Newly unearthed footage shows Oscar nominee Cillian Murphy during earliest rehearsals

University College Cork (UCC) unearthed the previously unseen footage which involved one of the earliest rehearsals ever undertaken by the multi-award winning star.

Murphy - the overwhelming favourite to lift the Best Actor statuette at the Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles on Sunday night - was involved in rehearsals for Enda Walsh's play, Disco Pigs in the 1990s.

It is believed the rehearsals took place in late 1995 or early 1996 in preparation for the debut performance of Disco Pigs.

Murphy starred in the hit play which enjoyed its debut run in Cork.

The footage shows him rehearsing in the Granary Theatre at UCC for his first professional role in the Corcadorca production of Enda Walsh's play.

Murphy, who was a student at UCC at the time, later admitted that his involvement in Disco Pigs was a major step on his path to making acting his full-time career.

The play enjoyed a hugely successful run in Cork before being staged worldwide.

Such was the reaction to it that the play spawned a critically acclaimed 2001 film which also starred Cillian in the lead role and was directed by Kirsten Sheridan.

The unearthed footage shows Cillian and Eileen Walsh rehearse their roles as a Pig and Runt respectively for the debut performance.

It was filmed by Eddie Noonan of Frameworks Films in the late 1990s.

In 1996, Murphy made his professional debut as a Cork teenager in Corcadorca’s production of Disco Pigs.

Murphy was a first year law student at UCC, a member of UCC Dramat and in a band called The Sons of Mr Green Genes.

The play revolves around the intense relationship between two teenagers, Darren played by Murphy, and Sinead (Eileen Walsh/Elaine Cassidy).

Each have distinctive nicknames, 'Pig' and 'Runt.'

'Pig' and 'Runt' were born at the same hospital at nearly the same time and grow up next door to each other.

This close childhood brings about an extremely close relationship between the two youngsters.

The play focuses on how the nature of the relationship changes over time before ending in tragedy.

Originally set for a short run, Disco Pigs toured the world to great acclaim and was turned into a critically acclaimed 2001 film directed by Kirsten Sheridan and starring Murphy and Elaine Cassidy.

Murphy’s teachers admitted that he was a natural with theatre and instinctively understood literature and poetry.

He decided to focus on acting despite his band being offered a recording contract.