Oscar-winning Dublin actor had been due to receive Freedom of the City honour later this year'Brenda leaves behind a rich legacy of work on film, on screen and on stage', President Catherine Connolly said. Stephen ConneelyFri Jul 17 2026 - 19:23 • 3 MIN READ“I’m not only honoured, I’m speechless. I’m excited at the very thought of you nominating me for this honour, and of course I say: yes, yes, yes”.That was Brenda Fricker’s response when the former lord mayor of Dublin texted her in February, informing her that she will take her place among Ireland’s creative masters – U2 and George Bernard Shaw, to name just two – in receiving the Freedom of the City.Fricker, the first Irish woman to win an Academy Award 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.She has been hailed as “a national treasure” and “an iconic figure in Irish film and theatre.President Catherine Connolly credited Fricker’s historic Oscar win as one of the factors that led to the revitalisation of the Irish film industry.“Brenda 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,” she said.“In 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.”Former lord mayor of Dublin Ray MacAdam told The Irish Times: “Brenda was one of our greatest ever actors and one of our most cherished cultural figures. Brenda Fricker didn’t just win an Oscar in 1990, she won a permanent place in the hearts of Dubliners and Irish people.”[ Brenda Fricker opened the door to a new Ireland when she won her Oscar for My Left FootOpens in new window ]“She embodies the very best of Dublin’s talent, resilience and warmth – but, above all, she was genuinely authentic.” Jim Sheridan, who directed her in My Left Foot and The Field, said he was “sad and upset” at the news of her passing, but remembers her as an “outstanding” actor with “an unbelievable personality”.“She was just perfect to be with [Richard] Harris in The Field because she was so quiet, and so powerful,” he said of the 1990 drama based on the John B Keane play of the same title.Fricker’s 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 “bits and pieces” of the sadness she experienced in life, he didn’t know it “to the extent of the book”.“I think when she played the mother in My Left Foot, she got pissed off because it consolidated her as a mother – it was also the age she was, she was in her mid-40s ... that’s hard for an actor,” he said.Fricker “truly was among the greatest exports this country has ever produced and an ambassador for Irish talent on the world stage,” Tánaiste Simon Harris said.“Quite simply, we will never see the likes of her ever again,” he said, adding that she was “one of Ireland’s most celebrated and cherished actors” who “scaled incredible heights”.Her 1990 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress “was a defining moment for Irish cinema,” he said, as was “her emotional acceptance speech, in which she dedicated the award to ‘all the people of Ireland’.”“She 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,” he added.Former president Michael D Higgins said despite her Academy Award, “what she’ll most be remembered for is the wide range and versatility of the roles she took, and above all, her reputation among fellow actors for kindness, generosity and support.”Fricker, who worked as an assistant to the Arts Editor of The Irish Times before becoming an actor, featured in over 30 films throughout her life, as well as the first soap opera on Irish television. When she accepted her Oscar in 1990, she concluded her acceptance speech by thanking “members of the Academy for giving me this, which I will take very proudly with me back to Ireland.”IN THIS SECTION