SJP and Matthew's 'magical' Kilcar
The American actress Sarah Jessica Parker and actor Matthew Broderick married in a civil ceremony at an historic synagogue on the Lower East Side in Manhattan on the 19th May 1997. Although the couple reside in Manhattan, they spend a considerable amount of time at their holiday home near Kilcar, County Donegal, Ireland where Broderick spent his summers as a child, his father’s family originally hailing from there. The native New Yorker has described his childhood trips to Kilcar as ‘magical’: “We’d spend the summer there. After renting for a year or two, my parents bought a little bungalow right on the ocean and I started going there from the time I was about 10 years old. I’ve been there pretty much every summer and many Christmases. Now I have a little house right next to my parents’ house.”
With the couple’s hectic schedules they find it increasingly difficult to travel to the family cottage in Kilcar but argue that they are always made so welcome when they do find the chance to visit. In an interview with the local publication Donegal News Sarah picked up on this: “The Donegal people are renowned the world over for their kindness…They meet and exceed that standard on every occasion we come here. The locals always make us feel very welcome, and it is flattering that some even talk of us as one of their own. Donegal is always our preferred holiday destination”. The family normally travel in the summer but on occasion travel later in the year and on one of their most recent visits they were graced with good weather: “The weather has been super for this time of year…We’re only here for a few days but we’re having a great time” Matthew stated. When they visit the ‘magical’ Kilcar, Sarah and Matthew enjoy the relaxed and quiet lifestyle away from the hustle and bustle of Manhattan and go about their business as if they were regular residents in the village. One local resident commented: “It’s great to see them coming to this area. We allow them their privacy and they respect us for that”.
Sarah enjoys being able to ditch her world famous couture wardrobe and Manolo stilettos for the quiet life in Ireland while on holiday with the family: “We spend our time mostly in the holiday home and around the local area. We enjoy cooking and eating local produce like lamb. We cook away ourselves” she explains. The couple have also often been spotted freely mingling with the communities of Ardara, Donegal Town and Killybegs during their summer getaways. While recently with their hectic schedules the couple have found it increasingly difficult to travel to visit Donegal, but in a recent television interview Sarah commented that she hoped they could begin to travel to visit a bit more often again in the future: “We miss it so much and we try to replicate Ireland at home but it’s a poor man’s substitute for the real thing”.