Russell Crowe has revealed a surprise investment in an Irish liquor company after being drawn to its “fantastic” origin story.

The Gladiator and LA Confidential star was in County Donegal on Tuesday (local time) for the formal opening of the new home for The Muff Liquor Company with Irish singer Ronan Keating.

Crowe and Keating are among the investors in the company, which has signed a distribution deal for the US market. Others include pop star Ed Sheeran and British comedian Jimmy Carr.

Crowe said he was “thoroughly impressed with what I’ve seen” at the new building in Muff. The rural village is home to just 1500 people.

“Hopefully this is the beginning of a long series of successes for you, for your company,” he told company chief executive Laura Bonner.

Crowe said he was attracted to the company because he loves a great story.

Bonner’s grandfather Philip, a potato farmer, began experimenting with making vodkas and gin using his own recipe.

After trying it out on family and friends, it developed to the stage that every Friday afternoon a queue of locals would pass through Philip’s farmhouse to pick up a jar of his spirits before the local dance.

“When I heard the story of old Phil and what would happen on a Friday afternoon, I just got really attracted to it,” Crowe said.

“Then I tried the product, and that really sealed the idea for me that I had to get involved.

“It is a great product and the story is a fantastic story that will travel from place to place, from country to country. And I just wanted to be part of that.”

Where am I now? pic.twitter.com/n8eGUUAoPE

— Russell Crowe (@russellcrowe) July 2, 2024

Bonner set up her company in 2017. It has since expanded to take over a former car dealership in the village of Muff and turn it into a distillery.

“It’s a romantic idea, isn’t it?” Crowe said.

“A potato farmer looking at what he can do with his rotten potatoes comes up with a recipe for a drink that appeals to people, and on a Friday afternoon a few drop in and fill up their receptacles. I just think it’s a brilliant story of community.”

Crowe was cheered by a large crowd when he arrived in Muff, including some who had waited for hours in the rain.

He told BBC News he had had a phenomenal reception since arriving in Ireland, and he was delighted to make his first visit to County Donegal.

Crowe said he and the other celebrities involved in the project wanted the Muff distillery to be somewhere that “employs local people and is something that local people in the village can be proud of”.

Keating said he and Crowe had talked for some time about getting involved in different liquor brands.

“It had become a trendy thing,” he said.

“I got a call one day, [Crowe] was here in Ireland shooting a film, and he just said, ‘I’ve found it’.

“‘Found what?’

“‘I found what we’ve been looking for’.

“‘The Muff men’ was created and it’s been a hell of a lot of fun. When Rusty calls, we step up to the plate.”

-with AAP