A selection of images of Mick Lally.

Mick Lally (November 10th, 1945 – August 31st, 2010)

Press Release

Marie Mullen, Peige Lally (Mick’s wife) and Garry Hynes at the unveiling of a window seat in memory of Mick Lally at Druid Lane Theatre on the first anniversary of his passing.

August 31st marks the first anniversary of the passing of actor and Druid co-founder Mick Lally. Friends and colleagues will gather at Druid Lane Theatre to attend the unveiling of a specially commissioned window seat in his memory and to remember the great actor, father, husband, friend and colleague.

Mick’s untimely death in 2010 followed an acting career of almost four decades both on stage and on screen. The seat will serve as a permanent reminder of Mick’s association with Druid and his love of the stage. Mick, Garry Hynes and Marie Mullen founded the company in 1975 and Mick was to appear in many productions right up until his final Druid appearance in 2009.

Artistic Director of Druid, Garry Hynes commented that;

“Mick has always been at the very heart of the fabric of Druid and down through the years so many conversations have been had on the lane during breaks in rehearsals. With this seat, Mick’s spirit and memory will forever be part of the the theatre. He was a big, brave hearted man with such passion for his craft that he may even whisper to us every now and again”.

The inscription on the seat carries a line from The Playboy of the Western World by JM Synge. It was the first play Druid produced in 1975 and Mick played the leading role of Christy Mahon (the Playboy) opposite Marie Mullen’s Pegeen Mike. The inscription is a line Mick would have spoken in Act 3 as Christy falls for Pegeen-

“Isn’t there the light of seven heavens in your heart alone, the way you’ll be an angel’s lamp to me from this out, and I abroad in the darkness spearing salmons in the Owen or the Carrowmore”.

Mick had a strong connection with Synge’s work which culminated in his appearances in the DruidSynge productions of Deirdre of the Sorrows, The Playboy of the Western World, The Well of the Saints and The Shadow of the Glen between 2004 and 2006.

In attendance will be members of his family including his wife Peige, his daughter Saileog and his son Darach; Druid co-founders Garry Hynes and Marie Mullen and some of the many friends and colleagues he met through his acting career as well as those friends with whom he shared his love of music.

The seat is designed by Tom dePaor architects who were also responsible for the refurbishment of the theatre in 2009.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.