Richard E Grant "falls in love" with Cork as he spends Christmas with friends
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As he is preparing to spend Christmas with friends in Ireland, actor Richard E Grant has said he is “falling in love” with Cork.
The English actor and presenter, known for his roles in Withnail and I, Downtown Abbey and more recently Saltburn, had first been spotted at Cork Airport, where he arrived from London. Today he shopped in Cork city centre including a trip to the historic English Market.
He told the Irish Examiner on Sunday that he was heading to Ballymaloe House in East Cork, where he will spend the Christmas break with his friend and celebrity chef, Clodagh McKenna.
Mr Grant said that this is his first visit to Cork – and according to his last post on social media, he has already fallen in love with the county.
“Falling in love with Cork & the countryside beyond, atmospheric drive south for lunch @FingalFerguson who demo’d ‘Irish handcuffs’ with 2 pints of Guinness, then to @LevisBallydehob to experience its magical interior with my great pals @clodadghmckenna & Harry Herbert,” he said on X, alongside a video of his travels.
A couple of days ago, Mr Grant shared a post about his late wife, Joan Washington, who had been diagnosed just before Christmas and passed away in September 2021.
Ahead of his wife’s “posthumous birthday”, he said: "Even saying that somehow seems unreal. I’ve had a wonderful dinner with some friends, and yet, in the midst of that you’re still as The Beatles would say on that long winding road on your own.
“I know that I’m on the same journey as countless other people are at this time of year. And so struck that tonight, three years ago, we had no idea the tsunami that was about to hit us.” As the pair both loved Christmas, he pledged to be “as celebratory as possible this year”.