Screening recalls Lally's career as film actor

ABOUT 100 of the actor Mick Lally’s closest friends and family members turned out for a special screening in his honour last night at the Irish Film Institute (IFI) in Dublin.

Lally's wife Peige and their daughter Saileog along with Druid Theatre Company artistic director Garry Hynes and the writer-director Gerard Stembridge were among the guests for a special screening of the 1979 RTÉ drama Roma.

The feature-length drama, which has been resurrected from the archives, features Lally as a solitary and deeply religious tramp who slowly goes mad, though Lally himself was an atheist.

Lally, one of the country’s best loved actors, died in August from heart failure arising out of an underlying condition, emphysema.

Though he was best known for his performances in RTÉ's Brackenand became a household name as Miley in Glenroe, some of his best work was in film.

His film roles included The Ballroom of Romanceand The Secret of Kells.

IFI curator Sunniva O’Flynn, said she was pleased to be able to re-screen a performance by Lally which was not as well known as other work he had done.

Speaking before the screening, Ms Hynes said Lally’s fame as a television actor often overshadowed the significant work he had done in film.

All proceeds from the evening were donated to Pakistan Flood Relief. His final performance in Carmel Winter's Snapwas screened at this year's Tribeca Film Festival.