s character opened his mouth in All of Us Strangers, a rainbow falls out. Sadly, however, Mescal is not gay – just an icon. 

4. Andrew Scott

Whether you know him as the hot priest of Fleabag, the hot rideshare driver of Black Mirror, or the hot evil mastermind of Sherlock, Andrew Scott is hot. But this queer Dublin native also has a sizzling career, and will no doubt continue to light up screens like he did in All of Us Strangers opposite fellow hot man, Paul Mescal. When people shout “Great Scott,” they are talking about … Sir Walter Scott. What did you think I was going to say?

5. Cillian Murphy

Much like the rest of the world, I assumed that Cillian Murphy peaked after the movie Red Eye, in which he and Rachel McAdams fought to see who has the reddest eyes. But then Murphy surprised us all after resurfacing in the transformative role of J. Robert Oppenheimer in the cinematic monolith that was Barbenheimer! And then he won an Oscar for it! This Irish skinny legend does his country proud.

6. Nicola Coughlan

Who among us does not love Nicola Coughlan? Even if you haven’t caught her star-making – and fanfic-inspiring – turn on Bridgerton, you’ve probably seen that viral interview in which she simultaneously drags every living Real Housewife. Or, at the very least, you’ve seen a meme of her in Derry Girls. Or you just, like, are her! We are all Nicola Coughlan!

7. Colin Farrell

The original Irish daddy. What more is there to say? He’s talented, I guess? Big deal. After glimpsing his Blarney stones on Google Image search whenever I look him up without Safe Search on, I’m now more interested in his giant, uh, causeway. Sláinte!