Brendan Grace, Noel Whelan - Voices silenced

Ireland lost two significant, well-respected figures this week — albeit voices from very different ends of the social milieu. Both men died after short illnesses.

The comedian Brendan Grace — who will be forever remembered as Bottler or Father Fintan Stack in Father Ted — died, aged 68, yesterday morning after he was diagnosed with lung cancer just 10 days ago. A Dubliner, by birth and profession, he lived in America for some years but had recently returned to Ireland.