Hot Press is deeply saddened to hear the news that legendary Galwegian actor, writer, journalist, filmmaker and campaigner Mark Kennedy has passed away after a short illness, at the age of 79.
A well-known figure around his native Galway, Mark led an amazing life which at one stage saw him touring Canada in the early 1960s with the stage version of A Hatful of Rain, starring alongside Tippi Hedren (famous from Hitchcock’s The Birds). Later he moved to Hollywood, where the films he was involved in included Roar and The Exorcist.
Upon his eventual return to Ireland, he worked with the late Niall Hughes on a series of independent documentaries in the Nineties, including Getting to Ginsberg, Horselands, and the award-winning Clear The Streets.
In more recent years, Mark became a strong campaigner for social justice (working with Age Action amongst other organisations), and was hugely instrumental in the establishment of the Celia Griffin Famine Memorial Park, on the outskirts of the city.

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Mark Kennedy was an incredibly kind, soulful and intelligent son of Galway, writes Olaf Tyaransen. I knew him since the late 1980s. Very much a man around town, he was instantly recognisable in his badge-festooned hat and dark shades.
He was also a huge music fan – most especially of heavy metal. You don’t see many old age pensioners grooving around the Róisín Dubh, but Mark was often there, usually supporting some local unsigned act.
Whenever I ran into him with my kids, he always had coins to give them – and religious medals to give me! He was a true original: we definitely won’t see his like again.
Last year, Mark – who hated the thought of being branded a ‘celebrity’ (“I don’t even want to be a local one!”) granted me an extensive interview. We’ll be posting it on hotpress.com next week.

Mark Kennedy, 1937-2016. RIP.