---
name: "Birdy Sweeney"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/birdy-sweeney"
fi1m_id: "birdy-sweeney"
imdb_id: "nm0842092"
tmdb_id: 188478
wikidata_id: "Q4916174"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "14 June 1931"
died: "11 May 1999"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 4
average_fi1m_score: 82
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 4
updated: "2026-10-07T12:11:48.913376+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Birdy Sweeney

## Identity

Birdy Sweeney

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/birdy-sweeney
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** birdy-sweeney
- **IMDb ID:** nm0842092
- **TMDB ID:** 188478
- **Wikidata ID:** Q4916174
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birdy_Sweeney, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4916174, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0842092/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/188478

Actor. Born 14 June 1931 in Dungannon. Died 11 May 1999.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 14 June 1931, Dungannon
- **Died:** 11 May 1999
- **Active:** 1992–1998
- **Average Fi1m score:** 82, as actor, over 4 titles
- **Score spread:** 3 at 80+, 1 at 60–79, 0 under 60
- **Lead roles:** 0 of 1 acting credits billed first or second
- **Genres:** Comedy 3, Drama 3, Crime 1, Thriller 1
- **Screen time:** 5 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $68m across 2 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birdy_Sweeney, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4916174, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0842092/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/188478

## Biography

Birdy Sweeney was an Irish actor and comedian. Born Edmund Francis Sweeney in Dungannon, County Tyrone, in 1931, he gained his nickname from his childhood talent for imitating birdsong, which he demonstrated on BBC Radio Ulster. He worked as a stand-up comedian on the club circuit for more than thirty years before beginning acting in his fifties.

Sweeney made his screen debut as an extra in a 1982 BBC Northern Ireland production and his stage debut in a 1989 Abbey Theatre production of *The Iceman Cometh*. He appeared in films including *The Crying Game* (1992) as Tommy, *The Snapper* (1993), *The Butcher Boy* (1997), *Space Truckers* (1996) and *Angela's Ashes* (1999). From 1996 he played Eamon Byrne in the first four series of the BBC drama *Ballykissangel*. He also appeared in *Father Ted* (1998) and *The Bill*.

Sweeney died in Dublin in 1999, aged 67.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com, independent.co.uk, theguardian.com.*

## On Fi1m (4)

- *The Butcher Boy* (1998), Fi1m 74, as Man in Well — [page](https://film.one/film/the-butcher-boy.md)
- *Father Ted* (1995), Fi1m 89, as Father Cullen — [page](https://film.one/tv/father-ted.md)
- *The Snapper* (1993), Fi1m 82, as Loner — [page](https://film.one/film/the-snapper.md)
- *The Crying Game* (1992), Fi1m 82, as Tommy — [page](https://film.one/film/the-crying-game.md)

## Complete filmography (24)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *The Poorhouse Revisited* (2011), Actor
- *Angela's Ashes* (1999), as Old Priest
- *Divorcing Jack* (1998), as Lift Attendant
- *The Nephew* (1998), as Old Codger
- *The Butcher Boy* (1998), as Man in Well — Fi1m 74, [page](https://film.one/film/the-butcher-boy.md)
- *Downtime* (1997), as Pat
- *Space Truckers* (1996), as Mr Zesty
- *Safe And Sound* (1996), series, as Eammon
- *Ballykissangel* (1996), series, as Eamon Byrne
- *The Hanging Gale* (1995), series, as Patrick Dolan
- *Father Ted* (1995), series, as Father Cullen — Fi1m 89, [page](https://film.one/tv/father-ted.md)
- *Scarlett* (1994), series, as James O'Hara
- *The Snapper* (1993), as Loner — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/film/the-snapper.md)
- *The Crying Game* (1992), as Tommy — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/film/the-crying-game.md)
- *Journey to Knock* (1991), as Stan
- *Arise and Go Now* (1991), as Dade's Father
- *Murder in Eden* (1991), series, as Crubog
- *Reefer and the Model* (1988), as Instant Photo
- *The Temptation of Eileen Hughes* (1988), as Caretaker
- *Naming the Names* (1987), as Man at Divis
- *The End of the World Man* (1986), as Workman
- *The Bill* (1984), series, Actor
- *The Cry* (1984), as Mr. Ferguson
- *A Woman Calling* (1984), as Man in Shop

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/birdy-sweeney