Matt Damon, long-associated with the Brand X form of Irishness that is being from Boston, has now been claimed by the motherland in what appears to be the nation’s first move to reabsorb its diaspora. An article in The New York Times by Heather Murphy details this initial salvo in what we can only assume is a long-planned secret war meant to win back all of Greater Boston’s population, starting with the celebrities and their tantalizing, obscenely large taxable incomes.
Apparently Damon—who, and this is not a joke, is referred to as “Matt O’Damon” by his new community—has been spotted in Killiney and is living in Dalkey, “a seaside resort town” with 8,000 occupants “about nine miles southeast of Dublin.” The actor was in Ireland to shoot scenes for Ridley Scott’s upcoming period piece, The Last Duel, around “mid-March” when the coronavirus quarantine went into effect. Seeing an opportunity, the residents of the village have adopted him as their own.
Over the last month, locals have spotted Damon out and about, “[popping] into the pub” or “[jogging] past someone on a hill.” Buzz.ie collected a few of the tweets posted after a photo of Damon in sweat pants and holding a grocery bag began to spread, and Murphy’s Times article includes quotes from arguments on a regional Facebook page about whether people are actually impressed by seeing a celebrity around town.