Extraordinarily gifted and a big-hearted man

COLLEAGUES from the worlds of theatre and television have paid tribute to actor Mick Lally, who died yesterday morning, aged 64.

Lally was best known to many for his role as Miley Byrne in the television series Glenroe, which ran on RTÉ One from 1983 to 2001. The actor and theatre director Alan Stanford, who played George in the series, recalled yesterday that Lally’s performance had made Miley “the best- loved man in Ireland”.

In 1975 he helped found Druid theatre in Galway with Garry Hynes and Marie Mullen in 1975.