From the Magazine Sexiest Man Alive 'Look' of the Irish: Hot Guys from the Emerald Isle A lucky 14 guys you'll want to kiss because they're Irish By Alison Schwartz Alison Schwartz Alison Schwartz was the former director of digital platforms at PEOPLE. She died in 2020. People Editorial Guidelines Updated on March 15, 2024 05:14PM EDT Photo: Rodin Eckenroth/FilmMagic; Dave Benett/Getty ; Udo Salters/Patrick McMullan via Getty; Leon Bennett/Getty Considering Ireland is one of the most beautiful places on earth, it's no surprise it produces some of the hottest celebrity guys on the planet as well. From Oscar winners like Cillian Murphy to bad boys like Colin Farrell, here are the 14 A-list men from the Emerald Isle who would likely have a lot of takers to their "Kiss me, I'm Irish" T-shirts. 01 of 14 Barry Keoghan Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic His affecting performance as the innocent "village idiot" in the Banshees of Inishirin got him Oscars attention, but his chaotically sexy turn in Saltburn (and commitment to showing off his biceps) got him the attention of everyone else — including Sabrina Carpenter, his new squeeze. (Irish you'd check out him flirting with Carpenter over her recent fangirl moment over fellow Irishman Cillian Murphy.) 02 of 14 Daryl McCormack Gareth Cattermole/BAFTA/Getty Images He got his start on the Irish soap Fair City and has been sizzling on the small screen since with memorable roles in Peaky Blinders and Bad Sisters. He also earned acclaim (and swooning fans) for his role in Good Luck to You, Leo Grande, playing a sex worker hired by Emma Thompson's character to give her her first orgasm. 03 of 14 Niall Horan Splash News The Irish stunner used to get flack for his Irish accent from his former One Direction bandmates, but we think it's the cutest thing we've ever heard. 04 of 14 Paul Mescal Getty One of the newer Irishmen on the scene, the Oscar nominee of Aftersun and Normal People fame told The Hollywood Reporter many people pronounce his last name wrong: it should be said with a softer a and s, not like the liquor mezcal. 05 of 14 Michael Fassbender Daniel Zuchnik/WireImage There's nothing shameful about crushing on Alicia Vikander's leading man, who grew up in southwestern Ireland after moving from Germany as a toddler. Before playing a troubled sex addict in Shame, Fassbender paid homage to his heritage in 2008's Hunger, a film about the 1981 Irish hunger strike. 06 of 14 Colin Farrell Rich Fury/Getty Images To avoid being pinchable in all the wrong places, the Dublin-born actor prioritizes his workouts. "I actually like the gym," he's said. 07 of 14 Pierce Brosnan How does James Bond always manage to stay out of trouble? He has the luck of the Irish on his side! Although Brosnan portrayed Agent 007 four times between 1995 and 2002, PEOPLE's 2001 pick for the year's Sexiest Man Alive would probably rather go for a pint than a shaken martini. 08 of 14 Chris O'Dowd Robby Klein/YouTube x Getty Images Kristen Wiig was one lucky lady when she snagged o'dorable Officer Nathan Rhodes, played by O'Dowd, in 2011's Bridesmaids. "I went in [the audition] and did it with an American accent," the University College Dublin dropout said of the role. 09 of 14 Allen Leech Frazer Harrison/Getty The south Dublin native settled just fine into Downton Abbey, winning hearts as chauffeur-turned-journalist Tom Branson. 10 of 14 Hozier Anthony Harvey/Getty We'd start praying if we were guaranteed that Hozier would come kneel down beside us. The bluesy "Take Me to Church" singer is one of the hottest Irishmen in the music game. 11 of 14 Kenneth Branagh Kevin Mazur/Getty Branagh, who hails from Northern Ireland, gave an Oscar-nod-worthy performance in 2011's My Week with Marilyn playing acting legend Laurence Olivier. Although he moved to England at 9, he summed up his heritage in 1994: "I feel more Irish than English," he said. Proof: his critically acclaimed 2021 film, Belfast. 12 of 14 Cillian Murphy Jamie McCarthy/Getty Shamrock 'n' roll! The Douglas, Ireland-born actor began his career playing guitar and singing in several rock bands long before his dreamy appearance in 2010's Inception. The blue-eyed Murphy also played Rachel McAdams' worst nightmare in 2005's Red Eye and just landed an Oscar for his leading role in Oppenheimer. 13 of 14 Martin McCann Tim Whitby/Getty He was hotter than shepherd's pie when he went shirtless in 2010's The Pacific. That same year, the Northern Ireland native teamed up with fellow Irishman Liam Neeson for the action flick Clash of the Titans. 14 of 14 Liam Neeson Emma McIntyre/Getty Images Neeson sure knows how to throw back a Guinness — he operated a forklift for the Irish brewery before his screen career took off! From Schindler's List (1993) to Taken (2008), he's a big-screen veteran … and an all-around big guy. At 6'4", Neeson's no leprechaun. Close