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Committed to the bit: Why Ayo Edebiri has been embraced as one of Ireland’s own
"Shout-out to my people. Shout-out to Derry. Shout-out to Cork. Shout-out to Killarney. Shout-out to Dublin."
St. Paddy's Day:
St. Patrick’s Day weekend in Boston has arrived. In celebration of the festivities, we wish to turn your attention to the unofficial Irish princess, Boston’s very own Ayo Edebiri.
For those who are not extremely online or, at least, an avid watcher of awards shows, the running jokes about Edebiri and her Irish people started about a year ago when the comedian did an interview with Letterboxd at the Austin film festival, South by Southwest.
During the quick interview, the Dorchester native joked that she spent about four months living in Ireland “and was on all fours” while starring as Jenny the Donkey, in the Oscar-nominated tragicomedy, “The Banshees of Inisherin.”
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“I lived in Ireland,” she started, before slipping into a full Irish accent, “Ireland, for about four months and I got really in character. And I was on all fours for four months and it was really painful but beautiful as well. And it was probably the most fulfilling part of my career.”
Though Edebiri, unfortunately, did not actually appear in the film, she kept going, saying, “I’m so happy for everybody going to the Oscars, even though I deserved the nomination more than anybody else because I was, obviously, a donkey for four months.”
@letterboxd No thoughts… just Ayo Edebiri as Jenny the Donkey #fyp #foryou #letterboxd #sxsw #ayoedebiri #movie #film #filmtok #bansheesofinisherin #irish ♬ original sound – Letterboxd
As the clip went viral over the past year, Edebiri continued to double down on her unofficial roots and show her love for Ireland.
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When the Hollywood strikes ended in November, the actress took to TikTok to finally promote her movie, “Bottoms,” writing “strike is over….this has been in my drafts for over a year now lol..bottoms is out rn in the UK & my home nation of Ireland….Nov 30 Australia & NZ 🫡
Though Edebiri is not actually Irish, her commitment to the bit has yet to falter — and it appears that Ireland has nothing but love to give her back.
She is from Boston, after all, a city known for its Irish history (although it should be noted that a recent survey found that Massachusetts is — shocker — not actually the most Irish state).
While accepting the award for best actress in a comedy series at the Critics Choice Awards in January, she thanked her family and loved ones around the world, shouting out “everybody in Boston, Barbados, Nigeria, Ireland in many ways. Thank you so much. I love you.”
Just a day later, after accepting an award for outstanding supporting actress at the Emmy Awards, Edebiri gave another nod to Ireland during an interview with “Entertainment Tonight,” saying “Shout-out to my people. Shout-out to Derry. Shout-out to Cork. Shout-out to Killarney. Shout-out to Dublin.”
While hosting “Saturday Night Live” in February, Edebiri even appeared in a white T-shirt featuring a four leaf clover and her name as she introduced musical guest Jennifer Lopez.
So, if you find yourself with a pint of Guinness in hand shortly after Sunday’s annual St. Patrick’s Day parade in Southie, don’t forget to raise your glass in honor of the Irish people’s princess. May this wholesome meme live on forever.
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