St. Patrick’s Festival is has announced that American-Irish actor, musician and producer John C. Reilly will appear as the St. Patrick's Day Parade's International Guest of Honour on Thursday, March 17th.

The fifth of six children, Reilly grew up in an Irish-Lithuanian household in Southwest Chicago, in a predominantly Irish neighbourhood. John’s paternal great grandfather, along with various other family members, emigrated in the early 1900s from Ireland and set about building a life in Chicago.

Since his early years treading the boards with the Goodman School of Drama and Chicago’s renowned Steppenwolf Theatre, John has gone on to star in some of the world’s best loved blockbuster movies including Step Brothers (Dale), Stan & Ollie (Oliver Hardy), Kong: Skull Island (Hank Marlow), Chicago (Amos Hart), Gangs of New York (Happy Jack) and numerous others. He is currently playing the lead role of Jerry Buss, owner of the Los Angeles Lakers Basketball team, in the new HBO mini-series Winning Time – The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, from renowned director Adam McKay.

An Academy Award and Tony Award nominee, John’s range is immense, from dramatic roles in We Need to Talk About Kevin, The Aviator, The River Wild, The Thin Red Line and Boogie Nights, to blockbuster comedy turns in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Walk Hard – The Dewey Cox Story and many more.

He has also lent his voice to the lead role in Disney’s Wreck-It-Ralph and voiced Eddie in the smash hit Universal Pictures animation Sing.

“I am so excited to have been chosen as the International Guest of Honour for Dublin’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade this year!" John C. Reilly said of his role as International Guest of Honour. "It’s been a long time since we have all been able to celebrate life together and I can’t think of a better place to do it than Ireland. I’m honoured to be part of the celebration of the rich history of Ireland with all of the good people in Dublin. A great day for hope and a great day for the Irish and the Irish at heart. See you there!”

Anna McGowan, Interim Director at St. Patrick’s Festival expressed her delight at the news.

"We are incredibly excited that John C. Reilly can make the journey to Dublin to take part in the national St. Patrick’s Day Parade. John has proudly and consistently worn his Irish roots with pride on the world stage. His family story is that of millions of our diaspora across the world and we look forward to welcoming him home.”

John will appear in the national St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Dublin on March 17th, alongside Grand Marshal’s Paralympic gold medal swimmer Ellen Keane and Olympic gold medal boxer Kellie Harrington. The Parade commences at 12 midday and runs from Parnell Square to Cuffe St/Kevin St junction, for approximately two hours, and promises to be the one of the biggest parades ever produced on the streets of Dublin.

For those who cannot attend in person, the Parade will be broadcast on RTÉ One and the RTÉ Player.

For the full programme of events at St. Patrick’s Festival 2022, see stpatricksfestival.ie