Particle.news
Download on the App Store

David Heap, Fair City Actor and Stage Veteran, Dies at 76

His wife, actor Olwen Fouéré, confirmed the news in a social media post.

Overview

  • Heap died at home on December 30, 2025, with Fouéré saying he passed in her arms.
  • RTÉ issued a statement mourning his death and recalling his decade-plus as Donal Maher with memorable storylines.
  • Fouéré had previously disclosed his diagnosis with corticobasal syndrome, a rare progressive brain disease that affects movement and speech.
  • Born in Gloucestershire in 1949, he trained at Bristol Old Vic and moved to Ireland after originating Captain Lancey in Brian Friel’s Translations in 1980.
  • The Gate and Abbey theatres shared tributes, and a funeral is scheduled for Friday, January 2, at 11am at the Unitarian Church on St Stephen’s Green, with burial on Omey Island, Co Galway.