REVEALED: Hollywood A-lister with new cinematic masterpiece hails from Kilkenny

Hollywood A-lister Kevin Costner is one of many celebrities whose ancestors hail from Ireland, in particular, Co Kilkenny.

As the film legend presented his newest directorial masterpiece Horizon: An American Saga to audiences at the Cannes Film Festival in May - and in local cinemas now - we take a look at his Irish roots, and how he ended up as one of the greatest legends of the silver screen.

Michael Costner, Kevin's great-great grandfather was born in Graignamanagh in Kilkenny in 1855 before his family emigrated to the United States as a result of the Great Famine, that caused widespread devastation across the country from 1845 to 1852.

Settling in California, Michael Costner eventually married and raised a family, including his son William, who would be Kevin's grandfather.

William instilled a love of Ireland and Irish heritage into his grandson, and never forgot where his family came from.

William was a successful businessman in California, but his connections to the Emerald Isle remained strong, leading him to visit Ireland on occasion and passing on his love for the country to his family, including Kevin.

Kevin has also retained a love for Ireland, and spoke of his connection to the country on one of his many visits.

In an interview with the Irish Times back in 2016, Costner said,

"I have a lot of friends in Ireland, and I feel a connection to the people and the landscape.

"I love the way the country has preserved its history and traditions, and I always feel at home when I'm there.

During his visits, Costner went to several historic sights around the country including The Rock of Cashel in Tipperary and Glendalough in Co Wicklow.

He even stayed in West Cork researching the life of Michael Collins for a potential film project, adding to the love he shared, just like his grandfather, for Irish history.

"I wanted to make the Michael Collins story, I still do", Costner said in an interview with Joe.ie in 2020.

"I know it was made by another director", referring to the classic biopic Neil Jordan directed in 1996 with Liam Neeson playing the role of Michael Collins, "but that's not the story I was going to make2, he said.

"I love the epic notion of Michael Collins. I'd still like to make that movie someday", he added, "I found him to be an incredible person that was compromised by politics.

"His story is coming up more and more now. He was a dynamic person that was caught in politics.

"For me, Michael Collins is a large reason why I lived in Ireland."

Reflecting on the would-be film project, which was written by Irish writer Eoghan Harris, that would surely cement Costner's place in Ireland, he said,

"There was a final line in the script that said 'God Ireland, I love you' and that was his final line in it.

"While it is a fictitious line in the movie, I think it encapsulated who he was. That always affected me.

"I thought the script from Eoghan Harris was just superior, It was an epic. It was like a real Lawrence of Arabia look at Collins."