Actor Mark Newell dies in Galway road collision
Navan man was also accomplished athlete
Actor Mark Newell, who grew up in Navan, died in a road traffic collision in Galway on Friday.
Based in Tipperary in recent years, where he was co-ordinator of Milford House Artists in Residency Programme, he is reposing at home at Milford House, Borrisokane, today (Wednesday), with a committal service at Shannon Crematorium on Thursday afternoon.
As well as being a talented actor and writer, builder, tiler and artist, Mark, from Balreask Old, was also an accomplished sportsman, playing Gaelic football with Navan O'Mahonys and St Patrick's Classical School in Navan, and underage with Meath, as well as soccer. A top class athlete, he and won the marathon at St Pat's for four years in a row, beating all before him when he came in as a first year, and retiring undefeated before his final year.
He came to prominence as an actor with a role in a television advertisement in 1996. Filmed in Dublin and Cuba for Caffreys Ale, Mark played the hero, an Irish man who is far away from his perceived Irish home.
Titled 'Reminiscence', it featured a Cuban festival and a raucous crowd of revellers, in which the star thinks he sees his father and this reminds him of home. He begins to reminisce about the good life back home and his thoughts revert to family and friends in Ireland, before he meets his brother in a bar.
In a later film, 'Patriots' an IRA thriller set in Boston and Belfast, he played the lead role of the protagonist Séan O'Callaghan, and he was based in America for a period.
Educated at Scoil Mhuire and St Patrick's Classical School, Mark participated in many of Scoil Mhuire's concerts and took part in an improvised play directed by teacher Richard Ball in St Pat's. In addition to acting, he won under-12, under-14 and under-16 football championship medals for Navan O'Mahonys, and he was a singer in local band, The End.
After leaving school in 1989, he did a theatrical course at Inchicore VEC. During that time he represented Ireland at the Euro Youth Festival at Rouen, France, with a mime piece, and also wrote and directed two one-act plays, 'Breakfast in Purgatory' and 'Symphony Of The Soul' for Bloodfcud Productions.
His theatre work included 'I Do Not Like Thee, Dr Fell', where he played the part of Joe Fell at the Cambridge Multicultural Arts Centre, 'Joyriders' 'Marie and Lizzie' and 'Away Alone'.
In his early fifties, Mark is survived by his partner, Deej; daughter, Aisling and step-daughter Bea; parents, Eileen and Martin Joseph; sisters, Sarah and Kate; brother, Greg; God daughter, Riona; and "the many people who loved him from all around the world".
He is reposing at Milford House, Borrisokane, Co Tipperary (E45 P084), from 11am to 6pm on Wednesday. A committal service will be celebrated on Thursday at Shannon Crematorium at 4pm, which will be livestreamed.
Link to Livestream: https://shannoncrematorium.com/content/26-live-streaming
The family requests donations, if desired, to NET Patient Network Charity Ireland. IBAN: IE22AIBK93340645873058.
Gardaí are appealing for witnesses to the fatal road traffic collision involving two vehicles on the N65 at Moyleen, Co Galway at approximately 7.30am on Friday, following which Mark passed away at University College Hospital Galway. The second driver, a male in his late teens, was taken to University College Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.