The actor Tony Doyle has died at his home in London. Mr Doyle, who was 58, is survived by his wife Sally and six children. In recent years he had won a number of awards for his film and television roles. His work included the award-winning TV series, "Amongst Women", from the book by John McGahern, and the BBC drama "Ballykissangel". Minister for the Arts, Sile de Valera, described him as one of the foremost character actors of his generation.
Recently Tony Doyle starred in the film "A Love Divided", the true story of a Wexford couple who were boycotted because they refused to educate their children in a Catholic school. He also took a major role in the Irish-made comedy movie, "I Went Down". He was well known for playing the character Father Sheehy in the Riordans.
RTÉ's Managing Director of Television, Joe Mulholland, expressed deep regret and shock today at the actor's death. Mr Mulholland had spoken to Mr Doyle last night and said that RTÉ had hoped to work with him on future drama projects.