This is a terrible tragedy to lose such a talented, funny and articulate man at such a young age. My thoughts are with his partner and family. He will be greatly missed.

This is such desperately sad news. Michael was a thorough gentleman, and very supportive of new journalists starting out.

Grew up reading Michaels review, staring with his In Dublin pieces. Disagreed now & again, but he was always worth reading. Used to see him regularly around here in Ranelagh, but never got to know him. Too bad, 58 is way too young these days, it’ll be a while before I automatically wonder about his opinion.

Such a desperately sad loss for all of those who knew him and all of us he touched through his championing of gay film.

One of the good guys

A terrible loss, for you Donald, the Irish Times and indeed for the Irish film-going public.

I grew up on Michael Dwyer’s reviews, and while he and I only occasionally saw eye-to-eye on films, I always enjoyed the debates I would have with his writing.

He will be greatly missed.

Very sad news. One of the best film reviewers I ever read.Condolences to his partner and family.

A strong and reasonable voice, one I will greatly miss.

Michael will be sadly missed. My condolences to you, Donald.

Such a shock. I had the pleasure of Michael’s company in the Petit Carlton in Cannes and at Cork Film Festival on a number of occasions. He was such a gentleman: witty, warm, extraordinarily knowledgeable; a great loss.

Sad news. A consistent and insightful writer.

a very sad day for irish cinema. he was a brilliant film critic and one of the very few who’s reviews i could trust.
RIP

Such sad news. I new Michael since he worked in the library in Tralee. He made his own way in the world and truly loved what he did. Meeting him through the years in many different places, was always a great pleasure and he always retained his gentle sparkle. Rest in Peace.

Just so shockingly sad to hear the news.A truly gifted man that will be missed.

This is very sad news indeed. Our most sincere sympathy to his partner, family, friends and colleagues.

We knew Michael growing up in Tralee, at school, when he worked in Tralee Library and when he was involved in the the Tralee Film Society which was the largest outside Dublin for many years.

His enthusiasm, knowledge and insight helped many of us appreciate fim for what it really is with the result that three decades later we’re all card-carrying film buffs.

Our mother Breda still fondly remembers the sensations and controversies he helped create with his choices of films and which did much to enliven the scene in Tralee in those days before multi-channel television, cable, videos and DVDs.

For this, and much more, many thanks, Michael.

Requiescat in pace.

I had the pleasure of sitting beside Michael at last year’s IFTAs. He entertained me with funny stories from his long career, his favourite memories and his best tips for a young journalist starting out. An absolute gentleman and great company on a night when I was dreading making small talk! He was one of those rare breed of people who you only meet once but who leave a lasting impression. Rest In Peace.

Michael will be sadly missed especially at the cinema days and where we had the privalige of meeting and speaking to him He was a prefect gentleman R I P
Pat and Kathleen Greene
Former Ormonde Cinema Midleton Co Cork.

It is with great sadness that I heard of the death of Michael Dwyer.

The posts on this blog demonstrate the popularity of his film reviews, which elevated the appreciation of film in Ireland.

Michael was more than a film critic, though. His passion for film motivated him to become actively involved in ensuring that Irish audiences got to see arthouse films through his work with the Federation of Irish Film Societies, the Dublin Film Festival and its successor the Dublin International Film Festival. Through these, he was also instrumental in bringing international filmmakers to Ireland to share their expertise and experience with us.

He was also instrumental in furthering and promoting the careers of Irish filmmakers and he publicly supported political initiatives which strengthened the Irish film industry.

Michael was a man of integrity and influence, of personality and passion. May he rest in peace.

I always bought the Irish Times on a Friday for his film reviews, which were always insightful and consistent. He really loved and cherished the medium. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.

I knew Michael through a mutual friend back in Ireland in the 1980s before I emigrated. He was witty, funny, good company and had a knack that a lot of experts in their field never quite manage to achieve – put it to one side when appropriate and live. Yes, he loved cinema, but he could talk about other things as well and had a knack of knowing who the film buffs were and who – like me – couldn’t give a toss. He was charming and more than once reduced me to tears with funny stories about the film ’stars’ he had met. A lovely man, undoubtedly one of the finest film critics ever, and gone before his time. My sympathies to his partner and family. DC

Michael Dwyer’s knowledge and enthusiasm for cinema was unsurpassed. His reviews were always worth reading – whether you agreed with him or not.

58 is no age. Condolences to his partner, family and all who knew him.

Such very sad news – a huge loss for his partner and family, and a loss for his work colleagues and Irish cinema as a whole.

RIP Michael, and thank you for your willingness and ability to share your knowledge and enthusiasm for something you loved.

Sad new for Tralee, Kerry, Ireland

I was so sad to hear this news. Michael Dwyer was always such a great presence at the Dublin Film Festival over the years. I used to enjoy his interviews with directors and actors after films and he always injected a bit of fun into the Surprise film screening. He was also one of a handful of film critics whose reviews I always trusted.

I never met him but for me the Dublin International Film Festival won’t be the same without him.

Michael Dwyer used to work in the Kerry County Library opposite Tralee Vocational School, and was a face I would see occasionally when I popped across the road at lunch hour. It was some years later when I was setting out on my own career in the film industry that I connected the name with the face.

During those times in the late 70’s and early 80’s cinema culture in Ireland barely existed and was little recognized as an art form. Michael played a huge part in the transformation to what there is today. He didn’t just review and report on films, there was a passion and enthusiasm to his writing that aroused an interest in cinema and in film culture among a wider public. I myself as part of this newly engaged audience made the journey from college in Limerick to attend the first edition of the Dublin Film Festival.

From the newly engaged audience a generation of Irish filmmakers emerged who are becoming successful on an international stage. A lot of credit is also due to Michael for the international industry taking Ireland more seriously, it wasn’t just that movie stars responded well to Michael, he diligently cultivated contacts amongst distributors and studios who seeing the impact of the Dublin Film Festival and that Irish cinema admissions were proportionately much higher than most countries gave him the VIP treatment.

This newly engaged audience provided the momentum and for the creation of the Irish Film Centre (now IFI), and the support for the re-constituting and development of the Irish Film Board and the industry in Ireland has never looked back. He leaves an enormous legacy.

My career in the film industry took me to London but I kept in contact with Michael and met up a couple of times a year, sometimes in Cannes. It was a shock to hear of his illness and death and I will miss our long catch-up conversations.

Sincerest condolences to Brian and his family.

Michael Dwyer brought gravitas to his reviews. He never sounded jaded or trite and you felt that he enjoyed his work. Irish film shall miss him. My condolences to his partner and family.

Such a sad and untimely loss for his partner, family and friends. I really enjoyed and relied upon his reviews; he will be greatly missed.

Rest in peace Michael.

I remember seeing him and his partner shopping in Superquinn and saying to my own partner – “That’s Michale Dwyer from the Irish Times.” It was almost as if he was a celebrity and I was a besotted fan. He was a fantastic reviewer and a talented writer.
Tim, Dublin

Ireland has lost its best ever film critic, I always looked forward to his reviews and trusted them as non other.
He will be sadly missed by all who love cinema in this counrty. May he rest in peace.

Perhaps, an irreplceable loss to cinema and more importantly, cinema go-res everywhere. had the rare gift as a genuine and honest commemtator of being critical without an odour of negativity or encouraging without a whiff of sycophancy.
Condonences to loved ones and family

A great writer, and from what I’ve heard, a great man. His reviews and insights were inspiring and delightful to read. A highlight of my week was getting the ticket on friday to enjoy his views and comments. A sad day for his family, friends, and all who revelled in his brilliant writing. May he rest in peace.

It was terrible to hear about Michael Dwyer’s death. Besides being a fantastic film critic, he was a great journalist. Currently Irish journalism is occupied by sycophantic, derivative morons, so it is such a pity to lose another great individual. Michael and Donald have always been head and shoulders above the rest. Kudos dudos!

A world-class critic, and a world-class gentleman who helped me once in my own hour of journalistic need. I will never forget his kindness and professionalism, a man who would encourage everyone he met. What a dreadful loss, a great thinker and journalist. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis uasal.

Michael was a dedicated and consummate professional. A gentleman unfailingly generous with his time and expertise. He will be greatly missed.

I was saddened to hear of the death of Michael Dwyer, having enjoyed his writings on film in the Irish Times over many years. Indeed, I missed his views in recent months and was delighted to read his recent piece and to learn that he hoped to return to the paper any day now.

I never had the pleasure of meeting Michael, but the recent kind words said about him in many quarters speak volumes about him and seem a fitting tribute. And, as someone who each year looks forward to the film festival in Dublin, I imagine his loss will be keenly felt there also, but its continued success would also be a tribute to Michael.

My sympathies to his partner, family, friends and colleagues.

I’d just like agree with Declan about how supportive Michael was to young journalists. I was given his number once in advance of a junket I was going on. (He was on his way to New York to meet Woody Allen, as I recall.) I must have tried calling him fifteen or twenty times. It was engaged every time.

I was convinced I had been given the wrong number. No one, I thought, could possibly spend that much time on the phone.

When eventually I got through, I understood things a little better. Michael kept me on the phone for almost an hour, giving me every conceivable type of advice and encouragement.

Such a lovely, lovely man.

Michael was an early inspiration to me and always had time for a chat on the street or to take a phone call about a film you had seen or a filmmaker you wanted to know more about that he had met or interviewed. He always took the time and was generous with his time too, a remarkable listener also, he had a natural ability to put people at ease irrespective of who they were a film star or film fanatic.

I among countless others are sad that he is no longer with us.

Rest in peace Michael.

Andrew Ward
Los Angeles, CA

I have read Michael Dwyer’s wonderful reviews for nearly 25 years, first while growing up in the midlands in the 1980s, then through college and on into my working life. One of my favourite times of the week has long been Friday morning, cup of coffee and Danish at the ready, sitting down to The Ticket. When sites like rottentomatoes.com appeared and allowed access to the top critics across the planet, I still rated Michael’s opinion above all others. He was informed, honest, reasoned, and fair, both in his praise and in his criticism. He never took cheap shots for the sake of a clever line, and while he knew more about film than practically anybody he had a way of wearing that knowledge lightly, as the best educators do, so that you always came away from his reviews feeling that you had learned something about some aspect of cinema.

I was delighted when his last article indicated that Michael would be returning to work, and am now equally saddened at his passing. He will be much missed.

My sincerest condolences to his family, partner, and friends.

A great writer and clearly a great person as so many of these comments suggest.

I look forward to his life and work being celebrated in some way at the next Dublin International Film Festival.

Far too young to leave us. His style will be missed terrible-hard to replace such a great talent. Maureen from Paris

….and he never got the opportunity to apologise to me for inflicting ‘Starsky and Hutch’ on me as a Film Festival ‘Surprise Film’!!
(I never wanted to be ’surprised’ again!)

Still, Michael deserved great kudos for his work for the Film Festival, and even though I rarely agreed with his opinions on film,- ‘Heaven’s Gate’, anyone?, – he was an important voice on film, not just in Ireland, but throughout the World.

RIP

A gentleman in every sense of the word.

May he rest in peace.

I don’t think I have ever felt the need before to express my condolences for someone I had never met in person so this is a first. I was genuinely saddened when I heard he had died, and even more so today after seeing the pictures of his funeral in today’s paper. He was the finest writer on film this country has ever produced. The main reason I bought the Irish Times every Friday was to read Michael’s reviews and I was unaware that the reason for his prolonged absence from the paper was due to the illness that would ultimately kill him. He then returned briefly a few weeks back, seemingly on the road to recovery, and I was delighted that he would be once again be writing for the paper in the near future. So it was even more shocking to hear that he had taken a turn for the worst and had passed on so suddenly at the age of 58, a very young age to die in these times. It is a terrible loss, not just to the art of film criticism in this country but also the Irish film industry in general. Not only that but from his writing, seeing him on TV and listening to him on the radio he seemed like a very humble, self-effacing and deeply personable individual – extremely rare qualities to be asociated with someone working within the journalism and media circles. His writing was full of compassion, even when he didn’t like a film. If I was filmmaker and he found fault with my work, I would take on board his criticisms and try harder next time. There was an absence of cynicism in his work, he never descended to snide dismissals of a film that someone dreamt up and worked hard on over the course of a year or two. He knew that, despite its flaws, it meant something to someone.

I remember I was at the cinema several years ago with a girlfriend – I think it was Out Of Sight – and Michael came in alone and sat down with everyone else in the packed theatre. Out Of Sight was brilliant but what I remember most of that night was that Michael, whose writing I was in awe of (the reason I was there was probably because Michael gave it a good review), was sitting a few rows in front of me. It was evident that, having paid in to see a film he already seen for free only days earlier, he was true lover of cinema. He will be sadly missed.

My sincerest condolences to Michaels family and friends.

I met Michael at Cannes this year on the media lounge terrace and he was full of wit and wisdom on the highs and lows of the festival. What I did not say to Michael then was that his writings on cinema had over the years opened many doors and enhanced my understanding and experience of this great art form. His passing is untimely and a great loss to all who love cinema.

The passing of Michael Dwyer, R.I.P. feels like the end of an era. From lazy college afternoons in the Screen cinema, Dublin, to scrutinising his film review of the year and enjoying his Oscar predictions in later years at home with the children, it felt like he was always present in our world of cinema. I feel so shocked and saddened but heartened for him that he lived the job he loved. He will be sadly missed. Celine

I have just heard of Michaels passing. It is a strange mix of shock and sadness with a beacon of laughter kicking through for there wasn’t an occasion that I met Michael that I didn’t have laughter. My professional and intellectual superior, in almost every way, He was a unique communicator, an incredible force, challenging and inspirational. Many a night of engagement and laughter I can recall, with the lovely Brian too. My heart goes out to you Brian, we’ve lost one of the Best but I will ALWAYS have the fondest memories and inspiration from Michael. xx

I was deeply saddened to hear of the death of the film critic Michael Dwyer. Michael was so passionate and knowledgeable about film. He gave me much advice over the years that I knew him. He wrote often on the Dingle Film Festival in The Irish Times, always showing great support. Back when I was with the Kerry Film Festival Michael was an adjudicator one year for the shorts competition. He not only came to the screenings to watch each short but also requested a copy of each to watch again in his hotel room after the screenings, showing such commitment. I also had the pleasure of enjoying a Jameson’s a few times with Michael – telling me stories of his best and worst interviews. My sincere sympathies to his family, I will miss him.

I met Michael in the early 90’s during the Dublin Film Festival. A kind, generous, entertaining and most of all, man who had a huge passion and love for cinema which he communicated with consummate ease. A tragic lose to his partner and family and to his wider cinema family. May he rest in peace.
Aisling in Clonmel

Michael’s reviews introduced me to a vast array of films that contributed to my love of the medium.

He was a generous and kind man whose passion for the cinema will be greatly missed.

Hello all,
I am Jim Lyons a nephew of Michael.
On behalf of the family here in Tralee I want to thank everybody for your kind words to my beloved uncle who is at gods side right now.
There will be a church service in Tralee in the near future and i hope to meet more of Michael’s friends there.

May he rest in peace as he will never be replaced.

Jim

Ah oui, un homme tres gentile – but no appreciation of, how you say in English? – le avant garde.

I met Michael on my first year in Cannes, as a young journalist. I think it was 1987 or 1988. And we had seen each other over the years again and again in Cannes, had a few Cognac’s, and even met on holiday in Spain. He was such a nice man, always in a good mood, always ready for a good joke. Even though sometimes years had passed – it seemed like only a day had passed when I ran into him again. Me and my wife will miss him.

Often we forget the little guy, the SMB, in our discussions of the comings and goings of the Internet marketing industry. Sure there are times like this when a report surfaces talking about their issues and concerns but, for the most part, we like to talk about big brands and how they do the Internet marketing thing well or not so well.

http://www.onlineuniversalwork.com