Brendan Cauldwell:Brendan Cauldwell, who has died aged 83, was an actor of understated power who in his later years brought a great dignity and compassion to portrayals of elderly men. He was outstanding as the lonely old drinker in the 2004 film The Halo Effect and, especially, as ex-soldier turned barman Paschal Mulvey in television's Fair City.
He played Paschal for eight years, beginning in 1996, two years after he was seen in a similar role on the Dublin stage in Bernard Farrell's Happy Birthday Dear Alice, about nursing care for an ageing population. In that production he astonished audiences with a quick flash of violence - a timid old-timer still capable of teaching a lout a lesson when pushed beyond endurance.
To Paschal Mulvey he brought something of this depth; as Cauldwell deployed his subtle repertoire of darting glances, quizzical expressions and little half-smiles, it was completely believable that this formal, gentle-seeming codger had seen action in the Congo in the 1960s.
If Paschal felt slighted, his frailty would evaporate and the chin would jut out as the miscreant quailed under his steely gaze.
Brendan Cauldwell was born in Fairview, Dublin, and was educated at O'Connell's CBS. As a child he was encouraged to experiment with different dialects by his uncle in an attempt to cure a bad stammer. The taste for acting this gave him led to his joining the RTÉ Repertory Company in 1955 after some stage experience.
It is estimated that in his 50-year association with RTÉ, he contributed to some 3,000 radio broadcasts, including the 32- hour broadcast in 1982 of Ulysses, still unrivalled in the Guinness Book of Records.
On television he was particularly memorable as Hennessy in Strumpet City and he also appeared in The Irish RM. In 2004 he was seen in the comedy series Stew on RTÉ2. The same year he was given life membership of Irish Equity.
He acted in many films over the years and brought his graceful subtlety to parts large or small in Angela's Ashes (1999), Moll Flanders (1996), War of the Buttons (1994), Far and Away (1992), The Fantasist (1986), A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1977), Flight of the Doves (1971), Playboy of the Western World (1962), The Quare Fellow (1962) and numerous others.
But it will be for his late flowering in Fair City as Paschal Mulvey that Brendan Cauldwell will be best remembered - the crowning achievement, in terms of public recognition, of an acting career that stretched back almost 60 years.
Actor Anna Manahan this week described him as a wonderful actor and friend, and Lorelei Harris, editor of arts, features and drama at RTÉ Radio 1, said his death marked the passing of a very particular era in radio history in Ireland.
Brendan Cauldwell is survived by his wife, Maureen, their son Luke and daughters Shauna and Ciara.
Brendan Cauldwell: born 1922; died January 12th, 2006