Roscommon has been named among Ireland’s leading Oscar hotspots, with Boyle native Paul Young playing a major role in the county’s place on the list. New research from Virgin Media Ireland, which examined Irish Academy Award nominees and winners from 1928 to the present day, places Roscommon in the top five counties for Oscar-recognised talent.
According to the study, Roscommon and Kerry round out the top five, with each county linked to a combined total of three Oscar nominations and wins. In Roscommon’s case, much of that recognition is tied to animation producer Paul Young, whose work on The Secret of Kells, Song of the Sea and Wolfwalkers earned Best Animated Feature nominations at the Academy Awards.
Young, a Boyle native, is one of the co-founders of Cartoon Saloon, the Kilkenny-based studio that has become one of Ireland’s best-known animation success stories. Cartoon Saloon says Young is an IFTA and Annie Award winner and an Oscar, Emmy and BAFTA nominee, while the studio credits him as producer on major acclaimed titles including WolfWalkers, The Secret of Kells, Song of the Sea, The Breadwinner and My Father’s Dragon.
The Virgin Media Ireland research highlights just how widely film talent is spread across the country. Dublin tops the rankings with 53 Oscar nominations and wins, while Kildare is second and Galway and Cork share third place. Roscommon’s inclusion in the top five is a notable achievement for the county and underlines the international impact of Young’s work in animation.
For Roscommon audiences, the result is another reminder that local creative talent can reach the very highest level of the global film industry. Through Paul Young’s success, Roscommon has secured its place in the Oscar conversation alongside some of Ireland’s strongest film-producing counties.
