Former Ursuline Convent Thurles, Tipperary Pupil Wins Best Actress Award.

Former Ursuline Convent Thurles pupil, Ms Jessie Buckley, wins Best Actress at 2026 Critics Choice Awards.

The Ursuline Convent Thurles community has welcomed news that past pupil Ms Jessie Buckley has been named ‘Best Actress’ at the 2026 Critics Choice Awards, for her performance in ‘Hamnet’, as the ceremony offers an early marker for the months ahead, in the international awards season.

Ms Buckley’s win came at the Critics Choice Awards, hosted by Chelsea Handler, which recognise the year’s best in film, television and streaming, as voted on by critics and journalists.

On the television side, acclaimed British drama Adolescence led the limited series categories, securing four awards. Owen Cooper, aged 16, won Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series, while co-stars Stephen Graham and Erin Doherty received Best Actor in a Limited Series and Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series, respectively.

Ms Jessie Buckley attended Ursuline Secondary School/Boarding School here in Thurles, where she took part in school productions, and the school and wider Thurles community have previously celebrated her achievements on stage and screen.