An Irish Goodbye wins best Live Action Short Film at 2023 Academy Awards

The 2021 short film An Irish Goodbye won the Oscar for best Live Action Short Film on Sunday night, making it the first Irish win at the 95th Academy Awards in Los Angeles.

The acclaimed short, which tells the story of two estranged brothers who reconnect after the death of their mother, beat out The Red Suitcase, The Pupils, Ivalu and Night Ride for the high prize.

Accepting the award were directors Tom Berkeley and Ross White, who were both deeply grateful for the accolade.

"Thank you so much to the Academy for this incredible, incredible honour," White told the crowd. "Thank you to our fellow nominees for your work. It inspires us all so much."

The director then thanked his home country for supporting the film.

"Thank you to everyone back home in Northern Ireland who helped us make this film. I wish we had the time to list you all,” White said.

Comhghairdeas everyone behind #AnIrishGoodbye 🙌

I'm so happy for you, very well deserved 👏 #Oscars

@irishgoodbye_ pic.twitter.com/1Y3SBarqYx

— Catherine Martin TD (@cathmartingreen) March 13, 2023

Instead of using their short time to give emotional speeches, Berkeley shifted the focus to the film's star, James Martin, who was also on-stage to accept the award. “This award is actually the second most important thing about today because it’s this man’s birthday,” Berkeley said before requesting the crowd of A-list celebrities to sing 'Happy Birthday', which the room did with glee.

The camera then panned to Irish nominees including Paul Mescal, Kerry Condon and Barry Keoghan, who all sang in support of Martin.

The film also won the BAFTA award for best short.