Before there was the Matt LeBlanc meme, there was Matt Damon with a SuperValu bag in Dalkey...

The Dalkey Book Festival has announced that actor Matt Damon will be making a return to Dalkey as a guest speaker at this year's festival which will run from 18 to 20 June. Friends actor Matt LeBlanc was deemed Ireland's favourite uncle earlier this week during the reunion episode of the hit show - however, before there was the Matt LeBlanc meme, Ireland had already adopted another Hollywood Matt as their own last year. Spending March 2020 in lockdown in Dalkey with his family, the Hollywood star was quickly adopted by the village in a matter of days and became a regular at coffee and book shops around the area. Damon temporarily relocated to the tiny seaside village alongside his wife and daughters while filming the thriller movie The Last Duel in 2020. However, as global travel restrictions were put in place due to the pandemic, the actor was forced to stay in Ireland for longer than expected. Images of Damon carrying his togs down the Vico in a SuperValu bag firmly cemented him as the ultimate adopted Irishman so it's no surprise that locals are excited so see him make a return. Matt Damon will talk to David McWilliams on Sunday 20 June about lockdown in Dalkey, bags of cans and his love of Ireland. Matt will join a line-up of speakers at this year's festival which will be streamed from the Martello Tower in Dalkey. The weekend ticket, priced at €50, will allow ticket holders to watch all of the content over the weekend of the 18, 19, and 20 of June, and exclusive access to rewatch all of the events for 30 days after the festival. Some other speakers over the three days will include President Michael D. Higgins, author Isabel Allende, Professor Brian Cox and exiled Russian businessman Mikhail Khodorkovsky among others. The full programme of 23 events and tickets are available at www.dalkeybookfestival.org. During his time in Dalkey, Damon stayed at the Ischia mansion that was later sold for a whopping €3.5 million. The coastal home of Ischia, located on the Sorrento Road in Dalkey was taken off the market on 15 April, after spending months as a rental with a price tag of €1000 a night. Ischia was built and owned by Eddie Irvine, the ex-Ferrari Formula 1 driver, and spreads out across an unbelievable 5,000-square-foot radius. The five-bedroom home with four ensuites also contains a study area, sauna, jacuzzi, games room, and a plunge pool - and is located in an enclave of Dalkey that has also been home to stars such as The Edge, Van Morrison, and Bono over the years.