Michael Lally (10 November 1945 – 31 August 2010) was an Irish stage, film, and television actor. He departed from a teaching career for acting during the 1970s. Though best known in Ireland for his role as Miley Byrne in the television soap Glenroe, Lally's stage career spanned several decades, and he was involved in feature films such as Alexander and the Academy Award-nominated The Secret of Kells. He died in August 2010 after a battle with emphysema. Many reports cited him as one of Ireland's finest and most recognisable actors. Early life Born in November 1945 and reared in the Gaeltacht village of Tourmakeady, County Mayo, Michael "Mick" Lally was the eldest child of May and Tommy Lally. He had five sisters and one brother. He went to the local national school in Tourmakeady and then to St Mary's College, Galway. After studying history and Irish at University College Galway, where he won the British and Irish intervarsity boxing championship and performed in the student drama society, he taught for six years in Archbishop McHale College, Tuam from 1969 to 1975, but quit teaching to pursue his career as a stage actor. Career Lally began his acting career with Taibhdhearc na Gaillimhe (Ireland's national Irish language theatre), and was a founding member of the Druid Theatre Company. Lally received an Irish Times/ESB Theatre Award Nomination for Best Actor for his role in Druid's production of The Dead School. He also became a member of the Field Day Theatre Company, and starred in the company's 1980 premiere of Brian Friel's play Translations. He first played at the Abbey Theatre in 1977 in a production of Wild Oats and went on to perform in many other Abbey productions. In 1982, Lally starred in the TV series The Ballroom of Romance alongside Brenda Fricker. From 1983 he played the role of farmer Miley Byrne in the RTÉ soap Glenroe, reprising the character that he played earlier in the Bracken in 1978. In 1979, Lally won a Jacob's Award for his performance as Miley in Bracken. Lally also had some musical success when "The By-road to Glenroe" went to the top of the Irish charts in 1990. He was also involved in voice-over work – including a noted advertisement for Kilmeaden Cheese during the 1990s. Other TV appearances included roles in Tales of Kinvarna, The Year of the French and Ballykissangel. In 1994,