The son of actor Gary Lydon delivered an emotional tribute to his father at his funeral, where he said sharing the stage with him was “one of the greatest privileges of his life”.
At Lydon’s funeral mass in St Michael’s Church, Cootehall, Roscommon on Thursday, James Lydon spoke movingly of his deep bond with his father, recalling their last performance together in a Billy Roche play at the Wexford Arts Centre.
“There are so many memories to draw from. I will keep them with me forever, especially when I got to share the stage with you, one last time in Of Mornington. It is now one of the greatest privileges of my life and the most important role I will ever play,” he said.
Mourners heard how Gary Lydon did everything to support his son when it came to pursuing a career in acting and making that a possibility.
“I thank you for instilling in me a love and appreciation of the arts. I learned that you did that for so many young artists,” he said.
“In school, I was so proud to say that my dad was an actor. When it came around to a school project and my celebrity hero, I chose you. I wanted people to know that you were my dad.”
Prominent figures from the world of film and theatre gathered for the funeral of the Wexford native who had lived in north Roscommon for many years. Mourners included Martin McDonagh, director of the The Banshees of Inisherin in which Gary Lydon featured; Liam Cunningham, Aidan Gillen and other fellow cast members from the crime drama series, Love/Hate and the medical drama, The Clinic.
Lydon worked extensively across theatre, television and cinema but despite starring alongside household names, the bright lights held little appeal for him; he preferred the quiet of rural Co Roscommon.
The late actor Gary Lydon. Photograph: Ray Ryan
Delivering the homily, parish priest Fr Brendan McDonagh spoke of how much the actor loved living in Cootehall. “We thank God for the man we knew and who worked among us,” he said.
When the priest was called to Lydon’s house the night he died, he noticed what he described as a “very important picture” on one of the walls.
“It denoted his love of the countryside. It was a picture of clamps of turf and sods of turf scattered around the clamps with roaming hills in the background and a lovely little house on top of the hill. A beautiful painting, it really much caught my eye. It was very much like where Gary lived himself,” he said.
“At 61, no one expected Gary to leave us but sudden death is frightening and makes every one of us sit up and take notice.”
During the service, symbols reflecting different aspects of his life were brought to the altar: his bicycle helmet, representing his love of cycling the Leitrim Blueway with his son Seanluke; a pair of oven gloves, remembering his fondness for baking sticky toffee pudding and lemon drizzle cakes for his sons; a Wexford jersey and flag, symbolising his pride in his native roots; and a poster of him in one of the productions of his “great friend”, playwright Billy Roche.
Lydon was widely recognised for his collaborations with Roche over 40 years. Speaking to The Irish Times at the service, the Wexford playwright described him as “a powerful method actor”.
“He lived and breathed the parts. He was very demanding on himself and everyone around him as well. He probably didn’t realise it but he was an iconic actor. He will be much missed,” said Roche.
Lydon was born in London in 1961 to Irish parents, the late Jimmy and Judy O’Brien, but moved as a child to Wexford town.
Following news of his sudden death on Thursday, April 30th, tributes poured in, including his local GAA club in Roscommon, St Michael’s.
In a condolence message, the club noted that he had trained and played there, and in subsequent years was a regular presence on the sideline when his son James was playing.
Lydon is survived by his sons Seanluke and James and their mother Kara; partner Paula and her daughter Aoife; and brothers Anthony, Seamus and Ian.