Tributes paid to 'giant of theatre' Brian Friel on his death

TRIBUTES have been paid to Irish playwright Brian Friel on his death at age 86.

The artistic director of the Lughnasa International Friel Festival said the playwright had written “from within us and for us”.

During a celebrated career Friel wrote acclaimed plays such as Dancing At Lughnasa and Philadelphia, Here I Come and was described by former US president Bill Clinton “as an Irish treasure for the entire world”.

The director of the Abbey Theatre in Dublin said the loss would bring an end to a flurry of fax messages from Friel's home in Greencastle, Co Donegal, while Sheila Pratschke, chair of Ireland's Arts Council, said Friel had earned a deserved place at the top table of world playwrights.

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"The Irish theatre and arts world generally is devastated by this sad, sad loss," she said.

"Brian was an inspiration to Irish playwrights, actors, directors and theatre makers. It is the mark of the man and his achievement as a writer that his work is conjured by use of his surname only."

Sean Doran, artistic director of the Lughnasa International Friel Festival which premiered at the end of August, said the news had left him “empty”.

“He was a man of great generosity, warmth and radiance and for me to get to know him while putting the festival together was one of the greatest honours of my entire working life,” he said.

“Hearing such news does leave you very empty and you immediately think of Anne, his wife, and his family and the great loss that it is for them.”

Mr Doran described Friel as “a beautiful, beautiful man and a great, great writer for our culture”.

“He was a man of deep integrity which is one of the great qualities of the works and why it so universally appeals to people not just in Ireland, but across the world.

“The great and the good from the world over have performed his work and want to perform his work. It has relevance and universality through all cultures.”

He added that although Friel often worked with the greats of stage and screen, including Liam Neeson and Stephen Rea, there was “no-one more down to earth and full of life and pleasure”.

“He was the type of man you grew to love very quickly, due to that combination of warmth alongside work that is some of the most beautiful writing to ever come across in the theatre,” Mr Doran said.

He said “the beauty of the language” in Friel’s plays has great relevance to Irish society.

“He really did write from within us and for us in both parts of Ireland."

Nobel peace laureate John Hume said he was “deeply saddened to learn of the death of my dear friend Brian Friel”.

“To put it simply, Brian Friel was a genius. But he was a genius who lived, breathed and walked amongst us.

“He had a unique ability to transform the local to the global and bring the past to the present which enthralled people the world over.

 “I express my sincere condolences to Brian’s wife Anne, his daughters, son and wider family circle.”

Friel wrote to the Lyric Theatre in Belfast to mark its reopening in 2011 and an extract from that letter is on the wall. It reads:  “A new theatre can be the most exciting building in a city. It can be the home of miracles and epiphanies and revelations and renovations. And building a new theatre - especially in times like these - is both an act of fortitude and gesture of faith in your community. This is your playhouse - come and play with us here.”

Lyric Theatre Executive Producer Jimmy Fay said the theatre was "devastated to hear of the passing of Brian Friel this morning".

"Brian was an iconic playwright who created unforgettable, penetrative and vivid characters, and his work transcends the Irish cultural landscape. One of the great pleasures of this past summer has been working with Brian on Dancing at Lughnasa, and I know he was delighted with the way the production was received by audiences - it was genuinely a fitting tribute to one of the greatest writers Ireland has produced. His presence, his kindness and his work will always live in this playhouse. We will miss him terribly.”

Dirtector of the Abbey Theatre in Dublin Fiach Mac Conghail was the associate producer when Dancing at Lughnasa premiered at the Abbey Theatre in 1990 and said the playwright had always provided "sound incisive advice and exemplary courage and integrity".

"It was a joy to be in the company of this inspirational artist and to witness the play’s phenomenal success in Dublin, London and on Broadway. Brian Friel’s Dancing at Lughnasa paved the way for other Irish plays to tour to New York, giving Irish theatre a currency long since enjoyed by many of our writers.

"I consider Brian Friel to be one of Ireland’s greatest nation builders who forensically interrogated and challenged the establishment of the Republic of Ireland.  Brian Friel understood the power and ambiguity of memory in developing a sense of who we are as a people."

Taoiseach Enda Kenny said the nation and world had " lost one of the giants of theatre".  

"His mythical stories from Ballybeg reached all corners of the world from Dublin to London to Broadway and onto the silver screen.  All of his plays, including Translations, Faith Healer, Philadephia, Here I Come! and Dancing at Lughnasa, will forever form part of the canon of greatness in dramatic writing. 

"The consummate Irish storyteller, his work spoke to each of us with humour, emotion and authenticity.  Like the great WB Yeats he also served in Seanad Éireann. I would like to send my deepest condolences to his wife Anne and his children."

President Michael D Higgins said the loss would be felt across Ireland.

"To have had the privilege of knowing Brian Friel as a friend was an immense gift.  He was a man of powerful intellect, great courage and generosity.   These were talents that he delivered with great humour, grit and compassion.  His legacy to the Irish people is immense. 

"Brian Friel also of course made a very significant public contribution, not only as a member of Seanad Éireann but in terms of the case he made, in public and private, on the importance of arts and culture; and in particular the need to respect the integrity of the artist.

"The community of the arts has lost an iconic figure and the people of Ireland a great friend."

The Republic's Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Heather Humphreys said Friel had brought Ireland to the world.

“Brian was one of our truly great playwrights and was a household name not only here at home but on the international stage as well.  He was renowned on Broadway, where many of his plays ran to great acclaim.  Through his writing he brought Ireland, and particularly Donegal, to the world," she said.

“It is fitting that perhaps his greatest work, Dancing at Lughnasa, is this year showing at the Gaiety Theatre as part of the Dublin Theatre Festival, marking the 25th anniversary of the play’s premiere in Dublin.

“I would like to extend my deepest condolences to all of Brian’s family and friends.  Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.”

The north's Culture Minister Carál Ní Chuilín said Friel's plays were grounded in a familiar reality "yet they had layers of humour, sadness, satire, tragedy and hope".

“Friel belongs to the canon of great Irish writers. His affection for everyday subject matter was matched by his understanding of the human condition. This resulted in unique work, which stands as a milestone in Irish theatre.

“While today we mourn his death, and the vast gap his passing leaves, we also look to a legacy that will resonate through the ages," she added.

Playwright Garry Hynes said that it was a privilege to have " lived and worked in the theatre at a time when Brian Friel was writing his great plays".

"He is gone from us now but the gift of his imagination will live on forever on the stages of the world. Rest in peace Brian."

Friel was born in Omagh and educated at St Columb's College in Derry before entering the teaching profession.

He wrote more than 30 plays during a prolific and celebrated career and among his best known was Dancing At Lughnasa which won three Tony awards on Broadway in 1992.

The play was at the heart of the inuagural Lughnsaa International Friel Festival which ran in late August at venues in Belfast and Co Donegal.

Artistic Director Sean Doran said at the time that the festival was about "celebrating Brian’s work, alongside Beckett and Oscar Wilde, and he has given us his warmth and his permission. In a cheeky way, we’ve actually taken the festival to his doorstep”.