Look Cloo’s returning to Ireland
Film star planning post-covid visit
GEORGE Clooney is to return to Ireland – two years after Covid scuppered his plans to visit family.
The 61-year-old actor and human rights lawyer wife Amal, 44, had intended to bring their five-year-old twins Ella and Alexander back to his ancestral home in Abbeyleix, Co Laois, in 2020.
They met George’s cousins Seamus, Agnes and Fiona Clooney at Ballyfin House there in 2019.
He also has cousins based in Windgap, Co Kilkenny.
The Ocean’s Eleven star also squeezed in dinner dates with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and U2 frontman Bono during that trip.
The family get-together three years ago was organised by his parents, renowned broadcaster Nicholas, 88, and writer Nina, 83.
The Clooney family are in Italy at their Villa Oleandra, an impressive 18th century near Lake Como.
Close friend and spokesman for the family Andy Ring, who met the A-lister family when they visited said: “George was adamant he was coming back to visit Abbeyleix as soon as he could, with his family, but Covid put pay to it being 2020.
“Now the talk within the family is that they are all coming here before the year is out as he is anxious to get to properly visit the areas his relatives came from and where his cousins still live.
“He and Amal really enjoyed their time here getting to know Seamus and Agnes and they are in contact frequently.
“Now that international travel has opened up again they are expected to be here sooner rather than later.”
After his first visit Clooney said: “I would be thrilled to be back. We were there for Easter [2019], it was unusually warm and nice and it couldn’t have been more fun.”