Michael Dwyer (2 May 1951 – 1 January 2010) was an Irish journalist and

film critic Film criticism is the analysis and evaluation of films and the film medium. In general, film criticism can be divided into two categories: Academic criticism by film scholars, who study the composition of film theory and publish their findin ...

who wrote for ''

The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It was launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is Ireland's leading n ...

'' for more than 20 years. He was previously in this role for the ''

Sunday Tribune The ''Sunday Tribune'' was an Irish Sunday broadsheet newspaper published by Tribune Newspapers plc. It was edited in its final years by Nóirín Hegarty, who changed both the tone and the physical format of the newspaper from broadsheet to ta ...

'', the ''

Sunday Press The ''Sunday Press''Sunday Press
was a weekend In Dublin''. Dwyer was central to the foundation of two film festivals in

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

and served on the board of the

Irish Museum of Modern Art The Irish Museum of Modern Art (), also known as IMMA, is Ireland's leading national institution for the collection and presentation of modern and contemporary art. It is located in Kilmainham, Dublin. History Irish art collector Gordon Lam ...

until shortly before his death. He appeared often on the country's top radio shows, '' Morning Ireland'' and ''

The Marian Finucane Show ''The Marian Finucane Show'' was an Republic of Ireland, Irish radio programme, presented by Marian Finucane. It aired Saturday - Sunday at 11:00 to 13:00. According to statistics from 2009, it was then the highest-rating weekend radio show in Ir ...

''. He died after an illness on 1 January 2010.

Early life and career

Dwyer was originally from Saint John's Park in

Tralee Tralee ( ; , ; formerly , meaning 'strand of the River Lee') is the county town of County Kerry in the south-west of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The town is on the northern side of the neck of the Dingle Peninsula, and is the largest town in ...

County Kerry County Kerry () is a Counties of Ireland, county on the southwest coast of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. It is bordered by two other countie ...

. His mother, Mary, outlived him. He had two sisters, Anne and Maria. As a young man in the early 1970s he took part in the Tralee Film Society, for which he provided notes to ''

The Kerryman ''The Kerryman'' is a weekly local newspaper published in County Kerry in Ireland by Independent News & Media who are a subsidiary of Mediahuis. The newspaper was founded in 1904 by Maurice Griffin and cousins Thomas and Daniel Nolan. Independe ...

''. At this time he was employed by the County Library in Tralee. He began working for ''In Dublin'' followed by the ''Sunday Tribune'' and the ''Sunday Press''. Dwyer first travelled to the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...

in 1982 and attended every one until 2009, months before his death. In 1985, Dwyer co-founded the Dublin Film Festival and directed it until the mid-1990s. In 2002, he co-founded the

Dublin International Film Festival The Dublin International Film Festival (DIFF; ) is an annual film festival that has been held in Dublin, Ireland, since 2003. History The Dublin International Film Festival was established in 2003. It was revived by Michael Dwyer (journalist), ...

, of which he was the chairman. In later life he served on the board of the

. In the 1990s, he presented the film show ''Freeze Frame'' for public service broadcaster

RTÉ (; ; RTÉThe É in RTÉ is pronounced as an English E () and not an Irish É ()) is an Irish public service broadcaster. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, ...

. The show resulted from a friendship he had formed with

Alan Gilsenan Alan Gilsenan is an Irish writer, filmmaker and theatre director. His most recent work include the award-winning cinema documentary ''The Days of Trees'', the feature film ''Unless'', based on a novel by Carol Shields and ''The Meeting,'' which h ...

and Martin Mahon of Yellow Asylum Films. He was also known for his appearances on the radio shows, '' Morning Ireland'' and ''

''. The editor of ''The Irish Times''

Geraldine Kennedy Geraldine Kennedy (born 1 September 1951) is an Irish journalist and politician who served as the first female editor of ''The Irish Times'' newspaper. She previously served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dún Laoghaire constituency from 1987 t ...

, speaking after Dwyer's death, said he was an "enthusiastic advocate" of both national and international cinema and had once said he was "one of those lucky people in life who was able to pursue his interests and call them work". He had two cats, Fred and Ginger, to whom he spoke regularly as he admitted in an interview with actress

Penélope Cruz Penélope Cruz Sánchez (born 28 April 1974) is a Spanish actress. Prolific in Spanish and English-language films, she has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, BAFTA Award, a David di Donatello and three Goya Awards. Cru ...

after it emerged she did the same.

Illness and death

Dwyer became unwell after a trip to the Cannes Film Festival in May 2009. He took a break from writing for ''The Irish Times'', returning in December 2009 to contribute his first—and what was to be his last ever—piece in six months to weekly entertainment supplement ''The Ticket''. The article was a review of cinema in 2009 and of the 2000s, and in his contribution Dwyer referenced the ill health which had haunted him for much of the previous year and which had prevented him from viewing any cinema releases between June and September. He died at the age of 58 on 1 January 2010. His partner of 24 years Brian Jennings survives him. Irish Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism

Martin Cullen Martin Cullen (born 2 November 1954) is an Irish former Fianna Fáil politician who served as Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism from 2008 to 2010, Minister for Social and Family Affairs from 2007 to 2008, Minister for Transport from 2004 ...

said Dwyer was "the most singular, significant influence on cinema in Ireland for more than three decades". President of the Labour Party Michael D. Higgins said his work was "incalculable ..he was an activist in promoting a knowledge and appreciation of film in all its forms". Ireland's former Director of Film Classification at the

Irish Film Classification Office The Irish Film Classification Office (IFCO) () is the organisation responsible for films, television programmes, and some video game classification and censorship within Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Where restrictions are placed by the IFCO, t ...

John Kelleher said it was "a huge loss for the world of Irish film". Director

Neil Jordan Neil Patrick Jordan (born 25 February 1950) is an Irish filmmaker and writer. He first achieved recognition for his short story collection, ''Night in Tunisia (short story collection), Night in Tunisia,'' which won the Guardian Fiction Prize in ...

also spoke of his awe. There were tributes from

Gabriel Byrne Gabriel James Byrne (born 12 May 1950) is an Irish actor. He has received a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for a Grammy Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards and two Tony Awards. Byrne was awarded the Irish Film and Television Academy L ...

Daniel Day-Lewis Sir Daniel Michael Blake Day-Lewis (born 29 April 1957) is an English actor. Often described as one of the greatest actors in the history of cinema, he is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Daniel Day-Lewis, numerous a ...

Brendan Gleeson Brendan Gleeson (born 29 March 1955) is an Irish actor. He has received various accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, two British Independent Film Awards and three IFTA Awards, along with nominations for an Academy Award, three BAFTA Aw ...

, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Cillian Murphy and

Jim Sheridan Jim Sheridan (born 6 February 1949) is an Irish people, Irish playwright and filmmaker. Between 1989 and 1993, Sheridan directed three critically acclaimed films set in Ireland, ''My Left Foot'' (1989), ''The Field (1990 film), The Field'' (19 ...

. ''The Irish Times'' published tribute pieces on his life. His nephew Jim Lyons (who lives in Tralee) gave him a glowing tribute describing his beloved uncle as "one in a million" and also describing Michael "being a great family man" in the Kerryman newspaper. Michael Dwyer is survived by his partner Brian, mother Mary, sisters Anne Lyons and Maria Barrett, brothers-in-law Jimmy and Timmy, nephews Jim & Nick, niece Fiona, grand-nieces Louise, Rebecca, Grace, Josephine, and Lucy. A ceremony took place at the Church of the Holy Name in Ranelagh where he lived. The event was attended by notable politicians, journalists, artists, actors, writers and musicians. RTÉ newsreader Aengus Mac Grianna, a colleague of Jennings, read a tribute to Dwyer. Daniel Day-Lewis gave a very special tribute at the church service to his dear friend of over 20 years, calling for the Jameson international Dublin film festival to be renamed in Michael's honour. Dwyer was cremated after the funeral on 5 January 2010.

Awards

Dwyer's "contribution to French cinema" led to an honour from the French government. He received the

Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres The Order of Arts and Letters () is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is the recognition of significant ...

in 2006.

References

External links

Obituary
in ''

''
Dwyer's last article and first since June 2009
��dated 11 December 2009 and published in ''The Ticket''

reproduction of some of his work, published in ''The Ticket'' on 8 January 2010 {{DEFAULTSORT:Dwyer, Michael (journalist) 1951 births 2010 deaths Disease-related deaths in the Republic of Ireland Irish film critics Irish LGBTQ broadcasters Irish LGBTQ journalists Place of death missing People from Tralee Radio personalities from the Republic of Ireland Sunday Tribune people The Irish Times people The Kerryman people Writers from County Kerry