Funeral of Brenda Fricker held in Dublin area ‘where she was happiest’
By Gráinne Ní Aodha, Press Association
Mourners have gathered for the funeral of Oscar-winning actress Brenda Fricker in the Dublin area of The Liberties where she grew up.
Locals applauded as her coffin arrived at St Catherine’s Church on Meath Street, adorned with a green cloth bearing a gold harp and a coat of arms of Dublin.
Fricker, 81, died in Our Lady’s Hospice in Dublin’s Harold’s Cross on July 16 after a period of ill-health.
Mourners heard that she wanted her funeral to be “no fuss” and full of laughter; her friend Liz Duffy, described as “her rock”, thanked the local shops in the Liberties that Fricker would go to regularly with her dog, Juno.
Actor Brendan Gleeson, RTÉ director general Kevin Bakhurst and costume designer Joan Bergin were among those who attended the funeral service in the Liberties neighbourhood.
Monsignor Eoin Thynne told mourners there wasn’t “an ounce of airs or graces about her” and that she “marched to the beat of her own drum”.
He thanked her neighbours and friends from the Liberties “where she could be herself and was happiest when she was among her own”.
“Brenda lived a life full to the brim, full of love, laughter, stories, kindness, and mischief, and she was very clear about what she wanted today: no tears, no sadness, no fuss.
“This is not a day for sorrow.
“This is a day of celebration, the celebration of a true legend who touched the lives of so many and left us with many, many wonderful memories.”
He added: “The curtain has fallen on this life, but what a performance it was.”
Fricker won a best supporting actress Oscar for her performance as Bridget Fagan Brown in 1989’s My Left Foot, which tells the story of Christy Brown, played by Daniel Day-Lewis, who was born with cerebral palsy and could control only his left foot.
Fricker was also known for her role in the 1992 follow-up to Home Alone, where she played Pigeon Lady, a homeless woman in New York’s Central Park.
She was also part of the original cast of BBC medical drama Casualty and featured alongside Cate Blanchett in Veronica Guerin (2003), as well as appearing in ITV drama Upstairs, Downstairs and soap opera Coronation Street.
Her other film appearances included So I Married An Axe Murderer (1993), Angels In The Outfield (1994) and A Time To Kill (1996).
Her later roles included the TV adaptation of Graham Norton’s first novel Holding, directed by Kathy Burke, and the Channel 5 drama series The Catch.
Fricker also made numerous stage appearances.
Her agent Phil Belfield described the actress as a “legend” whom he was “honoured to know”.
“Dublin-born and bred, Brenda Fricker undoubtedly deserves the noun legend,” he said.
“We will never see her like again and the world is lesser for the lack of her. I was honoured to know, love and work with her, and she will always have a place in my heart and in the heart of so many film and TV fans the world over.”
