Cillian Murphy’s gesture with Prince Harry went viral again: an anti-England attitude?

Harmless or anti-English gesture? With the awarding of the 2024 Oscar to Cillian Murphy, the well-known video of the Irish actor bids farewell to the Prince Harry with a hostile face and in a questionable attitude.

There are two things that stand out: the actor’s face after greeting Harry and his hands in his pockets during the meeting.

The protagonist of Oppenheimer He is not the first Irishman to put his hands in his pockets in front of a member of the British royal family, and we wonder why: what is hidden behind that gesture by Murphy in a video that has already been viewed more than 10 million times? X?

Back to the past

It could be a political issue.

THE Irish War of Independence, developed between 1919 and 1921 between the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and British security forces in Ireland, resulted in hundreds of deaths. Officially there were similar figures on both sides: 550 for the IRA; 714 for Great Britain; 750 civilians.

That conflict led to a civil war among the Irish who today, with the existence of a Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland (part of the United Kingdom), continues to have an impact on society.

The cork star

Murphy is Irish. Very Irish. He was born in the small town of Cork 47 years ago.

His father taught Irish, in one note scolded a young interviewer for calling him “British,” in another joked that he had moved from England because his children were acquiring “very English” accents, stars The wind that stirs the barley.

In that movie Ken Loach He plays a doctor who joins the IRA to fight for his country’s independence.

When Britain passed the Restoration of Order in Ireland Act on 9 August 1920, it was proclaimed in Cork. martial law.

As the situation was getting out of hand for the British Army, a “state of armed insurrection” which legitimized, among other things, the death penalty or imprisonment without trial to anyone who participated in the insurrection, aided or incited it.

Among the “minor” proclamations are the ban on loitering in the streets, on sending coded telegrams, on celebrating at fairs and markets and, as you may have already guessed, have your hands in your pockets.

At the time, a public notice warned Tipperary residents that “a civilian with his hands in his pockets is necessarily the object of suspicion and makes him susceptible to arrest and, in an emergency, risks being attacked”.

According to The Irish War, this is what Lieutenant Smyth said in June 1920: “If people approaching (a patrol) have their hands in their pockets or look suspicious in any way, shoot them. You might make mistakes from time to time and shoot innocent people, but there’s nothing you can do about it, and at some point you’re bound to get the right parts.

It could be from there that Cillian’s gesture comes from, although obviously we will never know.

An affront to the Queen?

Cillian wasn’t the only one. A very famous compatriot in his country was also criticized for the same reason.

In 2009, the Irish rugby player Ronan O’Gara He had the same attitude as Murphy but with the queen Isabella II. Her gesture was immortalized in a famous photo.

At the time O’Gara was said to have refused to shake hands with the Queen, but the player denied that claim several years later.

In a series of interviews with Frank and Honest, the former rugby player said: “The photo appeared in the Irish Times, where everyone was convinced I refused to shake hands. It’s a completely opportunistic photo…”

And he clarified that he was only drying his hands because they were sweaty.

Recall that Murphy won the Oscar for best actor for his work in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer.

In his thanks he called for “peace”: “We made a film about the man who created the atomic bomb and, for better or worse, we all live in Oppenheimer’s world. So I would really like to dedicate it to those who seek peace everywhere.”