Barry Keoghan pays moving tribute to late mother at Cannes

Simon Kelly

She passed away when he was 12.

Barry Keoghan has paid a moving tribute to his late mother at his recent appearance at the Cannes Film Festival.

The 31-year-old Saltburn star took to the red carpet to promote his upcoming film Bird, which is making its debut at the prestigious event.

While posing for the media at the event, the Dubliner was spotted wearing a bracelet with his mother Debbie’s name engraved on it.

Debbie sadly passed away from a heroin overdose when Keoghan was just a child, leading to the actor moving around numerous foster homes throughout his childhood.

Barry Keoghan pays moving tribute to late mother at Cannes

In a previous interview with Esquire, Keoghan mentioned that he kept the bracelet after randomly selecting it for a role.

“I said, ‘That’s my mother’s name. Debbie.’ That’s crazy, isn’t it? That’s a sign,” he explained.

“That is a fecking sign! So I kept it. They were like, ‘Where’s the bracelet?’ I was like, ‘I’m keeping that’.”

Keoghan also previously opened up about his mother in an interview with GQ.

When asked about what he thinks about when he feels alone, he replied, “When I’m isolated? Obviously, my mother.

“My mother, always. She’s many years passed now, but I always think about her anyway.

“It’s always just in and around achievements that it’s really prominent – ’cause you’d like to celebrate that with her, y’know?”

After his mother’s passing, Keoghan moved around 13 different foster homes before he and his brother Eric moved in with their grandmother.

FUN FACT: Barry Keoghan’s character in ‘Bird’ describes “Murder on the Dance Floor” as bad music, in a winky nod to ‘Saltburn’ #Cannes2024

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He told GQ that Debbie called him “little Timmy” as a nickname when he was younger – “I don’t know why,” he shared.

“She’d be like, ‘Where’s my little Timmy?’ I’d love to make her laugh, and just dance for her.”

Keoghan’s film Bird received a 7-minute-long standing ovation following its premiere at Cannes, with the Dubliner singled out for his “tour de force” performance.

Helmed by American Honey director Andrea Arnold, Bird stars Keoghan as Bug, an ill-equipped young father who’s daughter Bailey faces the challenge of growing up in a broken home.

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