Birdy Sweeney

Birdy Sweeney
Born	Edmund Francis Sweeney (1931-06-14)14 June 1931 Dungannon, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland
Died	Dublin, Ireland
Nationality	Irish
Other names	Birdy Sweeney
Occupation	Actor

Birdy Sweeney (14 June 1931 – 11 May 1999) was an Irish actor and comedian.

Born Edmund Francis Sweeney in Dungannon, County Tyrone, he garnered his nickname "Birdy" from his childhood ability to imitate bird calls which he demonstrated on BBC Radio Ulster. He was a stand-up comedian on the club circuit for more than thirty years before he gained his first acting work as an extra in BBC Northern Ireland's adaptation of the play Too Late to Talk to Billy in 1982.

Sweeney made minor appearances in several major films, including The Crying Game (1992), The Snapper (1993) The Butcher Boy (1997), and Angela's Ashes, and made his stage debut in the 1989 Dublin production of The Iceman Cometh at the Abbey Theatre. From 1996, he played farmer Eamon Byrne in the first four series of the BBC drama series Ballykissangel.

Death

Sweeney died on 11 May 1999 at St. Vincent's University Hospital, Dublin, aged 67, He was survived by his wife Alice and their eight children.

External links

• Birdy Sweeney at the Internet Movie Database