Fricker, among the most respected Irish actors of her generation, died last month at the age of 81.
Mourners at St Catherine’s Church in Dublin heard from friends and collaborators of Fricker, who spoke of her strong personality, her generosity, her acting prowess and her love of the Liberties, where she lived.
Mourners heard that she wanted her funeral to be “no fuss” and full of laughter; her friend Liz Duffy described her as “her rock” and thanked the local shops Fricker would regularly visit with her dog, Juno.
Monsignor Eoin Thynne told mourners there was “not an ounce of airs or graces about her” and that she “marched to the beat of her own drum”.
He thanked her neighbours and friends from the Liberties “where she could be herself and was happiest when she was among her own”.
“Brenda lived a life full to the brim, full of love, laughter, stories, kindness, and mischief, and she was very clear about what she wanted today: no tears, no sadness, no fuss.
“This is not a day for sorrow.
“This is a day of celebration, the celebration of a true legend who touched the lives of so many and left us with many, many wonderful memories.”
Her wicker casket was draped in the flag of Dublin city – a green flag adorned with a harp, and the three burning castles of the city’s coat of arms. She had been nominated by Dublin City Council earlier this year to receive the freedom of the city.
Guests in attendance include actor Brendan Gleeson, director Jim Sheridan, costume designer Joan Bergin, RTÉ chief executive Kevin Bakhurst and presenter Ray D’Arcy.
Fricker became the first Irish woman to win an acting Oscar when she took the best supporting actress prize in 1990 for Jim Sheridan’s My Left Foot.
She appeared across stage and screen in a career spanning six decades. Other than her Oscar-winning role, she is perhaps best known for her appearance in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.
She also appeared in The Field, A Time to Kill and Veronica Guerin.
She was also part of the original cast of the BBC medical drama Casualty and appeared alongside Cate Blanchett in Veronica Guerin (2003), as well as in the ITV drama Upstairs, Downstairs and the soap opera Coronation Street.
Her later roles included the TV adaptation of Graham Norton’s first novel Holding, directed by Kathy Burke, and the Channel 5 drama series The Catch.
Fricker also made numerous stage appearances in plays such as Lavender Blue and A Pagan’s Place at theatres including the National Theatre and Royal Court Theatre in London.
Last year she published her memoir, She Died Young: A Life in Fragments.
Fricker was born and raised in Dublin. Her mother, Bina, from Kerry, was a languages teacher, while her father Desmond worked in the Department of Agriculture and as a journalist for The Irish Times.
Fricker was predeceased by her parents, her ex-husband Barry Davis and sister Gráinne, who was a regular visitor to Cleggan in Cinnemara and wrote a poem published in Democrat editor Bill Heaney’s book How Are Things in Connemara?.
A family note said Fricker’s death was “deeply regretted and lovingly remembered” by her niece Billie, nephew Chimo, grandnieces and grandnephews, her best friend Liz, neighbours and a wide circle of friends around the world and in Ireland.