\u201cI\u2019m not only honoured, I\u2019m speechless. I\u2019m excited at the very thought of you nominating me for this honour, and of course I say: yes, yes, yes\u201d.<\/p>\n
That was Brenda Fricker<\/a>\u2019s response when the former lord mayor of Dublin<\/a> texted her in February, informing her that she will take her place among Ireland\u2019s creative masters \u2013 U2 and George Bernard Shaw, to name just two \u2013 in receiving the Freedom of the City.<\/p>\n Fricker, the first Irish woman to win an Academy Award<\/a> for acting and who was best known for her performance as the mother of a boy with cerebral palsy in My Left Foot, has died aged 81<\/a>.<\/p>\n She has been hailed as \u201ca national treasure\u201d and \u201can iconic figure in Irish film and theatre.<\/p>\n President Catherine Connolly<\/a> credited Fricker\u2019s historic Oscar<\/a> win as one of the factors that led to the revitalisation of the Irish film industry.<\/p>\n \u201cBrenda leaves behind a rich legacy of work on film, on screen and on stage. Importantly, she will also be remembered for her humanity, humour and authenticity, which shone through to audiences all over the world,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cIn speaking of the challenges and traumas which she faced in her life, Brenda showed great courage and provided help for others in facing their own challenges. She will be deeply missed.\u201d<\/p>\n Former lord mayor of Dublin Ray MacAdam told The Irish Times: \u201cBrenda was one of our greatest ever actors and one of our most cherished cultural figures. Brenda Fricker didn\u2019t just win an Oscar in 1990, she won a permanent place in the hearts of Dubliners and Irish people.\u201d<\/p>\n [\u00a0Brenda Fricker opened the door to a new Ireland when she won her Oscar for My Left FootOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n \u201cShe embodies the very best of Dublin\u2019s talent, resilience and warmth \u2013 but, above all, she was genuinely authentic.\u201d <\/p>\n Jim Sheridan<\/a>, who directed her in My Left Foot and The Field, said he was \u201csad and upset\u201d at the news of her passing, but remembers her as an \u201coutstanding\u201d actor with \u201can unbelievable personality\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cShe was just perfect to be with [Richard] Harris in The Field because she was so quiet, and so powerful,\u201d he said of the 1990 drama based on the John B Keane play of the same title.<\/p>\n Fricker\u2019s 2025 memoir, She Died Young: A Life in Fragments, detailed her experiences of abuse and sexual assault dating back to her childhood. While Sheridan said he knew \u201cbits and pieces\u201d of the sadness she experienced in life, he didn\u2019t know it \u201cto the extent of the book\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cI think when she played the mother in My Left Foot, she got pissed off because it consolidated her as a mother \u2013 it was also the age she was, she was in her mid-40s … that\u2019s hard for an actor,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Fricker \u201ctruly was among the greatest exports this country has ever produced and an ambassador for Irish talent on the world stage,\u201d T\u00e1naiste Simon Harris<\/a> said.<\/p>\n \u201cQuite simply, we will never see the likes of her ever again,\u201d he said, adding that she was \u201cone of Ireland\u2019s most celebrated and cherished actors\u201d who \u201cscaled incredible heights\u201d.<\/p>\n Her 1990 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress \u201cwas a defining moment for Irish cinema,\u201d he said, as was \u201cher emotional acceptance speech, in which she dedicated the award to \u2018all the people of Ireland\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe was a consummate performer who graced our screens and stages with remarkable talent and authenticity. Brenda brought depth and humanity to every role she undertook,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n