Who Are Cillian Murphy's Kids? Meet Malachy And Aran

Cillian Murphy and wife Yvonne McGuinness are examples of celebrity couples aging gracefully together. The pair first met in 1996 when a 20-year-old Murphy landed his first acting role in a small play titled "Disco Pigs." The production was supposed to run for a few weeks in a local theater in Cork, Ireland, but it received such rave reviews, it went on tour and ran for 18 months. "That time, making 'Disco Pigs,' was kind of the most important period of my life," Murphy told The Guardian in 2016. As he explained, in addition to forming lifelong friendships, "It was around the same time I met my wife. She came on tour with us."

In the years since, Murphy has become a famous actor while McGuinness has established herself as a talented visual artist. They eventually tied the knot in 2004 before having two sons, Malachy and Aran, in 2005 and 2007, respectively. The duo has always worked hard to stay out of the spotlight and has proven they're huge stars who live like normal people. "My life hasn't changed in any way, really," Murphy told People in 2005. "I still have the same friends and we go to the same places." However, despite Malachy and Aran staying mostly under the radar, there is quite a bit we've been able to uncover about them.

When actor Cillian Murphy and wife Yvonne McGuinness welcomed their first child in 2005, they decided to honor their shared Irish heritage by giving their son a name with local roots. Malachy is the Anglicized version of the Gaelic name "Maeleachlainn," which means "Son of the Servant of God." It was particularly popular during the Middle Ages when it was shared by numerous powerful figures, including Máel Sechnaill mac Domnaill, the 10th-century High King of Ireland, and Saint Malachy, a powerful 12th century archbishop who was canonized in 1190.

Similarly, when the couple had their second son in 2007, they opted for another baby name with a great meaning. Off the west coast of Ireland lies the Aran Islands in the Atlantic Ocean. Their son Aran's name is a fitting tribute to the family's Irish culture and heritage. The Aran Islands are made up of three islands near Galway Bay, and get their name from the Irish word Árainn.

Cillian Murphy is incredibly connected to his Irish roots, but he and Yvonne McGuinness spent 14 years living in London, England. "It was a big chunk of my life from my mid 20s to my late 30s," Murphy told Deadline. Indeed, it's where the couple had both of their children and built a happy life together, until it was time to move on. "I feel like as you hit your late 30s and have kids, living in a major metropolis is less exciting," Murphy told Rolling Stone U.K., explaining their 2015 move to Dublin, Ireland. However, that wasn't the main driving factor behind their decision. "We wanted the kids to be Irish," Murphy mused. The actor also shared a similar sentiment with Deadline, noting, "I was purely motivated by wanting to come home to Ireland and raise our kids as Irish and be near our families."

Speaking with Dax Shepard on the "Armchair Expert" podcast, Murphy also revealed another potential reason for returning to his motherland. "[The kids] were sort of at that age where they were pre-teens and had very posh English accents and I wasn't appreciating that too much," he laughed. That quote quickly made headlines and forced Murphy to set the record straight, as he told the Telegraph, "I was making a joke!" That may not have been entirely true, though, as Murphy did proudly tell The Guardian in 2016, "It's amazing how quickly their accents have adapted ... they are fading into this rakish west Brit kind of thing."

Cillian Murphy is taking the lessons he's learned as an actor and applying them to parenthood. "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." According to Murphy, social media and the internet age make that particularly difficult but it's something he's willing to fight for. "I recognize how tricky it is for a young person today in society," he shared with the Irish Mirror. "It feels to me like lots of kids, like their life exists inside of this device."

The actor believes that hiding behind a screen makes it easier than ever to forget about the importance of compassion and kindness and so, he's doing his part to bring those ideals back to the forefront. However, as he told the Irish Mirror, he's also a firm believer that empathy should be promoted in the classroom and not only at home. "The idea that empathy would form part of a curriculum is an excellent idea," he mused. "Studies have shown that kids who are taught empathy have their other academic learning helped in a positive way."

Their dad may be an Oscar-winning actor but don't expect Malachy and Aran Murphy to automatically love all of their father's films. "They're suitably underwhelmed by my work," Cillian quipped while speaking with The Standard in 2017. However, he was quick to note that his sons, who were just 12 and 10 at the time, hadn't actually seen much of his work. "Most of what I do is highly unsuitable for them," he noted. That didn't change much as the brothers grew older, though. Six years later, in an interview with Rolling Stone U.K., Murphy noted that even though he and his teenaged boys had a tight relationship, his career didn't play a big part in their bond. "We don't do 'Dad's Movie Night', but they like some of my films," he mused. "They say all my films are really intense."

Instead, it seems the Murphy brothers prefer to watch old Hollywood classics. Speaking with Letterboxd in 2023, Cillian listed off some of the flicks he had recently watched with his sons, all of which they enjoyed. These included timeless titles like 1979's "Apocalypse Now," 1998's "The Big Lebowski," and 1969's "Midnight Cowboy." As for the fame aspect of their father's career, Malachy and Aran aren't into that either. "It's a bit weird," Cillian told Esquire of being so widely recognized. "My kids don't like it."

He may not be overly impressed by his father's movie projects, but Aran Murphy was bitten by the acting bug early on. When he was just 11 years old, Murphy landed the title role of "Hamnet" in the play of the same name. The show, which tells the story of William Shakespeare's son who died at age 11, premiered at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin, Ireland, then hit the road, traveling to Brooklyn, New York. As The New York Times noted in its review of the play, Murphy was the only person on stage for most of the performance and, despite it being his first acting gig, he carried it off without a hitch. "It was enlivening, and underlaid with poignancy," the reviewer enthused. New York Theater agreed, noting, "Murphy's performance ... is professionally self-assured without being bratty or losing the sense of natural innocence."

Murphy then appeared in the 2022 sci-fi film "Lola" and, in 2024, Deadline confirmed that a 16-year-old Murphy would make his feature film debut in the movie adaptation of "Klara and the Sun." Based on the hit novel of the same name, the project is being directed by Taika Waititi and co-stars heavyweights Amy Adams and Jenna Ortega. Murphy was cast to play Rick, the best friend and neighbor of Ortega's character, Klara, who is an Artificial Friend robot.

Just like how Clint Eastwood's son Scott has dodged nepo baby criticisms, Aran Murphy is one of the lucky few who has been able to do the same. Following his stage debut in "Hamnet," Murphy received accolades and rave reviews from media on both sides of the pond. At just 11 years old, Cillian Murphy's youngest son earned the play a remarkable five stars from The Irish Times when the show debuted in Dublin. Then, as it moved to New York, it was equally well received with Exeunt NYC raving, "His performance is remarkable."

Not surprisingly, Cillian Murphy agrees. "I'm very, very proud of him," he enthused to Hello! "He's a great, great actor." In fact, he told The Guardian that he's actually jealous of his son's approach to acting. During Aran's run in "Hamnet," which also toured in Boston and Hong Kong, the young star was so confident, it inspired Cillian to change his own approach. "He was so chilled about it ... he would come off stage and ask what the score was in the Liverpool game," Cillian recalled. "And, again, you're slightly jealous of that!"

Since then, the proud papa has kept the praise coming, telling Telegraph in 2024 that even if Aran doesn't decide to pursue acting full-time, there's no denying his talent is all his own. "There's no way any kid will get by on nepotism alone," he proclaimed. "Everyone in this business gets found out unless they're good, and he's a good little actor." 

Both of Cillian Murphy's kids have spent much of their young lives far away from the spotlight and, according to the actor, that has helped them to discover their own identities and grow into confident young men. Speaking with The Guardian in 2016, Cillian noted that, when he was a teen, he put on a show of confidence but didn't necessarily feel that way on the inside. His sons, on the other hand, have shown no qualms about always being true to themselves. "They seem better adjusted than I was; more sure of themselves," he mused. "For me, it was something that took a long time to figure out: that it's all right to be you."

It's clear the star is immensely proud of his sons and they share a special bond. A bond that was put on full display in 2024 when Cillian received the best actor award at the Palm Springs International Film Festival. "Thanks for putting up with me — putting up with the half me and the shadow me and the absent me," he proclaimed, addressing his wife and kids, per People. "You're always there — I love it."