Beloved ‘Glenroe’ star Mick Lally dies aged 64
Mick Lally, ‘Glenroe’ star and founder of Druid Theatre Company, dies aged 64
Anton McNulty
Tributes have been pouring in for Tourmakeady-born actor Mick Lally, who died this morning aged 64 years.
One of Ireland’s best-loved actors, Lally became famous for his role as Miley Byrne in the RTE TV series, Glenroe and was one of the founding members of the Druid Theatre Company in Galway in 1975.
Born in November 1945 in the village of Derryveeney, Tourmakeady, he was the eldest of seven children; five sisters and one brother, born to Tom and Mae Nally, who still live in Tourmakeady.
He went to school in Trianlar NS followed by St Mary’s College in Galway and UCG, where he studied history and Irish. He taught history and Irish in Tuam from 1969 to 1975 before concentrating full-time on acting.
The news of his untimely death following a short illness came to a great shock in his native Tourmakeady. Tomás Ó Máille, who grew up in the south Mayo village with Mick Nally and also lived with him in Galway told The Mayo News that his love of acting was nourished while in national school.
“I knew Mick since he was a child and at that time the local schools were very much involved in drama through Irish. We had a drama festival in Tourmakeady which ran for two weeks for a number of years in the 1950s and that is where he got his taste of the stage. He got a medal for the best actor in some play they did. Joe Mulrooney, who was the Master of the school at the time produced the plays,” he said.
Tomás said that the people of Tourmakeady were very proud of Mick’s achievements. This was evidenced by the large crowd that gathered for his last visit to Tourmakeady just over a month ago, in July, when he launched ‘Tuar Mhic Éadaigh: Stair agus Seanchas’, a new book on the history and folklore of the area by Fr Pádraig Standun.
“A huge crowd was present for the book launch,” explained Tomás. “We had a great night in O’Toole’s that evening, with sessions and music, and Mick sang three songs. He was in great form … To hear of his death this morning … it’s hard to believe.”
Lally was a fluent Irish speaker and an advocate of the language, and he appeared in many Irish language films. As well as starring in ‘Glenroe’, he also starred in the long-running RTÉ series, ‘Bracken’, the hit BBC TV series, ‘Ballykissangel’ and also in the popular TG4 series, ‘Ros na Rún’.
An Taoiseach Brian Cowen has led the tributes, saying he is ‘shocked and saddened’ by Mick Lally's death: “He was one of the most-loved actors of his generation and will be dearly missed by the public and his colleagues in theatre and television. Versatile in both the Irish and English languages, his genius at capturing and portraying the essence of the characters he played brought him wide popular and critical acclaim.”
Dr James Browne, NUI Galway President, said: “The University offers its sincere condolences to Mick’s family, many friends, and colleagues. Mick Lally was an outstanding actor of his generation, perhaps of any generation. We truly valued him as a graduate. His national and international reputation earned him the status as an icon of Irish theatre. An Irish speaker who served his native Mayo and country with complete commitment. It is our pleasure to have him associated with this University. Mick will be remembered fondly.”
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