Hibernia Those We Lost By Ian Worpole Tom Murphy 1968-2007 Actor Tom Murphy died on Octob
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Hibernia : Those We Lost
By Ian Worpole
Tom Murphy 1968-2007
Actor Tom Murphy died on October 6 of lymphatic cancer. The Dublin native had a distinguished career both on stage and on the big screen. He was best known stateside for his 1998 Tony-award-winning portrayal of Ray Dooley in Martin McDonagh's Beauty Queen of Leenane.
Murphy infamously used the Irish curse word "feck" twice in his acceptance speech for his Best Performance by a Featured Actor award, but he was not cut off as the CBS censor was not familiar with the swear word.
Murphy also appeared in several Irish movies during his career such as Intermission, Michael Collins, The General and Man About Dog. He was lauded for his portrayal of a hopeless junkie in 2004's Adam and Paul, a bleak portrayal of two heroin addicts in Dublin.
News of his death was greeted with shock and sadness by many of those he worked with. "All of us in Druid are
terribly saddened by the premature death of Tom Murphy," said Garry Hynes, artistic director of the Druid Theatre. He was 39 years old.
Tony Ryan 1936-2007
Tony Ryan, founder of Ryanair, one of Europe's leading airlines, died on October 3 in his home in County Kildare after an 18-month battle with pancreatic cancer. Ryan was considered a pioneer in finance and travel, and was the seventh richest man in Ireland, with an estimated fortune of two billion euros.
Born in 1936, Ryan spent his career working for private and commercial airlines. He joined Aer Lingus in 1956 and quickly worked his way up the corporate ladder. Ryan believed that simplicity was the key to any successful business. He followed this motto in 1975 when he founded Guinness Peat Aviation (GPA), a successful organization that leased underused aircrafts to other airline carriers.
Ryan used the same motto when he founded Ryanair in 1986, with a single fifteen-passenger aircraft flight from Dublin to London. The goal was to create a low-cost no-frills way to travel, and today the airline travels 500 routes to 26 countries, while still maintaining its stance as the most affordable airline in Europe.
