Culture
22 Jul 26

Irish artist Shane Gillen pays tribute to Brenda Fricker in short film

Photo: Alan Light

The film features the voice of the late actress reading 'Voice' by Majella Kelly, a poem about the Mother and Baby homes in Ireland.

Sligo-born portrait artist Shane Gillen has paid tribute to the late Brenda Fricker in a short film.

Gillen's short film was shot, edited and sound designed by him. It features shots of him hand-drawing Fricker's portrait to the recital of her reading 'Voice' by Majella Kelly, a poem about the Mother and Baby homes in Ireland.

The film opens with his voice saying "Brenda Fricker died last week in a city she never really left."

As well as the poem reading, Fricker's recital of The Chieftans 'Never give all the Heart' features at the end.

"For everything that's lovely is but a brief, dreamy, kind delight," she read.

Brenda Fricker passed away last week at age 81 on July 16. She was the first Irish actress to win an Academy Award, which she earned for Best Supporting Actress for her role in My Left Foot (1989) and is well-known for her roles in Home Alone 2 and Casualty.

She left her mark on Irish culture throughout her life. Earlier this year, she was honoured with the Freedom of The City of Dublin for her "talent, integrity and craft" that "represented our capital city with distinction across a lifetime of extraordinary work," according to Lord Mayor of Dublin Ray McAdam.

Fricker's memoir 'She Died Young - A Life in Fragments,' published in September 2025, was shortlisted for Dubray Biography of the Year.

Gillen's previous work includes his 'Pandemic Portraits' collection which he created during Covid-19. It included realistic portraits of prominent figures such as former President Michael D Higgins, Bono, Gay Byrne and more.

Shane Gillen with Ryan Tubridy presenting The Architects of Agreement portraits/The Late Late Show

He also commemorated the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement in 2023 with a portrait series 'The Architects of Agreement,' featuring figures involved in the peace agreement.

"I am grateful to citizens like you who use your talent and skills to bring light and joy into the lives of others as we undertake together this unprecedented journey," the former president wrote in a letter to Gillen. He later invited the artist to the Áras an Uachtaráin in November 2025 at his final farewell as president.