Renowned Irish actor Gary Lydon dies aged 61

Kenneth Fox

Irish actor Gary Lydon, who starred in films such as The Guard and The Banshees of Inisherin, has died at the age of 61.

Born in England, he moved with his family to Wexford when he was a child.

Lydon worked extensively on stage and screen and featured in TV shows like On Home Ground and Pure Mule before his breakout role in RTÉ's The Clinic, where he played counsellor Patrick Murray.

Lydon also featured in several critically acclaimed films, including The Guard and The Banshees of Inisherin, both of which featured Brendan Gleeson.

He also appeared in crime drama Love/Hate and the film Brooklyn, based on the novel by Colm Tóibín.

On stage, Lydon appeared in the world premiere of  Banshees of Inisherin director Martin McDonagh’s The Cripple of Inishmaan.

Speaking previously to the Irish Examiner, he said he got into acting after struggling with college exams.

"After leaving school, I tried studying business for a couple of years, but I failed the exams and decided to take a couple of years out," he said.

"Wexford Theatre Co-op had its own youth theatre where you could get on a type of job training scheme. Myself and a pal of mine and I decided to just go on down there and ask about joining.

"They gave me a script to read, and that was that — I enjoyed being involved so much that I didn’t go back to college. My folks were not thrilled about my choice at the time."