TOM CRUISE had his Irish roots officially confirmed in a ceremony in Dublin yesterday.
The Hollywood actor was in Ireland for the premiere of his latest film, Oblivion, and took the time to visit a number of sights in the city including a trip to the Guinness storehouse.
Tourism Ireland conducted research into Cruise's ancestry and found out that the actor's great-great-great grandfather was Patrick Russell Cruise, who restored evicted families to their home farms before the Great Famine.
Cruise, who was born Tom Cruise Mapathor IV in the US in 1962, was presented with a framed certificate by Tanaiste Eamon Gilmore.
After the ceremony the actor said: "I'm very proud to be Irish. It's wonderful. A great honour for me and I think for my whole family. I can't wait to bring it back to them and also enlighten them on their history."
Researchers found the Cruise family line dated back to the Anglo-Normans and aristocrat Strongbow, Richard de Clare, the first Earl of Pembroke and Lord of Leinster.
The Russell family was also prominent in the actor's genealogy. They rebelled against Oliver Cromwell and the Protestant faith with the Cruise family. The two were joined by marriage in 1766, resulting in the double-barrelled surname.
