By Matthew Dougherty
St. Patrick’s Day is right around the corner! With so many celebrities from Ireland or with Irish descent, now is the perfect time to decide who would be the best match for you. With a little Irish luck, anything can happen. Here are our picks for the best Irish actors and actresses to hit the bars with on Saturday — after a romantic dinner, of course:
Top 5 Irish Actors To Romance
5. Cillian Murphy: Cillian Murphy was born in Douglas, a suburb of Cork, Ireland.  The actor has appeared in many films, but perhaps he was most desirable in the opening moments of Red Eye, where he played the perfect potential boyfriend to Rachel McAdams’ character.  That is, until he turned out to be a homicidal lunatic.  Murphy has a laid-back, cool persona and would likely make a charming date.
4. Jonathan Rhys Meyers: This television actor, who was born in Dublin, Ireland, has a reputation for partying and would be a great person to hit the clubs with on St. Patty’s Day.  His piercing blue eyes also make him almost impossible to resist.
Related: 10 Ways to Meet Someone on St. Patrick’s Day
3. Pierce Brosnan:  Okay, so he’s married, but our list wouldn’t be complete without James Bond.  Plus, there’s hope for a movie romance: with every new film comes another Bond girl.  Brosnan was born and grew up in Ireland and is practically ageless, both qualities that help him play the super suave and sexy spy.
2. Mark Wahlberg:  Marky Mark was born in the most Irish town in America: Boston, Massachusetts.  Boston is the best place in the U.S. to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.  If you are lucky, maybe Wahlberg will take you to some of his favorite pubs in the city.
1. Colin Farrell:  No actor flaunts his Irish heritage as much as Colin Farrell.  Born in Dublin, Ireland, Farrell is known for being one of Hollywood’s bad boys.  But that does not take away from the fact that he would be a great date.  Plus, he does has a soft side. Farrell has said that what inspired him to become an actor was watching E.T., which brought him to tears. Need we say more?
Top 5 Irish Actresses To Romance
5. Jennifer Connelly:  Jennifer Connelly is of Irish descent, thanks to her father. You can very easily see it in her face.  Do you know what you cannot see in her face? Her age. Jennifer Connelly is 41 years old and does not look a day over 30.  She is a beauty queen and easily one of the sexiest women on the planet.
Related: Why Amazing, Confident Women Remain Single
4. Olivia Wilde:  This rising star has citizenship in Ireland.  Coming off of some major television and movie roles, Wilde is becoming one of the hottest names in Hollywood.  If she is anything like some of the characters she plays, she is kind-hearted and absolutely loveable but with a bit of an attitude as well.
3. Rooney Mara:  She may have played a Swedish hacker in last winter’s The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, but Mara comes from an extremely Irish family.  Her great uncle was, at one time, the United States Ambassador to Ireland.  Mara is very shy and modest in interviews.  This makes her one of the cutest and most humble people in the business. Oh, and she is absolutely gorgeous.
2. Zooey Deschanel:  Who can resist Zooey Deschanel?  The New Girl and (500) Days of Summer star has a glowing personality but manages to be more down to Earth than a lot of other actresses.  She would be an entertaining date because she knows how to laugh at herself — and how to make you laugh, too. A combination of her bubbly personality and beautiful, big blue eyes will make her very difficult to ignore.
1. Anne Hathaway:  Hathaway is of mostly Irish ancestry, which is pretty obvious when you look at her.  Based on interviews and what many in the inner circle of Hollywood have said, Anne is one of the sweetest, nicest people in the business.  Last summer, she starred in the romantic film One Day, leaving many of her fans wanting to spend more than just one day with her. This summer, however, she will take on a much darker role as the new Catwoman in the next Batman movie, The Dark Knight Rises.  Hathaway is great as any character, but who can pass up dating Catwoman?
Do you like our picks? Any other Irish celebrities you would rather date? Sound off below!
