PAUL MESCAL’S MOTHER broke down in tears this evening as she described how proud she was to hear her son had been nominated for an Oscar. 

Dearbhla Mescal explained how she was “folding the washing” when she learned that Paul, 26, had been nominated for Best Actor for his role in Aftersun. 

Speaking to Ray D’Arcy on RTÉ Radio One, Dearbhla said that it was only when she checked the family WhatsApp group that it dawned on her that Paul had received the nod for one of the top awards. 

She said: “I don’t watch them [Oscar nomination announcements] because I find them way too stressful. I was folding washing. I just waited for the Whatsapp. We have this Whatsapp group and there were shocked faces and crying eyes.

“Nobody knows before it’s announced so it is just this nerve wracking five hours of waiting when you wake up.

“For me, to see his face and to see him so shocked and so joyous, I’m so grateful,” she added. 

Dearbhla got emotional as she told the radio show of her pride for her son. 

“People who have children, it doesn’t matter what they’re doing, you move mountains for them because you want them to achieve in what ever they are doing. You want them to be as happy as they can be.”

It has been a bumper year for Irish nominations at the Oscars this year.

The Banshees of Inisherin received nine nominations in total. 

Colin Farrell received a nomination for Best Actor for his role in the film. 

Brendan Gleeson and Barry Keoghan also picked up a Best Supporting Actor nomination each. Kerry Condon grabbed a Best Supporting Actress nomination, too. 

The film has also been nominated for Best Original Score, Best Original Screenplay and Best Film Editing. 

Among the nominees for Best International Feature is the stunning Irish-language film An Cailín Ciúin/The Quiet Girl (the latter is its name internationally).

You can read all about the Irish involvement in this year’s Oscars here.