Tributes paid to Rynagh O'Grady

Rynagh O'Grady, who played Craggy Island shop owner Mary O'Leary on Father Ted, has died aged 67.

The running gag in the Channel 4 sitcom was that she and her  husband John, played by Patrick Drury, would be having murderous rows in private,  only to be all sweetness and light when a customer came into the sop.

 The actress also played Bernie's mother in The Commitments and had roles in Tom Cruise blockbuster Far and Away and as the maid to Natasha Richardson’s character in Widows’ Peak.

She also had a long stage career, and her death was announced by Dublin’s  Abbey Theatre today.

The venue’s director Graham McLaren paid tribute to ‘her grace, her talent, her humour, her integrity, her patience’, saying: ‘I'd sneak into the back row of the Abbey to watch her hush a hysterical audience with a look, then lead them through a speech full of heart, humanity and justice.' 

Pauline McLynn, who played Mrs Doyle in Father Ted, simply posted two words: 'So sad x’.

Published: 9 Feb 2021