‘An all-rounder in classroom’ – proud former principal acclaims star pupil’s third Oscar nod
SAOIRSE RONAN’S proud former principal is hoping his star ex-pupil will be third-time lucky after being nominated for yet another Oscar.
The native of Co Carlow was nominated for best actress for her performance in ‘Lady Bird’ yesterday, her third Oscar nomination at just 23.
And while she is going up against such Hollywood heavyweights as Meryl Streep and Frances McDormand, retired principal Paddy McInerney said if anyone can pull off such a feat, it would be Saoirse.
Mr McInerney has traced her meteoric rise to Hollywood stardom from the time he taught her at the local national school in the tiny village of Ardattin, Co Carlow, where she made her First Communion along with his son and her former classmate Patrick (23).
While she was a very good ‘all-rounder’ in the classroom and the sports ground, her talent was evident back then when she took part in the annual school production, he told the Irish Independent,
“She was excellent,” he said. “She was passionate about it. She worked hard at it and is continuing to do so.
“Talent and hard work is a surefire recipe for success and that’s what she’s having.
“Hopefully, she’ll do it this year, third-time lucky, maybe. I don’t know, Frances McDormand is the bookies’ favourite but you never can tell.
“Three Oscar nominations and she’s only 23. It’s incredible,” he said.
“She was good academically and could have chosen any field she wanted and would have been successful but it [acting] was always on the cards because of her father’s [actor Paul] connection and involvement in the profession.”
Margaret O’Neill (59), who works as a cleaner at the Ardattin National School where her mother also worked for almost 50 years, said everyone in the area is proud of her.
“I think it’s absolutely brilliant that she’s achieved what she’s achieved,” she said.
Success has never gone to her head, she added. “She seems to be very down to earth,” she said.