Ireland

Frank Twomey remembered as a ‘comic genius’ and forever more as ‘the man from Bosco’

Long-time collaborator tells funeral Mass actor was ‘most versatile, inventive, creative person’ he ever met

Frank Twomey was remembered at his funeral Mass as a 'most versatile, inventive, creative person'
Frank Twomey was remembered at his funeral Mass as a 'most versatile, inventive, creative person'
Olivia Kelleher
Thu Dec 14 2023 - 14:05

The late actor Frank Twomey, best known as “the man from Bosco”, excelled in the role because his gift for communication meant children viewed him as a friend to the much loved puppet, his funeral Mass has heard.

Twomey, who died last Monday aged 68 following an illness, was remembered at the North Cathedral in Cork city on Thursday as “a comic genius” whose gifts saw him managing to make the hospital chaplain laugh even during his last days.

Pat ‘Packie’ O’Callaghan told mourners that his long-time collaborator was not an “early riser” and he needed to apologise to him as the Mass was taking place at the “unearthly hour” of 10am.

He said Twomey, with whom he worked for 27 years on various stage shows, was “the most versatile, inventive, creative person I ever met and, by a long chalk, he was the funniest”.

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Twomey is best remembered for playing being Bosco’s friend on the popular children’s programme, which had a run of some 400 episodes on RTÉ. He and his friend Paula Lambert subsequently toured a live show around Ireland. He also appeared on Bull Island, Nighthawks and in many stage productions, including for years as the dame in The Everyman Palace Theatre’s pantomime in Cork.

Frank Twomey appeared on more than 400 episodes of RTÉ's children's programme Bosco
Frank Twomey appeared on more than 400 episodes of RTÉ's children's programme Bosco

O’Callaghan said he wondered where the “brilliance” of his friend might have taken him if he had not “succumbed to the magnetic pull of his beloved northside and returned to his native Cork”.

“He told me once that he was just happiest among his own,” he said.

Denis Twomey, a brother of the deceased, said his youngest sibling loved to play tricks on his family, making use of his skills as a mimic to prank call his grandmother pretending to be her friend.

“He was encouraged by our Dad to follow his dreams and the rest, they say, is history. Little did Frank know that forever more he would be referred to as ‘the man from Bosco’,” Mr Twomey said.

He thanked all those who cared for his brother in hospital and finished is remarks with the ‘magic door’ lines from Bosco.

“Knock knock, open wide, see what’s on the other side. Knock knock, any more, come with me through the magic door.”

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