Brenda Fricker has died age 81.

The Oscar-winning actress, best known for her roles in the likes of Home Alone 2: Lost In New York and My Left Foot, has passed away as her agent described it as an "honour" to "know, love and work with her".

In a statement, her agent Phil Belfield said: "We will never see her like again and the world is lesser for the lack of her.

"I was honoured to know, love and work with her and she will always have a place in my heart and in the heart of so many film and TV fans the world over."

Fricker won an Academy Award for her performance as Mrs Brown, the on-screen mother of Daniel Day-Lewis, in 1989's My Left Foot.

The role also earned her a nomination for a Golden Globe.

One of her most memorable and iconic turns came as the Pigeon Lady in Central Park in the 1992 Home Alone sequel.

She once told The Hard Shoulder: "Home Alone 2 was the biggest budget film I worked on. [This] meant that you were living, basically, in the lap of luxury.

"All of my stuff was filmed in Central Park, and I was staying in the Plaza Hotel, the trailer - which I could have lived in for a month - were parked all along the footpath outside the hotel."

She added: "It was luxury for me, I got paid a tonne of money to do it and had a wonderful time on it because nothing was rushed.

"It was easy going; we had people like Joe Pesci on the set - who is one of the funniest men I've ever met. It was absolutely lovely".

For British soap fans, she is also known for her run as nurse Megan Roach in BBC medical drama Casualty from 1986 to 2010.

Fricker's Best Supporting Actress prize at the 1990 Oscars made history as she became the first Irish actress to win an Academy Award.

In her acceptance speech, she dedicated the award to "all the people of Ireland".

Her career spanned over six decades across the stage and screen.

Early in her career, she appeared in Ireland's first soap opera Tolka Row before paying a staff nurse in iconic British soap Coronation Street.

Fricker's other credits included roles in high profile projects like So I Married An Axe Murderer with Michael Myers and A Time To Kill alongside Matthew McConaughey.

Earlier this year, it was announced by Dublin City Council that Fricker would be given the Freedom of Dublin due to her significant contribution to Irish arts and culture.