Brookside legend Bryan Murray placed into assisted care following Alzheimer’s diagnosis

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Brookside star Bryan Murray has been placed into full-time care, his wife has revealed.

The actor best known for his role as Trevor Jordache on the soap opera received an Alzheimer’s diagnosis in 2019. Despite this, he continued acting in the Irish soap Fair City until his retirement last year.

I was really sad to hear an update on Murray from his wife, Una Crawford O’Brien, who also used to be in ‘Fair City’ with him. She gave fans a quick rundown of how he’s doing while talking about Alzheimer’s Tea Day next year.

Over the last year, Bryan required increasing levels of care, and has now moved into full-time assisted living. I was so focused on caring for him that I didn’t have a moment to myself. Now that he’s in care, I finally have time to grieve and miss him.

Alzheimer’s Tea Day in Ireland is happening on Thursday, May 7th, and O’Brien is the national host. Visit the Alzheimer Society of Ireland’s website to learn how you can participate.

She said that Bryan and she would be thrilled if you could join them. You can participate however you like – whether it’s by hosting a big tea party or just enjoying a cup of tea with friends. The most important thing is your presence. Please register today; it would mean a lot.

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Murray originally appeared on Brookside in 1993 as Trevor Jordache, a character who was married to Mandy, had a sister named Brenna, and was the father of Beth and Rachel.

Although the actor was only on the soap opera for three months, his character quickly became known as one of the show’s most notorious villains – a cruel and violent murderer.

The actor is also famous for his twenty-year role as Bob Charles on the Irish soap opera, Fair City. He stepped down from the role last year.

When announcing his retirement on RTE Radio 1’s Morning Ireland, Fair City’s executive producer, Brigie de Courcy, expressed sadness at the news. She described Bryan as a fantastic member of the team for two decades, essential to the show’s storylines, and a true professional.

She explained that when Murray continued working after his diagnosis, they initially used a clipboard to hold his scripts. This allowed him to easily read his lines and was a very effective solution.

The setup involved him wearing a Bluetooth earpiece, and a coach listening to his rehearsals to capture his unique speaking patterns and rhythm. The coach would then feed those patterns back to him while he was performing, allowing him to deliver the line with the desired inflection.

Murray has also appeared on several popular television shows, including Bread, Casualty, Holby City, The Bill, Silent Witness, and The Tudors.

Watch O’Brien’s appearance on Ireland AM last month below:

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Authors

Molly MossTrends Writer

Molly Moss writes about the newest trends in television, movies, and other media for TopMob. She has a Master’s degree in Journalism and has also contributed to major publications like The Guardian, The Times, and The Sun Online.

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2026-04-28 13:38