Mick Lally: Irish Actor, Dead at 64...

Mick Lally

(November 1945 - 31 August 2010)

Mick Lally was an Irish television, film and stage actor.

Lally began a career as a teacher, but gave it up for the stage. He starred in the premiere of Brian Friel's play Translations in 1980 in Derry, while he was a member of the Field Day Theatre Company, founded by Brian Friel and Stephen Rea.

Along with Gary Hynes and Marie Mullen, Lally was a founder member of the Druid Theatre Company, which worked closely with many Irish playwrights. He played the role of Miley Byrne in the RTÉ soap Glenroe, reprising the character that he played earlier in the Bracken T.V. series in 1978. Lally also enjoyed some musical success when The By-road to Glenroe went to the top of the Irish charts in 1990.

In 1979, Lally won a Jacob's Award for his performance as Miley in Bracken. In 1994, Lally played Fiona's kind grandfather, Hugh, in The Secret of Roan Inish.

Mick Lally was a fluent speaker of the Irish language, and his children study in Irish-speaking schools.

Lally classified himself as an atheist and regards religion as nonsense and "codology".

Mick Lally provides the voice of Brother Aidan in The Secret of Kells, an animated film directed by Tomm Moore and was nominated in the category of best animated film at the 82nd Academy Awards.

Lally died after a short stay in hospital. He is survived by his wife Peggy and three children.

RIP

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