Acclaimed Irish actor and stalwart of RTÉ’s Fair City Bryan Murray is to retire from the drama after 20 years.
Murray, (75) who plays Bob Charles, in the long-running soap, will say goodbye officially to fictional Carrigstown in two weeks on April 24th. He filmed his last scenes several weeks ago.
The actor was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2019. Following his diagnosis, he continued to appear on the programme while three years later he went public about his illness to raise awareness about the condition.
The Dublin native has been playing the role of a man with complex relationships, who managed McCoy’s pub before taking over local cafe The Hungry Pig over the last two decades.
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Along with extensive work in theatre and film, the award-winning actor is best known for his extensive television work, which includes Fitz in Strumpet City, Flurry Knox in The Irish RM.
For his role as Shifty in Bread he won BBC TV Personality of the Year. The Irish Film and Television Academy (Ifta) presented him with the Irish Academy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023.
Speaking about Murray’s retirement on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Brigie de Courcy, executive producer of Fair City, described him as the “absolute consummate professional who ‘embodies actor’”.
Ms de Courcy explained how Murray continued to work on the show. “We are all very sad about this [his retirement]. If you sliced him in half like a stick of rock you would find ‘actor’ written across his core and that’s purely what he is.
“What we did for him, which was a wonderful opportunity for all of us and it was really great for the crew to see this and for the cast for somebody to continue working even if they have something challenging going on for them. Initially what we did was put his scripts on to a clipboard so he could stand and read his scene; so very efficient.”
Ms de Courcy continued that Murray had a bluetooth ear loop, and a dialogue guide who would listen to him in rehearsal and pick up his intonations and rhythms and repeat it back to him on the floor and then he would say his lines.
She described his courage when not knowing what he was going to say and what he was going to do as “quite extraordinary and quite exemplary”.
The executive producer outlined that his “immense talent, dedication and passion for his craft have left an enduring legacy” that will be remembered.
Ms de Courcy added: “While we will miss him on set, we are incredibly grateful for the many wonderful years we’ve shared with him. His contribution to Irish television is immeasurable, and we wish him all the best.”
Murray met his on- and off-screen love, Una Crawford O’Brien, who plays Renee, on the set of the RTÉ soap. Their characters had an affair and later married. In real life, Murray and Ms O’Brien’s friendship became a lasting romance.
On his medical outlook Ms Crawford O’Brien, speaking to The Irish Times earlier this week, explained that their third year as Alzheimer’s Tea Day ambassadors was the hardest yet as Murray’s condition has declined sharply in recent months.
A year ago he could still do radio interviews; this year she is doing all the talking. Meaningful conversations between the two of them have dried up at home too.
“In honesty, I’ve lost my friend and my companion. All he wants to know is: ‘What are we doing next?’ Or ‘How am I getting home?’ when we’re at home,” Crawford O’Brien said.
