Actress Meryl Streep has revealed her Donegal roots in a recent interview.
Speaking with Virgin Media’s Fionnuala Jay as part of an interview promoting The Devil Wears Prada 2, the legendary silver-screen star opened up on her deep familial roots to the county.
When she and co-star Stanley Tucci were asked about their connection to the Emerald Isle, Meryl revealed her tracing her mother’s familial line to the hills through the Strain family.
“Well, when I searched down the Strain family, you know, because that’s my family’s name. And it’s a very unusual name from Donegal. There aren’t very many of them.”
“Grace Strain married Angus McFadden, and they had Mary McFadden, and she married somebody named Wolf, Harry Wolf, and that’s my grandmother and her mother.”
Interviewer Fionnuala Jay then labelled her a “Donegal diva” before asking if the Mamma Mia star had ever been to the county.
“You’re a Donegal diva, I love it. Have you been to Donegal?”
“Donegal diva! I have!,” Meryl replied.
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“Well didn’t we shoot it up there? We shot Dancing at Lughnasa up there, and oh, I thought it was beautiful. And there’s a lot of people who look like me up there.”
Streep also famously visited Glenties in 1998 when Dancing at Lughnasa was released, attending a special premiere of the film in the place that inspired Brian Friel’s work.