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22nd January 2026
05:29pm GMT

Pierce Brosnan has revealed to JOE that he loves to play with his hurley and sliotar on the beach in Malibu where he lives.
The former James Bond made the confession when he appeared on JOE's Irish Test. This is where we test celebrities to see if they have what it takes to be a true Irish person.
Brosnan was on the show with Amir El-Masry. The two are the stars of the excellent new sports movie Giant, which is out in cinemas now.
Based on the real-life relationship between world champion boxer Prince Naseem Hamed (El-Masry) and his Irish trainer, Brendan Ingle (Brosnan), you can check out JOE's glowing review of the movie here.
In the fun and wide-ranging Irish Test conversation, which Brosnan and El-Masry passed with flying colours, the latter was asked to identify the Irish sport of hurling.
This prompted Brosnan to say:
"I used to have a hurling stick as a kid, always.
"I still have a hurling stick. I go out on the beach in Malibu with my hurley. Honestly, I do.
"I get the old sliotar and whack it down the beach."
El-Masry told him: "I bet you're the best hurling slinger in Malibu," to which Brosnan responded: "I am. I'm the only hurley man!
"It's the most balletic, brilliant, medieval, athletic sport. It's quite wonderful."
Also, during the conversation, Brosnan said he sees U2's The Edge "from time to time" as both live in Malibu.
The 007 star also told us that he believes Irish people are the "funniest" and are "fighters".
"I make my family laugh at home with my own Irishness," Brosnan claimed.
"The Irish just have a way of kind of jabbing you with such a delightful sense of humour and not letting you get beyond yourself.
"There's a lovely sincerity to the Irish."
On the idea of the "fighting Irish", he also noted: "When you look at the history of the Irish, they have such a wildness to them, connected to spiritualism and religion and the land.
"There's a mystical element to our people, which is so raw and lyrical and beautiful.
"They definitely know how to fight, and they definitely know how to drink.
"They lived in such harsh quarters at times. The old hobnail boots of Cromwell couldn't get them.
"So there's a spirit there that remains, and they have that great sense of humour."
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