Deirdre Donnelly
Deirdre Donnelly
DEIRDRE DONNELLY is a Dublin-based Irish actress who works in television, films and theatre. She is the third of four daughters. Her father was from Rathfarnham, Co. Dublin and her mother from Castleblaney, Co. Monaghan. Her grandfather, Patrick Donnelly, fought in the GPO in the 1916 Rebellion, was interned in Frongoch internment camp and subsequently participated in the Irish War of Independence and Civil War.. He died in 1958 and was given a funeral with full military honours. Deirdre grew up in Cullenswood House, Ranelagh, and was educated at Mount St. Anne's School in Milltown in South Dublin. She studied for two years at the Brendan Smith Theatre Academy and a further two years at the Abbey Theatre School of Acting, from which she graduated alongside actor Colm Meaney. She was a member of the Abbey Theatre Company for several years before leaving to join the cast of Ireland's long-running television series The Riordans although she has returned many times to perform in the Abbey Theatre over the course of her career. She went on to play leading roles in many film, theatre and television productions, including the internationally successful television series Ballykissangel, appearing in 58 episodes from 1996 to 2001. She has recently appeared in Shane Meadows' much-acclaimed TV series The Virtues which won the Jury's Grand Prize 2019 at the Series Mania Festival in Lille. Her sister Terry Donnelly is also an actress and a former member of the Abbey Theatre Company, and is now based in New York where she was recently honoured for her artistic services to the NY Irish Repertory Theatre. Deirdre took time out in 2004 to do postgraduate studies at UCD and was awarded a first-class master's degree in Modern Drama Studies. THEATRE HIGHLIGHTS In her early years, Deirdre played Rosalind in Shakespeare's As You Like It at the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin and on national tour with the Irish Theatre Company, and Olivia in Twelfth Night at the Abbey's Peacock Theatre. She played The Bride in Lorca's Blood Wedding at the Abbey and Kate Hardcastle in She Stoops to Conquer with the Irish Theatre Company. She starred opposite Stephen Rea in Athol Fugard's Boesman and Lena for Field Day Theatre Company at the Guildhall in Derry and The Mouth in Beckett's Not I at the Peacock. She received an Irish Times Best Supporting Actress nomination for her performance in Jon Fosse's A Dream of Autumn at the Project Theatre, Dublin and performed a one-woman play, Nuts and Bolts in Bewley's Cafe Theatre, Dublin She played Linda Loman opposite American actor Harris Yulin in a much-acclaimed production of Death of a Salesman at the Gate Theatre, Dublin, directed by David Esbjornson. She played Lady Catherine de Burgh in the Gate Theatre's production of Pride and Prejudice at the Hong Kong Arts Festival, and Lady Bracknell in the Gate Theatre's production of The Importance of Being Earnest which played at the Spoleto Arts Festival in South Carolina. She has sung in various theatre production over the years, including playing Monagh in Catchpenny Twist with music by Shaun Davey at the Peacock Theatre, Tiny Tina in John, Paul, George, Ringo...and Bert for the ITC with musical director Gearoid Grant, Roscommon in The Blue Macushla at the Abbey Theatre, under musical director Peter O'Brien, Christina Daftigan in The J. Arthur Maginnis Story with the Irish Theatre Company, with music by Donal Lunny, and Magdalene in Frank McGuinness's Donegal, also at the Abbey, with music by Kevin Doherty. Her recent work includes a new play, Evening Train, based on the music album of the same name by the award-winning singer and songwriter Mick Flannery, at the Everyman Palace Theatre. Cork. FILM & TELEVISION HIGHLIGHTS 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. 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. 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. 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. The Lady on the Hill (aka The Bog Lady) (2019 - Short Film - Red Spider Films) as The Mother.