Who is Cillian Murphy’s wife of 20 years, Yvonne McGuinness?

Anna Martin

Cillian Murphy may have collected an Oscar but he has been playing the role of husband for years

We’re used to seeing him up on the big screen but when it comes to his life at home with his wife Yvonne McGuinness the Cork man prefers to keep things lowkey.

In fact, the couple were together long before Cillian’s name started to appear in lights with Yvonne remaining a quiet supporter of his career.

Yet the question remains, who exactly is Yvonne and how did she and Cillian meet?

She’s an artist

Originally from Kilkenny, Ireland, Yvonne is a classically trained visual artist who holds a master’s degree from the Royal College of Art in London.

“Her work encompasses film, performance, sculptural and textile elements, sound and writing,” according to her website, which explains that the artist stages “live, public interventions and performances.”

Past work of Yvonne’s include ‘Before The Last Sun Sets’ which was held in Lough Key Forest Park, Roscommon, in 2019 and ‘The Central Field’ which took place in Adamstown in South County Dublin in 2018.

She knew Cillian before we did

The two met when Cillian took one of his first big acting gigs back in the late 1990s, starring in ‘Disco Pigs’ by a then-unknown playwright in his home county of Cork.

The play ended up taking off and it toured in Dublin and London, and then all over the world for 18 months.

It was during this time that Cillian and Yvonne first met, and she then accompanied the actor on his travels.

Speaking about how they met, the actor told The Guardian: “That time, making Disco Pigs, was kind of the most important period of my life.

“The people I met there remain my closest friends … They shaped me in terms of my tastes, in terms of what I wanted to do with my life. And it was around the same time I met my wife.

“She came on tour with us. It was so exciting, 20 years ago or whatever it was – we were all just kids, trying to find our way – but such a special, special time.”

Tying the knot and growing their family

Yvonne and Cillian married in 2004 in a private ceremony and have since welcomed two sons, Malachy and Aran.

Malachy was born in 2005 and two years later Aran arrived in 2007.

Cillian was filming ‘The Wind That Shakes The Barley’ in Cork when Yvonne fell pregnant with their first son.

Moving back home

The couple had spent a number of years living in London with their kids but decided they would relocate to Dublin – and their reasoning is as interesting as it is hilarious.

“We wanted them to be Irish, I suppose,” the Oppenheimer star told The Guardian, stating that they used to have “posh” English accents.

“It’s amazing how quickly their accents have adapted.”

She keeps him grounded

As you can imagine, it would be easy to lose yourself in the bright lights and attention that comes with being an acclaimed actor but Yvonne keeps Cillian’s feet firmly on the ground.

Speaking to People Magazine, the Cork man credited his wife for helping him stay level-headed.

“It’s very important to have somebody like that,” he said. “My life hasn’t changed in any way, really. I still have the same friends and we go to the same places.”

She always supports him

When Cillian won the Desert Palm Achievement Award in the Actor category for his role in Oppenheimer at the Palm Springs International Film Awards in January, he made sure to thank Yvonne and his family for always being there for him.

“Two-thirds of them are sitting down there. We had to leave one of them at home doing exams,” he said during the ceremony.

“But just thanks for putting up with me – putting up with the half me and the shadow me and the absent me, the remains of me when I’m doing a film like this or work in general.

“You’re always there. I love it.”

The love fest continued with his first-ever Oscar win last night as Cillian said during his speech: “Yvonne McGuinness, my partner in life… My two boys, Malachy and Aaron, who are sitting up there. I love you so much, and I’m a very proud Irishman standing here tonight.”