He admitted that her family was naturally crestfallen to see her lose out to Frances McDormand, but pointed out that Saoirse is still only 24 and has been nominated three times already.

"I was a bit disappointed for Saoirse when she lost out to Frances, although losing is the wrong word to use," he told RTE.

"It’s her third Oscar nomination, and that, to a lot of actors would be a dream come true. Each of the three times she was nominated a wonderful actress won the award so I would never say she was robbed or anything like that.

"She is blessed to be in such amazing company really, and, hey, she’s only 24."

He added: "The great thing about awards and being nominated is the potential work it may bring to you, actors love their job and the best award is more work, good work and experiences in a very competitive field.

"I’m proud of Saoirse for who she is, not for any award or her talent as an actor."

Paul appeared on the Late Late Show alongside his daughter back in 2010. Here' s clip from it: