Fricker won the Oscar for best supporting actress in 1990 for her performance in My Left Foot.

Oscar winning actress Brenda Fricker "brought out the best in people" and "shot from the hip", her funeral in Dublin has heard. Fricker, who died last month, won the Oscar for best supporting actress in 1990 for playing Daniel Day-Lewis's on-screen mother in My Left Foot. She was the first Irish woman to win an Academy Award, beating Hollywood stars including Julia Roberts and Anjelica Huston. The funeral mass took place in St Catherine's Church on Meath Street at 11:00 local time and was followed by a private burial. The 81-year-old was also well known for playing nurse Megan Roach in the BBC's Casualty from 1986, making her final appearance in 2010; and was the Central Park pigeon lady in 1992's Home Alone sequel. Crowds of locals gathered outside on the street and clapped as her hearse made its way down the road and into the church. Monsignor Eoin Thynne said Fricker was a "Liberty belle at heart", referring to the place in Dublin where the actress lived. "Brenda wanted this day to be simple and dignified. No grand display, just those she loved gathered together.