Deirdre_Donnelly

Deirdre Donnelly

Deirdre Donnelly

Irish actress

Deirdre Donnelly is an Irish actress, based in Dublin who works in television, films and theatre.

Deirdre Donnelly.

Donnelly was a member of the Abbey Theatre Company for several years[1] before leaving to work on the television series The Riordans.[2] She appeared in 58 episodes of the television series Ballykissangel, from 1996 to 2001.[3]

Early life

Donnelly is the third of four daughters. Her father was from Rathfarnham, Co. Dublin and her mother from Castleblaney, Co. Monaghan. Her sister Terry Donnelly is also an actress.[4]

Donnelly grew up in Cullenswood House, Ranelagh,[5] and was educated at Mount St. Anne's School in Milltown, South Dublin. She studied for two years at the Brendan Smith Theatre Academy[6] and a further two years at the Abbey Theatre School of Acting.[7]

In 2004, Donnelly completed postgraduate studies at UCD, receiving a first-class master's degree in Modern Drama Studies.[7]

Stage roles

  • Rosalind in Shakespeare's As You Like It at the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin and on national tour with the Irish Theatre Company,[8]
  • Olivia in Twelfth Night at the Abbey's Peacock Theatre.[9]
  • The Bride in Lorca's Blood Wedding at the Abbey[10]
  • Kate Hardcastle in She Stoops to Conquer with the Irish Theatre Company.[11]
  • Boesman and Lena for Field Day Theatre Company at the Guildhall in Derry[12]
  • The Mouth in Beckett's Not I at the Peacock.[13]
  • Jon Fosse's A Dream of Autumn at the Project Theatre, Dublin[14] She received an Irish Times Best Supporting Actress nomination
  • Nuts and Bolts in Bewley's Cafe Theatre, Dublin[15]
  • Linda Loman Death of a Salesman at the Gate Theatre, Dublin.[16]
  • Lady Catherine de Burgh in Pride and Prejudice at the Hong Kong Arts Festival
  • Lady Bracknell in The Importance of Being Earnest at the Spoleto Arts Festival in South Carolina.[7]
  • Monagh in Catchpenny Twist at the Peacock Theatre,
  • Tiny Tina in John, Paul, George, Ringo...and Bert for the ITC
  • Roscommon in The Blue Macushla at the Abbey Theatre,
  • Christina Daftigan in The J. Arthur Maginnis Story with the Irish Theatre Company,
  • Magdalene in Frank McGuinness's Donegal, also at the Abbey
  • Evening Train at the Everyman Palace Theatre. Cork.[7]

Film and television roles

  • The Riordans (1974 - TV Series - RTE) as Cathy.
  • The Last of Summer (1978 - TV Series - RTE) as Jo.
  • Farmers (1978 - TV Drama - RTE) as Nuala.
  • Miracles and Miss Langan (1979 - TV Drama - RTE) as Miss Langan.
  • Criminal Conversation (1981 - Feature Film - BAC Films) as Margaret.
  • Painted Out (1982 - TV Drama - RTE) as Maura Doyle.
  • Attracta (1983 - Feature Film - BAC Films) as Geraldine Carey.
  • The Irish RM (1984-85 - TV Series - RTE/Channel 4) as Miss Fraser.
  • The Fantasist (1986 - Feature Film - ITC Films) as Fionnuala O'Sullivan.
  • Molloy (1989 - TV Series - RTE) as Mrs. Molloy.
  • Connemara (aka La Rouge) (1990 - Feature Film - Lapaca Films) as La Reine.
  • The Hamster Wheel (1993 - TV Drama - BBC NI) as Jeanette.
  • Runway One (1995 - V Drama - BBC) as Mrs. Connaughton.
  • Ballykissangel (1996-2001 - TV Series - World Productions/BBC) as Siobhan.
  • Legend (2006 - TV Series - RTE) as Bernie Molloy.
  • The Clinic (2006-07 - TV Series - RTE) as Carol O'Dwyer.
  • Cracks (2009 - Feature Film - Scott Free/Element Pictures) as Miss Lacey.
  • Homemade (2012 - Short Film - Park Films) as Joan.
  • Quirke (2014 - TV Series - BBC/RTE) as Sister Dominic.[17]
  • Amber (2015 - TV Series - RTE) as Maureen O'Donoghue.
  • The Frankenstein Chronicles (2015 - TV Series - ITV) as Mrs. Townsend.
  • Goodbye, Darling (2016 - Short Film - Fantastic Films) as Kathleen.
  • Striking Out (2017 - TV Series - Blinder Films/RTE) - as Judge O'Sullivan.[17]
  • The Lonely Battle of Thomas Reid (2018 - Feature Film - Park Films) as Supreme Court Judge.
  • The Virtues (2019 - TV Series - Warp Films/Channel 4) as Susan.[17]
  • Rialto (2019 - TV Series - Marcie Films) as Miriam.
  • The Ferry (2019 - Short Film - Media Factory) as Bertha.
  • Brassic (2019 - TV Series - Calamity Films/ Sky 1) as Mo Dennings.[17]
  • The Lady on the Hill (aka The Bog Lady) (2019 - Short Film - Red Spider Films) as The Mother.[18]
  • Fair City (2023 - RTE Soap Opera) as Jacinta Boyle.

References

  1. [1]
    https://www.theabbeytheatre.ie/archives/person_detail/14586 [dead link]
  2. [2]
    Burrrowes, Wesley, The Riordans: A Personal History (Gilbert Dalton, Dublin 1977) p.105
  3. [3]
    "2019 Gala: Irish Repertory Theatre Celebrating 30 Years".
  4. [4]
    Gutierrez, Danielle. "BWW Interview: Terry Donnelly Talks Irish Rep and THREE SMALL IRISH MASTERPIECES". BroadwayWorld.com.
  5. [5]
    White, Victoria, ed., Cullenswood House: Old Ghosts & New Stories (A & A Farmer, Dublin, 2009) pp.38-50
  6. [6]
    Jordan, Eamonn & Weitz, Eric, eds., The Palgrave Handbook of Contemporary Irish Theatre and Performance (Palgrave MacMillan, London, 2018) p. 332
  7. [7]
    "Deirdre Donnelly".
  8. [8]
    Actress Deirdre plays her Schooldays Heroine Sunday Independent 16 October 1977
  9. [9]
    Twelfth Night at Peacock Enchants - Evening Herald 11 March 1975
  10. [10]
    "Donnelly, Deirdre | Abbey Archives | Abbey Theatre - Amharclann na Mainistreach". Abbey Theatre.
  11. [11]
    "Cork Past and Present".
  12. [12]
    O'Toole, Fintan, Voices On - Review of Boesman and Lena - Sunday Tribune 25 September 1983
  13. [13]
    "Donnelly, Deirdre | Abbey Archives | Abbey Theatre - Amharclann na Mainistreach".
  14. [14]
    musingsinintermissions.blogspot.com/2019/.../irishtimes-theatre-awards-complete.doc
  15. [15]
    "Bewley's Cafe Theatre | Dublin, Ireland".
  16. [16]
    "Irish Theatre Magazine | Reviews | Current | Death of a Salesman". Archived from the original on 6 December 2017.
  17. [17]
    Lavender, Jane (6 November 2020). "Where are the Ballykissangel cast now- from major successes to tragic break ups". Irish Mirror.
  18. [18]
    "Deirdre Donnelly".
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