Jessie Buckley in Hamnet.KILLARNEY’S Jessie Buckley has been chosen by the Kerry Association in Dublin as the 2026 recipient of the Kerry Association in Dublin Arts Award in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the Arts.
Jessie, who is the first Irish woman to win the Oscar for best actress, is described as a generational talent with acting superpowers.
In accepting the award Jessie said; “Growing up in Kerry was a gift in recognising the capacity for beauty and wildness in our own human expression from the nature I grew up around. Thank you, this is a great honour to accept this award”.
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The Association’s specially commissioned award will be formally presented to Jessie in the near future.
Jimmy Deenihan, Chairperson of the Kerry Association in Dublin Arts Sub Committee, said; “The Arts Sub Committee were unanimous in granting this prestigious award to Jessie Buckley in recognition of her historic achievement in winning a clean sweep of the 2025-2026 Global Film Awards and becoming the first Irish woman to win an Oscar for the best actress.”
“This monumental achievement by Jessie comes as a major boost for the burgeoning Irish film industry and will inspire a new generation of Irish screen talent. In her acceptance speech Jessie endeared herself to a global audience with her dignified humility and the love and pride she expressed in her family and her county”.
In announcing the award the Chairperson of the Kerry Association in Dublin, Jeremy Twomey, said “Jessie is a truly worthy winner of this award. She has done Kerry and Ireland proud. She brings her audiences with her and is an outstanding role model for the younger generation who look at her and aspire to access on the world stage.”
Brigid Laffan, President of the Kerry Association, said “The Kerry Association is delighted to have the opportunity to acknowledge the pride the Kingdom has in this amazing, refreshingly down to earth, level headed woman’s unbroken run of triumph through this years awards season”. She also said her performance in Hamnet was “nothing short of wonderful”.
