Soap star ‘doesn't remember' leaving hit show as he battles dementia in sad update

Scottish Sun

30-04-2025

A SOAP star doesn't remember he's left a hit show has he battles dementia.
The actor - who has starred on the long-running programme for 20 years - quietly left the show amid his devastating diagnosis.
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Bryan Murray can't remember leaving Fair City, his heartbroken wife has revealed
Credit: RTÉ
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The actor left the soap last year as his dementia progresses
Credit: Paul Sharp
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Bryan is married to Una Crawford O'Brien, who also played his on-screen wife
Credit: Alamy
Bryan Murray had played the character of Bob Dylan in Fair City up until last year when his wife Una Crawford O'Brien made the heartbreaking decision.
Reflecting on the choice, Una said: "He wasn't aware that he was finished either and that was good.
"Once it started to stress him in any way, I knew the time was right for him to finish."
Una, who also stars in Fair City as Bryan's on-screen wife Renee, paid tribute to show bosses and crew for their support over the past six years.
She said to the Irish Mirror: "Brigie was incredible; her and the team have facilitated him the best they could and that included everyone – acting, staging, sound – they all helped out. Huge thanks goes to them all.
"They respected my decision late last year when I said he would have to finish up.
"Brigie had always said that she was leaving it entirely up to me, which was the best thing she could have done, because I wanted him to do it as long as he possibly could."
Speaking about Bryan, Fair City's executive producer Brigie de Courcy previously said: "We are all very sad about this.
"Bryan has been an absolutely wonderful part of the team for the last 20 years, an integral part of the story and an absolute consummate professional.
Fair City star returns on air
"He is the very sort of person, when you have a young actor coming in you say to them, 'Go down and watch Bryan and watch what he does, how he occupies the space and how he occupies the screen'.
"Initially we put all of his scripts onto a clipboard so he could read his scene and it was very efficient.
"We ended up with a situation where he had a Bluetooth ear loop and we had a dialogue guide who would actually listen to him in rehearsal and pick up his intonations and his rhythms and then he would repeat it back to him on the floor and then Bryan would then say the line."
Bryan first arrived in fictional Carrigstown in 2005.