Oscar-winning My Left Foot star Brenda Fricker has been laid to rest after dying at the age of 81. Her agent Phil Belfield confirmed her death last week, stating: "We will never see her like again, and the world is lesser for the lack of her." Neighbours in the Liberties in Dublin warmly remembered the actress as a quiet, familiar presence on their narrow street.
In 2012, writer Debbie McCann and her husband moved into a small cottage in the heart of the Liberties in Dublin. They soon bonded with their new neighbour over a shared love of rescue dogs. McCann had written an article in the Mail about a rescued puppy named Belle, who caught Fricker's attention after joining the family.
Fricker shared the story of her terrier, Jack, who was stolen from a house in Lucan by a gang for dog fighting. She said the gang "chucked out" Jack when he was no longer strong enough to fight. After a two-year odyssey, the dog walked 66kms from Mullingar back to his home, but his owners' circumstances had changed.
The actress, who gained global acclaim for her Academy Award-winning portrayal of Christy Browne's fiercely devoted mother, adopted Jack. Most evenings, Fricker walked Jack to the end of the cul de sac on Watkins Square and turned back outside McCann's window.
Although neighbours knew her identity, conversations with Fricker focused on dogs or packages she needed help with. Fricker told the couple she enjoyed watching them start their lives together. She was softly spoken with no airs and graces, engaging, and had a kind heart.
Life in the Liberties
Fricker spoke openly about her struggles with depression. A few years ago, she told Ryan Tubridy that she sometimes found it hard to leave her home. Neighbours noticed her absence and could go for days without seeing her out and about.
The actress maintained a lifelong love for dogs, though it was reported in the last week that her latest pet Juno died just days before her. Fricker lived in the Coombe, where she gradually combined three 35 square metre cottages into a single home.
In 2006, Fricker told a newspaper: "I wanted a small place near town and the theatres. This little terraced cottage at Watkins Square, Dublin 8, came on the market and it was all I could afford."
Combining the Cottages
After living in the one-bedroom cottage, Fricker began eyeing an idle property next door. She explained at the time: "I tried to find who it belonged to, but it took years to trace the owner. Eventually I did and they agreed to sell."
She later purchased a third house in the row to complete the combination. Fricker remarked: "With the three entrance doors to my home, at times I feel a bit like I’m living in the house in the Beatles film Help where they all have their own entrance doors but are really entering the one house."
