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IRELAND LOST MANY much-loved names this year.
From activists, artists and sport stars to many famous others, here are some of the well-known Irish people who died in 2025.
Irish language activist Pádraig Ó Snodaigh passed away aged 89 on 3 January.
Ó Snodaigh was a former president of Conradh na Gaeilge and founded publishing company Coiscéim, which is credited with publishing as many as 1,500 Irish language books.
Eleanor Maguire, a London-based cognitive neuroscientist, died at the age of 54 on 4 January.
Her research focused on part of the brain called the posterior hippocampus, and in 2000, she published research which showed that this region was bigger in taxi drivers who had a mental map of London’s streets and landmarks than in those who did not.
Singer Linda Nolan, a member of hit pop group The Nolans, passed away on 15 January aged 65.
As a member of The Nolans, she was part of the first Irish act to sell over a million records worldwide, and the group sold 30 million records with hits such as Gotta Pull Myself Together, Attention to Me, and I’m In The Mood for Dancing.
On 22 January, saxophonist Paddy Cole passed away at the age of 85.
The ‘King of the Swingers’ had a lengthy career in music, performing in showbands from the 1960s, and was also a well-known broadcaster, hosting a weekly music programme on Sunshine Radio.
Poet Michael Longley died on 23 January, also aged 85.
The Belfast-born poet rose to prominence as a young poet that emerged from Northern Ireland in the 1960s, and received numerous awards for 13 poetry collections over the course of his career.
On 6 February, former Dublin goalkeeper and manager Paddy Cullen died at the age of 80.
He made his senior Dublin debut in 1966 and became an integral member of the Kevin Heffernan side credited with animating Gaelic football in Dublin, winning two All-Irelands and six Leinster titles between 1974 and 1979.
Boxer John Cooney died aged 28 on 8 February after suffering a brain injury during a professional bout in Belfast.
‘The Kid’ had won all 10 of his previous professional bouts before he was defeated in the fight that ultimately resulted in his death.
Former Fianna Fáil politician Eddie Wade passed away on 15 February at the age of 76.
He served as a TD for Limerick East between 1997 and 2002, and as a councillor for Limerick from 1979 to 2014 (except when he was a TD).
On 16 February, jockey Michael O’Sullivan died aged 24 after being injured in a fall at Thurles on 6 February.
He started off his riding career on the point-to-point circuit and was crowned champion under-21 rider in 2019, before going on to make a major impact in the professional ranks.
Dan Wallace, another former Fianna Fáil TD, passed away at the age of 82 on 17 February.
He was first elected to the Dáil in 1982 for the Cork North-Central constituency and was successfully re-elected in every general election until his retirement in 2007.
Retired bishop Willie Walsh, widely viewed as a progressive figure within the Catholic Church, died aged 90 on 19 February.
The Bishop of the Killaloe Diocese made headlines in 1999 when he embarked on a three-week “Pilgrimage of Reconciliation” which involved him walking to each church in his diocese to apologise for child sexual abuse scandals within the Church.
Kerry football great Johnny Culloty passed away at the age of 88 on 24 February.
The five-time All-Ireland senior medal winner with the Kingdom enjoyed the distinction of being part of Sam Maguire success both as a goalkeeper and as an outfield player.
On 25 February, novelist Jennifer Johnston died aged 95.
She was best known for her novel How Many Miles to Babylon?, which has featured on secondary school curricula and tells the story of two young men from different class and religious backgrounds going to fight in World War I.
Writer and broadcaster Henry Kelly died at the age of 78, also on 25 February.
The former Going for Gold and Game For A Laugh host originally worked as a journalist with the Irish Times and BBC Radio 4, before presenting TV gigs from the 1980s onwards.
Poet, writer and broadcaster Pat Ingoldsby passed away aged 82 on 1 March.
He began working for RTÉ as a DJ in the late 1960s, and came to further public attention when he presented RTÉ children’s programmes Pat’s Pals, Pat’s Hat, and Pat’s Chat in the following decades.
But after putting together his first collection of poetry in 1977, he retired to devote himself to poetry full time from the 1990s onwards.
On 12 March, former Galway player and manager Billy Joyce died at the age of 75.
One of the top midfielders in the country during his career, All-Ireland success eluded him in the 1971, 1973 and 1974 finals, while he came on as a sub in the ill-tempered decider in 1983 when 14-man Galway lost to a Dublin side reduced to a dozen players.
John “Paddy” Hemingway, a Dublin-born airman who was the last surviving pilot who fought in the Battle of Britain, died aged 105 on 17 March.
In 1940, he became one of the frontline members of 11 Group’s response to daily attacks by German aircraft, which went on to be known as the Battle of Britain.
On 20 March, former Formula One team owner, TV pundit and entrepreneur Eddie Jordan died at the age of 76.
The Dubliner ran his own team in F1 between 1991 and 2005 before continuing to be involved in the sport as a broadcaster for the BBC and Channel 4.
Mick O’Dwyer of the most prominent figures in the history of the GAA, passed away at the age of 88 on 3 April.
Regarded as one of one of the greatest managers in the history of the sport, he was an iconic presence in Kerry as both player and manager.
On 18 April, Northern Irish singer Clodagh Rodgers passed away aged 78.
She represented the UK in the 1971 Eurovision Song Contest, when she finished fourth, and had a number of hit singles including Come Back and Shake Me, Goodnight Midnight and Jack in the Box.
Former Bohemians manager Billy Young, widely regarded as the League of Ireland club’s greatest-ever manager, died at the age of 87 on 18 April.
He was the club’s manager from 1973 until 1989, during which time he won two leagues, an FAI Cup and two League Cups.
Former Dancing With The Stars judge Julian Benson passed away on 19 April aged 54.
The talent agent, dancer, and choreographer joined the judging panel of Dancing with the Stars on RTÉ in 2017 and lived with cystic fibrosis for most of his life.
On 22 April, Michael O’Brien, a survivor of child sexual abuse who famously tackled the government during a televised debate in 2009, died at the age of 92.
He previously served as Lord Mayor of Clonmel in 1993, and was a contributor from a live studio audience for RTÉ’s Questions and Answers programme in 2009 which presenter John Bowman called the most memorable moment of the show in 23 years.
Former Fine Gael TD and Senator Paddy O’Toole passed away at the age of 87 on 11 May.
He was elected to the Dáil four times between 1977 and 1987, and served as Minister for the Gaeltacht; Minister for Tourism, Fisheries and Forestries; and Minister for Defence.
Paul Durcan, one of Ireland’s best-known contemporary poets, died aged 80 on 17 May.
He released his last collection in 2024, and was Ireland Professor of Poetry from 2004 to 2007.
Former senator and Dublin Lord Mayor Carmencita Hederman died on 31 May aged 85.
She was the capital’s mayor from 1987 to 1988 and led the city in its millennium celebrations in 1988.
On 11 June, former Fianna Fáil TD and senator Liam Fitzgerald died at the age of 75.
Originally from Limerick, he represented the Dublin North East constituency between 1981 and 1997, excluding an eight-month period between separate general elections in February and November 1982.
Lord Henry Mountcharles, the owner of Slane Castle who staged huge concerts at the venue from the 1980s onwards, passed away aged 74 on 18 June.
He helped the town and castle become a byword for iconic concerts, brining many of the biggest names in music there, including The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Queen, David Bowie, Neil Young, REM, Madonna, Metallica and Oasis.
Founder of the Capuchin Day Centre Brother Kevin Crowley died at the age of 90 on 2 July.
He devoted his life to supporting people living in poverty and in food need and founded the organisation with which he became synonymous in 1969.
Seán Doherty, the former All-Ireland winning captain of Dublin, passed away aged 78 on 7 July.
He played at full-back when Dublin beat Galway in the 1974 decider, and filled that role again for the side’s victories in 1976 against Kerry and in 1977 against Armagh.
On 23 July, former Irish athlete and hockey player Maeve Kyle died at the age of 96.
She played 58 times for Ireland’s hockey team before switching her focus to athletics, becoming the first woman to represent her country in track and field at the Olympics when she ran in the 100m and 200m events in Melbourne in 1956.
Broadcaster, producer and actor Seán Rocks died aged 64 on 31 July.
He was best known for his work on Arena, the weeknight arts and culture show on RTÉ Radio 1, but also appeared at the Abbey, Peacock and Gate Theatres and in television and film roles including The Bill, Glenroe, Fair City, Dear Sarah and Go Now.
On 1 August, Dublin-born actor Frank Grimes died at the age of 78.
He was known for his appearances in Strumpet City and Coronation Street, and was nominated early in his career for a Tony Award for Best Actor for his role as Brendan Behan in Borstal Boy.
Hilary Weston, a former fashion model, businesswoman and philanthropist, died aged 83 on 3 August.
She played a pivotal role in the development of both Penneys and Brown Thomas, two of Ireland’s most iconic and recognisable retail brands, and was also the lieutenant governor of the Canadian state of Ontario between 1997 and 2002.
Former Roscommon footballer Don Connellan died at the age of 51 on 4 August.
He won a Connacht senior football medal with his county in 2001 when they defeated Mayo, and more recently guided Galway club Maigh Cuillinn to county and provincial senior football glory as a manager in 2022.
Ollie Horgan, a popular League of Ireland personality who was most recently assistant manager at Galway United, died aged 57 on 28 August.
He gained prominence as the manager of Donegal side Finn Harps from 2013 to 2022, and became John Caulfield’s assistant at Galway for the 2023 season, a role he continued in until the weeks before his death.
Grammy-winning producer Nicky Ryan died on 10 September at the age of 79.
He worked with some of the biggest names in Irish music, including Gary Moore, Planxty and Christy Moore, and was the producer of Watermark, Enya’s breakthrough album that included her single Orinico Flow.
Michèle Burke, a makeup artist who was the first woman to win an Oscar in that category, passed away on 26 September aged 75.
She picked up her first award in 1983 for her work, alongside Sarah Monzani, in the prehistoric drama Quest for Fire and won a second statuette ten years later, sharing the award with Greg Cannom and Matthew W Mungle for work on Bram Stoker’s Dracula.
Also on 26 September, former Fianna Fáil TD and advisor Martin Mansergh died at the age of 78.
He was a familiar face as an aide to Bertie Ahern during the peace process, and later served as advisor to several Fianna Fáil leaders, and as a senator and TD for Tipperary South.
Manchán Magan, the writer, documentary-maker and Irish language advocate, died aged 55 on 2 October.
He was widely known for his work presenting travel documentaries and in the Irish language, and he became renowned as a chronicler of An Ghaeilge, its history, and its place in the land where it developed.
On 19 September, journalist and author Ed Moloney passed away at the age of 77.
He was best known for covering the Troubles and the activities of the Provisional IRA, and was also the director of Boston College’s Boston tapes project, which gathered interviews with republican and loyalist militants.
Tipperary senior football manager Philly Ryan died at the age of 57 on 18 October.
The Clonmel Commercials clubman was a stalwart of Tipperary football, and was appointed as manager of the county footballers in August 2024.
Monaghan GAA legend Eugene ‘Nudie’ Hughes died at the age of 67 on 3 November.
He was widely known as one of Monaghan’s greatest ever footballers and was the county’s first recipient of an All-Star in 1979, repeating the feat again in 1985 and 1988.
On the same date, campaigner Sr Stanislaus Kennedy died aged 86.
She founded the charity now known as Focus Ireland in the 1980s, and was a longtime campaigner for the poor, the homeless and immigrants.
Former Ireland rugby international Barry McGann passed away aged 77 on 8 November.
The Cork native, who played out-half, won a total of 25 caps for Ireland between 1969 and 1976.
Designer Paul Costelloe died aged 80 on 21 November.
He was one of the best-known names in fashion to come out of Ireland, and presented collections at London Fashion Week for more than three decades.
Also on 21 November, broadcaster and writer David Hanly died at the age of 82.
He began his career with RTÉ in the 1960s before moving into public relations; he later returned to journalism, and was part of the very first presenting team on Morning Ireland on Radio One.
Margaretta D’Arcy, an activist and artist, died at the age of 91 on 23 November.
She served several prison sentences over protests opposing US military use of Shannon Airport, as well as being the co-creator of “landmark works” including The Non-Stop Connolly Show helping to establish Galway Theatre Workshop.
Former junior minister and Fine Gael TD Donal Carey died aged 88 on 26 November.
He was a TD for Clare from 1982 to 2002, and was a junior minister in two different departments between 1995 and 1997.
Architect Hugh Wallace, best known for his role as a judge on RTÉ’s Home of the Year, died at the age of 68 on 1 December.
His other projects include The Great House Revival and My Bungalow Bliss, and he was also a founding partner of Douglas Wallace Architects in Dublin.
Pat Cooney, a former Fine Gael minister and MEP, died at the age of 94 on 6 December.
He was Longford-Westmeath TD throughout the the 1970s, and again between 1981 and 1989, and served as Minister for Justice, Minister for Defence, Minister for Education, Minister for Transport and Minister for Posts and Telegraphs.
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