THEY say there’s no greater bond than the one that exists between an Irish mammy and her son – and Irish actor Domhnall Gleeson certainly seems to agree.
The 34-year-old, son of Hollywood star Brendan and wife Mary, admitted to being a complete mammy’s boy on the promotional trail for new film Goodbye Christopher Robin.
Speaking to The Sun on Sunday, Domhnall said that he wouldn’t replace social worker mammy Mary for any other mam in the world.
He said: “My mother is every bit as important to our family as my father. Both of them are fantastic parents.
“Keeping a family together is pretty artistic too and takes a lot of creativity, I would think.
“My mom’s just a brilliant woman. She’s her own person, there’s no way to describe her quickly.
“She’s amazing. I couldn’t have a better mom. You know, Irish guys and their mothers is a thing.
“We’re all mad about our mams, but I’d take mine over any other one.”
He added: “She’s the business and very supportive and realistic at the same time.”
Domhnall grew up as the eldest son of Brendan and Mary’s four boys – Brian, 27, is also an actor, while Fergus and Rúairí work outside the industry.
He said he felt protective of dad Brendan as a child when the Irishman's career on the big screen first began to take off.
“The first time I experienced fame was as a teenager, out with my father and seeing how people reacted to him differently. And I remember being very protective of him,” Domhnall said.
“When we would go out and people would come up to him looking for autographs — it wasn’t pictures in those days — and everybody wanted a word, even though we’d be trying to have a family dinner.
“I used to notice myself and my three brothers angling around him to try to keep him guarded from the points of view of other people, because he’s your dad first, before he’s an actor that people know.
“It was weird. I was coming at it from the other point of view as a teenager. I’ve been the one saying ‘Leave him alone! He’s ours!’”
The impact of dad Brendan as both an influential actor and a father clearly had a lasting impact on Domhnall. He said: “I’m lucky that my father is a complicated, amazing man.
“He’s just the best dad in the world, so all of my memories of being a child are closely wound up with him.”
** Originally Published on: Oct 9, 2017
