Yvonne McGuinness — 7 Facts about Cillian Murphy’s Wife

Yvonne McGuinness, the daughter of businessman Guy McGuinness, is a great and talented Irish visual artist. Since 2004, she has been the wife of the “Peaky Blinders” actor Cillian Murphy.

For Yvonne McGuinness, 1996 was life-changing. That year she met her future husband, Cillian Murphy, who was auditioning for his first acting role in the “Disco Pigs,” a play later adapted to the big screen. Not only did he get the part, but he was also in the movie adaptation.

His first acting role became his big break as the play was a hit leading to the crew touring the world for 18 months. Yvonne McGuinness then followed Cillian Murphy for most of the tour.

Yvonne McGuinness walking in front of her husband Cillian Murphy on the streets of New York on August 5, 2016 | Source: Getty Images

WHO IS YVONNE MCGUINNESS?

McGuinness is an Irish visual artist whose work covers sculptural and textile elements, film, performance, writing, and sound.

She also describes herself as a sewer, spinner, video-taker, and creative homemaker. The film producer graduated from the Royal College of Art in London in 2003 with a Master’s degree.

She is interested in collaborations to create surreal and dynamic moments of interaction and connection to time, place, and communities through live, public interventions, and performances.

McGuinness also collaborated on a residency with Fingal County Council’s Community Department and The Youth Diversion Programme.

Her residency will focus on the issues of identity and representation with a group of teenage participants in the program.

Despite being married to a star, McGuinness prefers to live a private life away from the spotlight. Her desire for privacy is also reflected on her personal social media pages, with her tweets even protected.

Cillian Murphy and Yvonne McGuinness on the streets of New York on August 5, 2016 | Source: Getty Images

WHEN DID YVONNE AND CILLIAN MEET?

McGuinness and Murphy met long before he became famous as he was a newcomer in the industry. When they met in 1996, she became one of the life-defining moments of the year.

When she met him in August 1996, he was at a crossroads. Her husband had failed his law exams at University College Cork. In addition, he had also rejected a three-album record contract.

McGuinness’s husband was the lead singer, songwriter, and guitarist of the Sons of Mr. Green Genes, a Frank Zappa-influenced “funk-jam band.” After turning down the record contract, he decided to audition for the “Disco Pigs” play.

The producers cast McGuinness’s husband in the play by Enda Walsh, and he later revealed that the summer of 1996 became a pivotal point in his life as everything fell into place and his life dramatically changed course.

He abandoned his desire to pursue a Law course, and music was no longer on his list of to-dos. Over the period, his relationship with his wife blossomed. McGuinness’s husband said:

“I remember the confidence of youth that you have. You’re just going to go for it, and when you’re 19 or 20 nothing seems permanent. It was an adventure, but, looking back, it does seem hugely formative.”

According to Murphy, who said McGuinness went on tour with him in the 90s, that was an “important period” in his life as the people he met during that time are still his friends.

At the time, he was a struggling actor trying to make a name for himself in the entertainment industry, and his career and relationship with McGuinness became priorities.”

WHEN DID YVONNE AND CILLIAN GET MARRIED?

McGuinness and Murphy married on August 1, 2004, in Provence, in historical southeastern France. Their wedding occurred in her father’s Domaine de Notre Dame des Anges vineyard.

McGuinness wanted their sons to be Irish.

Her father had owned the vineyard since 1990, after he was first involved with it in 1984. In 1990, he bought out his business partner.

HOW MANY CHILDREN DOES YVONNE HAVE?

On December 4, 2005, they welcomed their first son, Malachy Murphy. During her first pregnancy, her husband was on the set of “The Wind that Shakes the Barley.” Murphy was excited about shooting the movie as he said:

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

In July 2007, they welcomed their second son, Aran Murphy, in Sweden. Even though he is of Irish ethnicity, he has British nationality.

WHERE DO THEY LIVE?

McGuinness and her husband, “The Dark Knight” actor, prefer to live away from the spotlight so much that they don’t live in Los Angeles or New York, where most artists prefer to live.

Instead, they spent years in London, England, before moving back to Ireland, their homeland. Her husband once admitted he loved living in London in his 20s and 30s but eventually began wondering, “Is this it?”

The family decided to return to Ireland because they wanted their two sons, Malachi and Aran (born in 2005 and 2007, respectively), to be closer to their grandparents.

McGuinness also confided in her husband that she wanted their sons to be Irish. The boys picked up the accents reasonably quickly, and the actor admitted they sound like “this rakish west Brit,” which would “hopefully” get them a lot of girls.

Speaking of kids, Murphy once said the best part of being a father was that it made him a better human being and more aware of what’s essential in life. The downside, though, was the lack of sleep.

IS YVONNE VEGETARIAN?

McGuinness is a vegetarian, and so is her husband, even though he confessed to having fallen by the wayside. However, he picked up the lifestyle again. The actor said:

“We cook, we watch movies, we listen to music. I was vegetarian for a long time, then I relapsed, and now I’ve relapsed back to vegetarianism. My wife is, too. It’s so unremarkable! It’s not good to copy.”

HOW DOES YVONNE COPE WITH HER HUSBAND’S ACTING CAREER?

Murphy revealed that it takes him some time to slip out of character when he’s back home, and McGuinness can attest to that fact. She can see a “marked difference” in her husband during different films. Murphy said:

“When I come home in the evening, I do switch off and put the bins out, but it seeps in there by osmosis. I’m sure I’ve been an [expletive].”

McGuinness has come to understand her husband so much that she knows when the character he is playing is still showing in his actions when he returns home.

He pointed out that living with an actor was difficult and said that although entertainers take things seriously and do their best, being home with their families was their “reality.”

However, Murphy has credited McGuinness for keeping him grounded. He emphasized the importance of having someone like her.

He further revealed that his life had not changed significantly as he still has old friends who hang out in the same places.

Anomama