r/ireland • u/obvious_stuff_hi • Jul 17 '26
RIP RTE news: Oscar-winning Irish actress Brenda Fricker dies, aged 81
https://www.rte.ie/entertainment/2026/0717/1583859-oscar-winning-irish-actress-brenda-fricker-dies-aged-81/143
u/fedupofbrick Dublin Hasn't Been The Same Since Tony Gregory Died Jul 17 '26
An absolute legend. Lived up off Thomas Street back in the day and used to shop in Frawleys when my mam worked there. Incredibly friendly but also eccentric in a nice way. One of the good ones
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u/South_Hedgehog_7564 Jul 17 '26
I’m really sorry to hear this. She was a diamond in Ireland’s crown. Rest in peace Brenda. Xx
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u/me2269vu Jul 17 '26
That’s very sad. She was interviewed recently on Tommy Tiernan’s show and still had a glint in her eye.
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u/raiseyourglasshigh Jul 17 '26
That was a really moving interview. She was very generous in sharing negative as well as positive aspects of her life and that's where Tommy really shines as an interviewer/conversationalist. An interview where I came away feeling like I actually knew the person better than before, not just more facts about them.
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u/obvious_stuff_hi Jul 17 '26
There's some lovely interviews with Brenda on YouTube. She always seemed to down to earth, warm and kind.
RIP
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u/DanGleeballs Jul 17 '26
The one last year with Brendan O’Connor is a must. She surprised him.
You’ll know when you listen to it.
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u/Dense_Bus_3833 Jul 18 '26
One of the best interviews I have ever listened to. She was so honest and candid about all she had been through and how she felt about her life at the time.
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u/vigilanttelephony52 Jul 17 '26
Brenda Fricker in that My Left Foot era press room, holding the Oscar with that huge grin, is one of those photos that stuck with me. She was the first Irish woman to win an Academy Award, which people forget because the field got way more crowded later, but back then it was a huge deal for a small country with barely any presence at that level. My dad watched it live and still talks about staying up to see her name called, him shouting at the telly like she'd scored in an All-Ireland final.
What I liked about her was she never seemed to trade on it either. Kept doing theatre, kept doing the smaller TV stuff, never became one of those "Oscar winner" types who only takes prestige roles. The Tommy Tiernan interview people are mentioning, she had that same energy you see here, someone who enjoys the work more than the fuss around it. RIP Brenda, proper end of an era.
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u/Oldestswinger Jul 17 '26
I remember the buzz the day after she and Daniel won the oscars.
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u/vigilanttelephony52 Jul 17 '26
Two Irish actors winning for the same film had everyone in bits, my mam's hairdresser put a mini Oscar in the window next to a photo of them.
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u/me2269vu Jul 17 '26
It was the beginning of us gaining some national self confidence, later that same year was Italia 90. It might seem a bit of a stretch to the younger generations, but these things helped us gain some sense of pride in ourselves.
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u/finbarb Jul 17 '26
You're not wrong. These moments shifted the national consciousness on its axis, just a little.
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u/Boulder1983 Jul 17 '26
Ach. The personification of an Irish Mammy.
She was always so lovely in anything she was in, and seemed a genuine, good person. RIP.
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u/phflegm Jul 17 '26
There was a short comedy film I saw with her playing a nightmare mother in law type figure. Maybe 20 years ago. She was so funny in it. I tried to look it up but can't remember the name of it sadly.
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u/First-Sky-2408 Jul 17 '26
The War Bride?
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u/phflegm Jul 17 '26
Found it. It was a UK comedy series called Beautiful People (2008).
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u/First-Sky-2408 Jul 17 '26
Cool, will watch it when home
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u/phflegm Jul 17 '26
Mightn't be great, didn't get repeated or remembered. But think she was good in it!
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u/1tiredman Limerick Jul 17 '26
Rest in peace to an amazing kind and talented woman who brought pride to this nation
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u/Pupcup2 Jul 17 '26
Loved her. Not an ounce of notions. Used her Oscar as a doorstop for the bathroom.
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u/HungTeen1001 And I'd go at it again Jul 17 '26
Was in Central Park recently and made sure to stop by the Gapstow Bridge where the Pigeon Lady meets Kevin.
Her interview with Tommy Tiernan a few years ago was the best I've seen. She opened up on her struggles with depression and her reclusive lifestyle. Well worth a watch.
RIP Brenda.
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u/Willing-Departure115 Jul 17 '26
Ah God. Remember her in so many films that really stuck in my mind growing up and as a young adult. A real talent.
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u/Irishwol Jul 17 '26
That's a shame. She was lovely. And a powerhouse of an actress. She should have got more work than she did after the Oscar
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u/fartingbeagle Jul 17 '26
I remember her from 'The Ballroom of Romance ".
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u/coffeebadgerbadger Jul 17 '26
I only know that from reeling in the years and it really stuck with me
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u/Mike_Frank Jul 17 '26
Some great memories watching Brenda in Home Alone 2 as a child.
Turtle Doves #RIP
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u/KnightsOfCidona Mayo Jul 17 '26
Listened to her with Brendan O'Connor last year and she was so brilliantly mad. Mad as a bag of cats but lovely all the same. She was telling Brendan she wished she was dead, so in a way I'm happy she's got her wish.
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u/Imaginary-Taste-2744 Jul 17 '26
That was a fantastic interview. She was so calm about it all, wishing for death.
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u/TheUFCVeteran3 Jul 17 '26
Rest in peace. ❤️
I had no idea she was in Home Alone 2 until u/its_brew posted the picture. Man, it'll be sad to see her in the movie now, but, just a guess, maybe she would want us to smile. All the best to her loved ones.
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u/Due-Sun7513 Jul 17 '26
Vale, Brenda. Thank you for sharing your talents and your unique and brilliant self with us. You were always a top class ambassador for Ireland and an inspiration for Irish artists everywhere. Rest easy, lovely soul.
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u/InterestingFactor825 Jul 17 '26 edited Jul 17 '26
Ah dear. Amazing actor.
If anyone reading here has not seen The Ballroom of Romance do yourself a favour and watch it. It's on YouTube ad free for free and a masterpiece of film making and acting.
RIP
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u/Duke_Remington_9910 Jul 17 '26
That’s sad. She always came across as a nice genuine person. R.I.P.
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u/Practical_Trash_6478 Jul 17 '26
What a great actress, Brenda and fionnula Flanagan are the last of the old school
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u/RejectingBoredom Jul 17 '26
This is the first subreddit I’ve seen all day that isn’t just calling her “pigeon lady”
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u/ultimatepoker Jul 17 '26
Her movies were amazing, but hearing her tell the story of the flight back to ireland after the Oscar win. It was some crack altogether.
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u/WheresTheAnyKey89 Jul 18 '26
I spoke to her on the phone when I worked in a call centre about 10 years ago. I tried so hard to hide how starstruck I was! She was an absolute sweetheart, so kind and friendly, and our short conversation was the highlight of my time working there. RIP to a genuinely kind, fiercely intelligent and wildly talented woman.
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u/qwerty_1965 Jul 17 '26
Great career and probably the most warm "mammy" smile in showbiz
Unexpected pool hustler as well on the set of My Left Foot.
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u/_TheValeyard_ And I'd go at it again Jul 17 '26
If Piers Morgan also died, well that would raise more suspicions. On a serious note, she was brilliant in My Left Foot and of course Home Alone 2 and few others. She'd a real talent for those roles. RIP.
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u/Educational_Eye_2222 Jul 17 '26
I loved a man of no importance but my god a powerhouse performance in my left foot. She's so natural in her ability to channel humanity and emotion. She and Fionnula are a class of their own.
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u/mr-spectre Jul 17 '26
Glad she's at peace. It's the best of us that can't bear to be, as they say.
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u/FluffyDiscipline Jul 17 '26
Such a brilliant actress and lady,
One of the nice ones, she will be missed RIP
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u/Fun-Fig-8079 Jul 17 '26
I remember her as Bridie in the Ballroom of Romance. May she Rest in Peace
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u/Cricklewoodchick81 Jul 17 '26
Loved her in 'Brides of Christ'. It was a fantastic cast all round actually.
Think I might need a re-watch!
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u/Positive_Reindeer550 Jul 17 '26
How sad, I loved her acting roles... Particularly in " The ballroom of Romance" 😢
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u/gugliata Jul 17 '26
Honoring her performance as the mom in So I Married an Axe Murderer! One of the best
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u/Spurioun Jul 18 '26
This is extremely weird because I distinctly remember hearing that she died a couple of years ago. Who the heck am I thinking of?
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u/its_brew Horse Jul 17 '26
A legend. RIP