Cillian Murphy's 2 Kids: All About Malachy and Aran

One of Cillian Murphy's sons is following in his acting footsteps

Despite his busy schedule as an Oscar-nominated actor, Cillian Murphy still makes plenty of time for his sons: Malachy and Aran.

The Peaky Blinders star married his longtime partner Yvonne McGuinness in 2004, and the couple welcomed their first son, Malachy, the following year. They expanded their family again in 2007 when their son Aran was born.

Murphy and McGuinness worked hard to give their boys a normal, private childhood, despite their father appearing in huge projects like The Dark Knight, Inception and Oppenheimer. The BAFTA winner seems to think their efforts paid off.

“I don’t know, they seem better adjusted than I was. More sure of themselves,” Murphy told The Guardian in 2016. “I’m happy about that. For me, it was something that took a long time to figure out: that it’s all right to be you, that it’s all right to be an individual.”

Related: Who Is Cillian Murphy's Wife? All About Yvonne McGuinness

Murphy has also said that he is proud of the people his kids have become.

“They’re really good boys. We have a laugh,” he told Rolling Stone UK in 2023. Malachy and Aran even enjoy watching Murphy's films sometimes. “We don’t do ‘Dad’s Movie Night’, but they like some of my films. They say all my films are really intense," he added.

After winning the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in Oppenheimer, Murphy thanked his two sons and wife in his speech.

"I love you so much, and I'm a very proud Irish man standing here tonight," he said of his family, who were in the audience.

Here is everything to know about Cillian Murphy’s sons, Malachy and Aran.

Malachy was born in 2005 and Aran followed in 2007

Murphy and McGuinness became parents for the first time in 2005 when they welcomed their elder son, Malachy.

Though Murphy’s career began taking off around this time due to the success of his thriller Red Eye, he took care to keep his family out of the limelight and avoid speaking about his kids.

Their second son, Aran, was born in 2007.

Family time is vital to Murphy

The Dunkirk actor is far less interested in fame than he is interested in acting, so he wasn’t willing to give up his quiet life with his family in exchange for the glitz and glamor of Hollywood.

"I don't need to live in Los Angeles," Murphy told PEOPLE in 2005. "I'd be tremendously far away from my family — I'd never see them."

That’s why Murphy was so thrilled by the chance to work on The Wind that Shakes the Barley while McGuinness was pregnant with Malachy — because it was filmed near his home.

"I was living at home with my folks,” he told The Guardian in 2006. “My wife was pregnant with our son, and we were running around the hills of west Cork shooting up Black and Tans. Fantastic!"

Murphy balances acting and fatherhood with the support of his wife

Murphy is grateful to McGuinness for being so hands-on with Aran and Malachy so he could continue acting.

"That work-life balance thing is hard,” he told GQ in 2019. “I have an amazing wife and I couldn't do this without her and her understanding.”

The Oppenheimer star continued, “But it is a struggle. I think it is for any dad whose work takes him away, which it generally does, and which consumes him, which my work does."

They grew up in London before moving to Dublin

The 28 Days Later actor and McGuinness spent 14 years living in London, which is where the boys spent the bulk of their childhood before moving to their parent’s home country of Ireland in 2015. Murphy says he sold Malachy and Aran on the idea of moving to Dublin with the promise of getting them a dog.

"I loved living in London in my 20s and 30s, but after a while you kind of go, 'Right, is this it? Is this it for the rest of my days? Or is there some other possibility?' " he told The Guardian.

Not only did he want to return to his Irish roots, but Murphy also yearned for a more peaceful place to raise his kids, who now enjoy living by the sea.

They have different accents than their father

Murphy said his sons’ accents changed a bit after moving to Dublin — something that pleased the actor because he and McGuinness “wanted them to be Irish."

“It's amazing how quickly their accents have adapted,” Murphy told The Guardian. “Even within a year of moving back, they are fading into this rakish west Brit kind of thing. Which I think, hopefully, will get them lots of girls when they're 15," he joked.

They’re his biggest fans and source of support

Murphy is extremely grateful for the support of Malachy and Aran, and he’s taken multiple opportunities to express his gratitude to them while accepting awards.

When Murphy was honored with a Desert Palm Achievement Award at the Palm Springs International Film Awards, he gave his family a special shout-out.

"Because I don't ever really get to do this too often, I want to say thanks to my family,” he said at the podium.

"Two-thirds of them are sitting down there. We had to leave one of them at home doing exams," he added. "But just thanks for putting up with me — putting up with the half me and the shadow me and the absent me, the remains of me when I'm doing a film like this or work in general. You're always there. I love it. So thanks, guys."

Related: 'Oppenheimer' True Story: All About the Real Events That Inspired the Christopher Nolan Film

Murphy also acknowledged his family when he won best actor at the 2024 Golden Globes. “To my family, I'm the luckiest man and I love you," he said. Aran made a rare appearance at the event, sitting at a table with his mom, dad and Robert Downey Jr.

Murphy wanted to raise his boys to be empathetic people

It’s very important to the Batman Begins actor that his sons are kind and empathetic human beings — Murphy has even set an example for them as a spokesperson for a UNESCO program meant to ensure empathy is taught in schools.

“Raising boys, it seems very practical and sensible that you would promote empathy,” he told The Guardian in 2022. “It’s about listening, and the best acting is about listening, too. If you’re listening to someone, you can respond emotionally to them."

Aran is following in his dad’s acting footsteps

Malachy and Aran both had very private upbringings, but Aran chose to pursue an acting career like his father. At 11, he began a world tour starring as Hamnet in the stage show about Shakespeare’s only son. He performed in the United Kingdom, New York, Boston and Hong Kong.

Murphy was extremely proud of his boy, who he described as “so chilled about" the whole thing. "He would come off stage and ask what the score was in the Liverpool game,” Murphy told The Guardian in 2021. “And, again, you’re slightly jealous of that!  There’s the danger that over analyzing everything can erode the simplicity.”

Aran dipped his toe into the film world in the 2022 movie Lola alongside The Witcher's Emma Appleton, but his biggest break yet was announced in 2024. Deadline announced in February of that year that Aran would star in Taika Waititi’s Klara and the Sun along with Jenna Ortega and Amy Adams.

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