Meryl Streep Celebrates Her Donegal Roots on Devil Wears Prada 2 Promo Tour
Meryl Streep has paid tribute to her Irish heritage while promoting The Devil Wears Prada 2, revealing that her family line traces back to County Donegal. Speaking in a recent interview, Streep explained that her mother’s side of the family comes from the Strain lineage — a name she described as “very unusual” and distinctly tied to the Donegal hills. She outlined the connection through Grace Strain, Manus McFadden, and their descendants, ultimately linking the family line to her grandmother.
ROSAPENNA
ROSAPENNA
Streep affectionately embraced the interviewer’s description of her as a “Donegal diva,” and recalled her time filming Dancing at Lughnasa in Ireland, noting how at home she felt while there. She added that she had visited Glenties for the film’s 1998 premiere and joked that “a lot of people who look like me” can be found in the area.
Streep is far from the only Hollywood star with Irish ancestry; Paul Rudd, Robert De Niro and Olivia Wilde are among the many American actors who have traced family ties back to Ireland.
For those that feel inspired to research their own Irish roots, there are many genealogy centres and heritage sites across the country helping people uncover their Irish family stories.
Downings, Co. Donegal
This year, the National Archives published the Irish 1926 Census results for the first time, creating a major new resource for anyone tracing their Irish roots. At its Bishop Street offices in Dublin, the Genealogy Advisory Service offers free, in‑person support for anyone starting or deepening their family history journey, and the records are also available online.
Another key stop is EPIC The Irish Immigration Museum on Custom House Quay in Dublin’s Docklands. Open seven days a week, it traces how Irish emigrants have influenced the world across the arts, science, sport, politics and innovation, offering a vivid overview of Ireland’s global story.
For deeper archival research, Glasnevin Cemetery Museum in the city’s suburbs provides one of the country’s most extensive genealogy services. Using burial records dating back to 1832, the team helps to trace ancestral lines, piece together family stories and illuminate the historical context surrounding generations of Irish families.