Bryan has changed in last year.. memory is definitely disappearing
Fair City star says Alzheimer’s-hit husband won’t be quitting soap
FAIR City’s Una Crawford O’brien revealed husband Bryan Murray’s Alzheimer’s has “progressed” but he won’t be quitting work anytime soon.
The actor was diagnosed with the illness in 2022 after he noticed he was struggling with his lines.
Speaking at the launch of Alzheimer’s Tea Day, which takes place on May 2, Una said that while Bryan, who plays Bob Charles in Fair City, appears to look well, his Alzheimer’s has progressed.
She told us: “He would tell you that he is getting better and that he is much better than last year, he’d tell you. But he’s not.
“But it is very definitely progressing, but the good thing is he is not aware of it. He has a good life, he doesn’t worry. The only thing he worries about is if he can’t find his scarf or his hat going out for a walk, so he is doing well.
“But the memory is definitely disappearing, but we’ve seen it in the last year, he has changed.”
But Una said that Bryan will be returning to Fair City this May and will never give up working on the RTE One soap as acting is his “greatest love of all”.
She added: “He hasn’t been working since December.
“Yes, it has become more difficult. The way it works is that he is fed the lines through his ear, so he has to work with the person.
“So when he doesn’t have the script, his independence is taken away from him and he doesn’t know what he is saying until it is fed to him and then he says it.
“He is speaking everything for the first time so he has to work quite hard with the person who is feeding him the lines.
“Not at all [retiring]. He has no intention. It is his greatest love.
“He has a contract for RTE for this year so he will be working. He is back in May. We just wait and see. It’s every day, one day at a time.
“RTE have been brilliant. He has somebody who is his PA, basically.
“When he goes in, he’s not my responsibility actually when we go into RTE, they will look after him and make sure he’s on the set.
“The Abbey last year when he did the play – that was incredible, and they were incredible to fund it and take the chance because it is the first time a man with Alzheimer’s performed in a play about a man with Alzheimer’s.”
Una was speaking at the launch of Alzheimer’s Tea Day, which is calling on the nation to raise a cup of kindness and help make a difference to those living with dementia across Ireland along with their families and carers on May 2.
The 30th anniversary is a significant milestone as statistics show that at least 30 people in Ireland are diagnosed with dementia every day.
Mairead Dillon, Head of Fundraising for the Alzheimer Society of Ireland, said: “Together, let’s raise a cup of kindness and make the 30th anniversary of Alzheimer’s Tea Day the most successful yet.”
Fed lines through his ear so he’s to work with person UNA CRAWFORD O’BRIEN