Kevin Costner is a Kilkenny man!

Hollywood A-lister Kevin Costner’s ancestors hailed from county Kilkenny, it has emerged,

According to a report in the US-based news site IrishCentral, the Yellowstone star’s great-grandfather Michael Costner was born in Graiguenamanagh in 1855, when the country was devastated by the Great Famine.

Like an estimated one million Irish people at the time Michael Costner saw little hope for his future in Ireland and decided to emigrate to United States in search of a better life.

He settled in California, where he married and raised a family. His son, William Costner, was Kevin Costner’s grandfather, who instilled in Kevin a love for his Irish heritage.

William Costner was a successful businessman in California, but he maintained strong connections to his ancestral home in Ireland throughout his life. He even visited Ireland on several occasions, and he passed on his love for the country and its people to his grandson Kevin.

Kevin Costner has visited Ireland himself on several occasions, and he has spoken publicly about his love for the country.

In an interview with The Irish Times in 2016, the actor said: “I have a lot of friends in Ireland, and I feel a connection to the people and the landscape.

“I love the way the country has preserved its history and traditions, and I always feel at home when I’m there.”