PATRICK (PADDY) O'DWYER

Very sad to hear of Paddy’s sudden passing - condolences to his family. I have very warm memories of Paddy from my teenage years in DYT and beyond. A wonderful person - kind, warm and positive- he will be missed always. Rest in peace.

Deepest condolences to all of Paddy's Family. I was very fortunate to be drawn into DYT in the early 80s, Paddy's Office was next door to mine and often we repeated weekend DYT experiences on the Monday. As part of the Our Day Out cast it was great to be part of Paddy's professionalism on stage. When we went out to Russia in '88 Paddy also stepped into Parent mode which was lucky for us. Thank you to all of Paddy's family for sharing him with us fortunate few.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.

Jean, Des, Deirdre,Ciara and Colm.
Heartbroken to hear of your dad’s sudden passing.
Sincerest sympathy to you and all his grand children.
May his gentle soul rest in peace, with his two dear Lauras.
Íde, Clare and Woods family.

Sincere sympathy to Deirdre Ciara and the O'Dwyer family on the death of your Dad Paddy. Thinking of you at this sad time.

Sincere sympathies to Jean and all the extended O’Dwyer family - thinking of you at this very sad time. Ar dheis Dé go raibh anam dílis Paddy.

Sincere condolences to Jean and all Paddy’s family.

I add my voice to the doubtless many who tell you my experience in DYT shaped the direction of my life and career. For that I thank Paddy.

A number of years ago DYT did a production of Spring Awakening and myself and Paddy were two of four ‘older’ actors drafted in to play parents. The pair of us had very little to do in the show itself, so I have very fond memories of long conversations with Paddy in our dressing room every night for two weeks. Such a pleasure to be in his company after so many years leaving DYT.

A gentleman, a visionary, a teacher, a messer.

We will not see his like again. Much love.

I only knew Paddy briefly, having only joined ReActors in the last year but he was always a friendly and courteous man. He showed a great interest in my work and was very encouraging and kind to me. Sincere condolences to his family. May he rest in peace.

Always welcoming, always supportive and always such enjoyable DYT workshops with Paddy. May he rest in peace.

My deepest sympathies to Paddy's family and friends. May he rest in peace.

To Des & Whanau

Just to let you know that you are all very much in our thoughts at this time, our sympathies to you all on the passing of your Dad - Ka Aroha Hoki - Codhladh Sámh.

I was so sorry to hear of Paddy's sudden passing. Sincere sympathy to all of the O'Dwyer family. Thinking of you all. May he rest in peace.

Fond memories of DYT and travels to Vienna etc in the 70s with Paddy & Co
Deepest sympathy to his loved ones at this very sad time.

On account of OPENDOEK, Belgium : thanks for what you did for theatre all over the world. RIP.

Reginald Wietendaele,
president OPENDOEK

To Jean and all of the O'Dwyer family,
My deepest condolences on the passing of Paddy. Paddy was one of the kindest and most generous gentlemen I ever had the pleasure of knowing. He made a positive difference to many young lives.
Paddy will be greatly missed.

Sincere condolences to Jean and all extended O Dwyer family - thinking of you at this very sad time a true gentleman - may Paddy rest in peace-

My deepest sympathy to all of Paddy’s family and friends on your sad loss. I have great memories of Paddy and Laura when we were all volunteering in Sunshine House, happy days.

Our heartfelt symapathies with Paddy's family and friends at this time. He is much missed by all those who met him and worked with him.
May he rest in peace.

Dear Jean, Des, Deirdre, Ciara & Colm,

I’m so sorry to hear of the death of your beloved and very special Dad. May your many happy memories sustain & comfort you at this difficult time.

Phil Dunne formerly of St Mary’s N.S.

My deepest sympathy to Paddy's family on the loss of your father. I have rich and fond memories of time spent with Paddy in NEPS.

Deepest sympathy to Paddy’s family and to all who loved him dearly during this sad time. Such a gentleman with craic and devilment never far away. An inspirational man who guided us DYT’ers with passion and knowledge into careers in the arts. Thank you Paddy, rest easy.

My heartfelt condolences to Jean and the family on the passing of our lovely Paddy.

My most sincere condolances with the terrible and sudden loss of Paddy, a man who was a respected colleague and friend to me for many years.
Rob Van Genechten
Past-President of AITA/IATA

My deepest sympathies with Paddy's family at this time. He's a man who helped a lot of people and changed my life for the better. I'll always be thankful for DYT. I'm sure his passing will be felt by many. May he rest in peace.

Truly saddened to hear the news that Paddy has passed away. To his family, I hope they know how much of a powerful influence this humble man had on the dreams and hopes of so many of us. Thank you for sharing him with us.

So sad to learn of Paddy’s untimely passing. Paddy changed and touched so many lives and was a maverick. Sending love and prayers to Jean and all paddy’s family. So sorry for your loss. What a legacy he has left you ❤️

So very sorry to hear of the passing of Paddy, whom I first met in Sunshine House over 60 years ago. He was a lovely person and he will be greatly missed by all who knew him. Sincere condolences to all of the O'Dwyer family. Unfortunately, I cannot attend the funeral but will be with you all in spirit. May Paddy now rest in peace with the Lord of Love.

My condolences to Paddy's family. His values and heart live on in Dublin Youth Theatre and the youth theatre movement in Ireland. Not many leave their mark as Paddy has. A life well-lived. May he rest in peace.

I would like to extend my sympathy to Paddy' family on his sudden passing. I had many interactions with Paddy at the Department and I always found him to be enjoyable company. One of nature's gentlemen. May he rest in peace.

We have lost a dear friend and colleague.
Paddy was one of a kind.
He was always a complete gentleman and was such good company. We extend our condolences to his family and friends. We have received so many messages of sympathy over the last few days that have left us in no doubt, that many others loved and respected him as much as we did.
RIP Paddy
We will miss you in so many ways.🎭

To all the O’Dwyers, we are so sad to hear of Paddy’s death.A lovely friendly man always with a smile.
Laura and Paddy were great friends and support to us many years ago when tragedy visited us.
United now with the lovely ‘young’ Laura
May he rest in peace.

You are a great loss to us all, Paddy. Our thoughts are with your grieving family who have already endured so much.
Guímid suaimhneas is síocháin síoraí ort i gcumann do mhuintire.

Paddy fitted in with all of us right from day one. The nicest man, always good company, always looking forward. He had such pride in his family and loved being with his grandchildren. He was talented himself and had a good eye for spotting future members of ReActors Agency, you could always trust his opinion. I will truly miss him.
RIP Paddy.
Deepest sympathies to his family.

Our sincere condolences to all of the O’Dwyer family on your terribly sad loss. Paddy was a true gentleman and a very valued member of the Avila readers group, he will be greatly missed. Rest in gentle peace Paddy.

So sorry to hear the sad news of Paddy's passing . My sincere condolences to all his family . Paddy was like an older brother to me in our house in the terrace and was very encouraging and supportive to me in my early twenties.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.

My deepest condolences to Paddy’s family. I was very saddened to hear of his passing. Like many people leaving condolences, I met Paddy through being a member of the Dublin Youth Theatre in the early 1980s.

I can say with certainty that the experience of being in DYT was life changing for me. This was in large part down to the kindness and dedication of Paddy. I’m sure I tried his patience on many occasions but I never saw him so much as raise his voice.

I’m sure my story is similar to those of hundreds, if not thousands of people over the years. I’m still acting 40 years later and that deep love of the stage was a true gift from Paddy. May he rest in eternal peace.

Jean, Des, Deirdre, Ciara, Colm and all the grandchildren…it was a huge shock to hear of Paddy’s unexpected passing. I feel for you all in your loss of such a wonderful and loving father and grandfather. I have so many happy memories of times spent with Paddy and Laura….two lives so well lived. I’m very sorry I can’t be with you for Paddy’s funeral tomorrow but you will all be in my thoughts and prayers. Joan

Sincere condolences to Paddy’s family on his sad passing. I have very happy memories of meeting Paddy at Gormanston ADL Summer School. His “Hamlet” (Hammo) was an inspiration to us all. May he rest in peace.

Dear Jean and all of the extended O’Dwyer family, our deepest condolences to you all on the loss of a wonderful father and grandfather. It was a privilege to have known Paddy and inspiring to witness his vision for the arts and education. Rest in peace.

Sending love to all of Paddy's family and friends.

Paddy changed my life and the life of countless others when he founded Dublin Youth Theatre. DYT gave me, as a struggling 14 year old, a life raft and a world of opportunity that has led me to where I am today. I am now a filmmaker and poet and I believe I wouldn't be where I am without DYT.

Thank you Paddy. Enjoy the afters.

We both want to offer our condolences to Paddy's family. We first met Paddy in 1986 at the Dublin Youth Theatre. He was so supportive of both of us and our creative development. We've been texting back and forth with Aidan Gillen and concur that we wouldn't be doing what we're doing today without Paddy. Very much appreciated and missed.

To all of you, especially Dessie & Jean, my sympathy on your lovely Dad’s death.
He was very special as you already know. He will be missed by all of you.
I will be praying in the church at the funeral mass……le grá.

Our deepest sympathy to all the O' Dwyer family on the sad loss of your Dad. A wonderful talented man full of life and laughter. He inspired so many people in all walks of life. He will be sadly missed. Sunshine House friends.
May Paddy Rest in Peace.

To Paddy's dearest family and friends. I am deeply sorry to hear about the sad passing of Paddy.

Paddy was a caring and unique person, who inspired people with his vision and kindhearted spirit. I have fond memories of interesting conversations with Paddy, that always ended in laughter.

I am thinking of you, his loving family, as you mourn the loss of a wonderful man.
May Paddy rest in Eternal Peace.

Dear Colm, Ciana and the entire O'Dwyer Family, my deepest sympathies on the loss of your beloved dad and father-in-law. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.

On behalf of the New Zealand theatre community, Ka aroha hoki (Our Deepest Sympathy). 'Kua hinga te tōtara i Te Waonui-a-Tane'. A great Totara tree has fallen in Tane's forest. Our sincere condolences to Paddy's family on your sad loss and the loss to our world theatre community; rest in peace, Paddy.

I was so sorry to hear of the sudden passing of Paddy. Sincere condolences to Jean, Des, Deirdre, Ciara, Colm and the extended family. Thinking of you all at this very sad time. May Paddy rest in eternal peace.

My sincerest condolences to Paddy's family at this time. DYT sparked a love of theatre for me and so many others and has led me to a career that I adore. Despite joining only in 2016, long after Paddy has finished as General Manager, he continued to be such a major part of DYT to all of the members. His legacy was so important then and I am sure will continue on with generations of young people finding their voice through DYT and Youth Theatre.

To Colm, Ciana and all the O’Dwyer family. Sending my thoughts and condolences at this time.

Condolences to all of Paddy's extended family. His commitment to pupils with special needs was both
visionary and practical. May Paddy rest in peace. Tony Mahon

RIP Paddy, true gentleman

To all the O'Dwyer family, I am sorry to hear the sad news about Paddy. He was a gentleman.

Condolences to the O'Dwyer family on the death of Paddy.
Our Aunt Clodagh Murphy (Carlow & Leeds) who died in 2020, shared a lifelong friendship with Paddy, his late wife Laura and family. May they rest in peace.

Dear Jean and family,
sending condolences and love on the passing of Paddy.

His vision, generosity and creativity made DYT a space that was welcoming and life changing.
And for that I will always be grateful

Much love

To all who knew and loved Paddy - I have been privileged to know Paddy for many years firstly when I joined DYT where he helped so many of us find our place in the world and then living in Donnybrook I saw him regularly and it was always a joy to have a chat with him. Such a good, kind person - we have lost a true role model - with a wonderful heart and a great smile!

We were very shocked and saddened to hear of Paddy’s death. Our sincere sympathies to all Paddy’s family and close friends. Paddy was a man who made friends everywhere. With Eilis Mullen, he was a key figure in the development of Dublin Youth Theatre, and later in the formation of the National Association for Youth Drama and its successor, Youth Theatre Ireland. Paddy’s openness and generosity, his theatrical awareness and his ability to empower the young people that he worked with were all crucial in helping to define the ethos of youth theatre in Ireland. He was utterly committed to the social and personal development of those he worked with and to making the theatre that he loved available to as wide a spectrum of young people as possible. His posture was always to see how things could be made to work, to see the potential, not the obstacle. On a personal level, he did a great service to Graffiti when we were setting up our attached youth theatre because he put us in touch with Ger O’Neill, who became the leader of Activate, our youth theatre for many years. He radiated warmth, generosity and fun. He was great company and always lifted the energy of whatever room he was in. We are sorry we cannot be with you for his funeral but we want you to know how greatly he was loved and will be greatly missed.

So sorry to hear the sad loss of Paddy ur Dad, Ciara. He will be with ur Mam Laura and ur beautiful young sister Laura. May he Rest in Peace 🙏. Thinking of you and your family. Your Dad was a gentleman and always looked after me and talked to me when i was there in ur parents house Ciara with u.

Deepest sympathy to all his family on Paddy’s passing RIP. He made a great contribution to education in his career in the Department

To Jean and all of the O’Dwyers. My deepest condolences on the passing of your beloved Paddy. A gentleman and someone I’ve always looked up to.

We know Paddy from his Sunshine House days. We were kept in touch by Tony Gorman. We both very sorry to hear that Paddy died and offer our sincere sympathies. RIP Paddy.

Our sincere condolences to all the family of Paddy - he was a wonderful neighbour and friend for so so long - he will be missed by us all - you are all in our thoughts and prayers- RIP