Tributes to celebrated Irish actor TP McKenna

“HE was an irascible old bugger, but I loved him.”

A warm tribute by Breffní McKenna to his father, the celebrated stage and screen actor TP McKenna who died on Sunday evening in London following a long illness.

“As an actor he was unique, as a friend and colleague he was exceptional, as a father he was irreplaceable,” said a statement posted yesterday on his website.

The silver-haired star made memorable appearances in dozens of long-running shows including The Avengers, Doctor Who and Minder. He was also a staple of Irish domestic dramas, featuring in Fair City and Ballykissangel in his latter years.

McKenna — born Thomas Patrick, but always known by his initials — died in his sleep at the age of 81 at the Royal Free Hospital. Culture Minister Mary Hanafin led tributes yesterday to the star, whose versatility was a hallmark of a long, varied career, playing everything from a grocer’s assistant to the voice of God. Apart from stage and TV work, he also had a part in films such as Ulysses, Straw Dogs, and A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.

“TP McKenna’s acting career spanned decades and his body of work on stage and screen is considerable,” said Ms Hanafin.

“Starting his professional acting career on the stage in Dublin with early performances in the Abbey Theatre, he moved to the large and small screen with great ease, taking on many memorable roles in iconic films and TV programmes.”

Ms Hanafin described McKenna as one of a great generation of Irish actors whose talents gave Irish people great pride in his accomplishments.

Born in 1929 in Mullagh, Co Cavan, McKenna began performing at St Patrick’s College, where he displayed his talents in Gilbert and Sullivan operas.

On leaving school in the 40s, financial necessity forced him to put aside his acting ambitions in favour of a job with Ulster Bank, first in Granard, Co Longford, and later in Dublin. But despite, or because of, six years in finance, he was determined to be a full-time actor, finally realising his dream when he joined the Abbey Theatre in 1954.

He took on more than 70 stage roles at the Abbey between 1953 and 1962 and was made a life member in 1968. He also performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal National Theatre Company among others.

He was equally at home with film and he played alongside some of the most famous actors of the 20th century on the big screen, including Dustin Hoffman, Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum.

But he was equally adept at captivating audiences on the small screen, with roles in such acclaimed series as The Saint, Jason King, The Sweeney and Minder.

He will be laid to rest in Mullagh alongside his wife May, who died five years ago. He is survived by his sons Rafe, Killian, Breffní and Stephen and his daughter Sally.