Glenroe and Fair City star Eileen Colgan dies
TRIBUTES were paid last night to Glenroe actress Eileen Colgan, who died yesterday.
The 80-year-old was best known for her role as Mynah in the TV drama and, more recently, as Esther Roche in Fair City.
Her career on screen saw her act alongside Stephen Rea and Andie McDowell in a film adaptation of Maeve Binchy’s Tara Road. She also starred opposite Ron Perlman in I Sell The Dead.
Beginning her career in Dublin, she worked in theatres there and in London, where she also worked extensively in radio and TV.
She had recently starred in a run of the play Dirty Dusting alongside Twink in the Gaiety
‘She was a joy to work with’
Theatre in Dublin. Jane Gogan, head of drama at RTÉ, l ed tributes last night to the wellknown star of the stage and small screen.
‘Eileen was a great professional and will be sadly missed by those of us who were fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to know her and work with her.
‘As an actress in many of RTÉ’s dramas over the years, she brought a great range to her performance. She could be funny, poignant, tragic in the wide variety of roles she played.
‘In the highly demanding world of Fair City, Eileen was an inspiration to those she worked with.’
Tom Jordan, who played Eileen’s on-screen husband Charlie in Fair City, said: ‘I’ve known Eileen for over 50 years, long before we worked together in Fair City, and it was always an absolute pleasure working with her.’
Lisa Richards, who had been her agent for more than 20 years, said ‘she was a joy to work with’. ‘Warm, spirited and a constant mother to everyone. We will miss her tremendously,’ she said.
She was a long-standing member of the Abbey Theatre Company where she appeared in many of their shows including The Winter’s Tale, Measure For Measure, The Hostage, Ulysses In Nighttown and Talbot’s Box.
Eileen, who also featured in several Irish film productions such as Angela’s Ashes and My Left Foot, is survived by her four children, Katy, Cathal, Ben and Clara, and eight grandchildren.