In the curious case of Matt Damon spending lockdown in Dalkey, it seems that New York Times journalist Heather Murphy has gotten the scoop she needed.
It's
well-documented at this stage that Matt Damon and his family are currently staying in the Dublin coastal town but as Heather found out last week, it's best not to ask about it.
Looking for some local insight on The Martian star's stay here, the NYT writer popped a question into a Dalkey Facebook group but it's fair to say she very much told where to go.
After initially having a post deleted, she tried again and the replies ranged from people being protective of their famous neighbour to others being downright hilarious. If you missed all that, you can catch up
here.
A few days on and it seems like Murphy hasn't let the reaction stop her in her tracks. She has published a piece in the world-renowned publication titled 'A Seaside Irish Village Adopts Matt Damon' with an accompanying subhead reading 'But don’t you dare ask what it’s like living under lockdown with Matt O’Damon.' Quite.
The piece goes on to refer to Dalkey as 'Ireland’s Amalfi Coast' and explains that most encounters with Damon in the village 'begin the same way: Matt Damon smiles, and the resident pretends not to know who he is.'
Murphy refers to 'delighted memes' stemming from the
now famous pic of Damon carrying a Super Valu bag and he is called a 'symbol of togetherness while living in a gated residence in one of the priciest neighborhoods in Ireland.'
The post has garnered nearly 200 comments since it was shared on the
New York Times Facebook page earlier today and you have to admire Heather's perseverance in getting the story. At one point she also displays an admirable level of self-deprecation by writing: 'Not only had Mr. Damon found a relatively safe new home, his new admirers became an army of protectors. This was made clear when the New York Times reporter assigned to write this (me, for better or worse) requested anecdotes via the town’s unofficial Facebook page.'
Dalkey is now international and we can only expect a wave of Damon's Hollywood pals to follow him there once the lockdown is over. Just don't ask about them.
