Bríd Ní Neachtain ( ; born 1959) is an Irish actress known for ''
Dancing at Lughnasa
''Dancing at Lughnasa'' is a 1990 play by dramatist Brian Friel set in County Donegal in Ulster in the north of Ireland in August 1936 in the fictional town of Ballybeg. It is a memory play told from the point of view of the adult Michael Eva ...
''.
Early life
Born in
Galway
Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a city in the West of Ireland, in the province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay, and is the sixth most populous city on ...
, Neachtain is a native of
Connemara
Connemara (; )( ga, Conamara ) is a region on the Atlantic coast of western County Galway, in the west of Ireland. The area has a strong association with traditional Irish culture and contains much of the Connacht Irish-speaking Gaeltacht, ...
. She starred in an adaptation of
Máirtín Ó Cadhain's 1948
novel, ''Cré na Cille''. She was educated at Coláiste Chroí Mhuire in
Spiddal
Spiddal ( ga, An Spidéal , meaning 'the hospital') is a village on the shore of Galway Bay in County Galway, Ireland. It is west of Galway city, on the R336 road. It is on the eastern side of the county's Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking area) an ...
.
Career
In her late teens, hearing that an assistant stage manager was leaving the
Abbey Theatre
The Abbey Theatre ( ga, Amharclann na Mainistreach), also known as the National Theatre of Ireland ( ga, Amharclann Náisiúnta na hÉireann), in Dublin, Ireland, is one of the country's leading cultural institutions. First opening to the p ...
, she wrote to Tomás Mac Canna, the director, and got the job. On occasion he gave her small parts in Irish language plays and this later developed into larger roles in both Irish and English.
After her performance in ''Silver Dollar Boys,''
Joe Dowling
Joe Dowling (born 27 September 1948) is an artistic director. He was artistic director for the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. He is known for his work as artistic director of the Abbey Theatre in Ireland and his produc ...
invited her to join the Abbey Actors. She remained with them until the 1990s when she left to work in TG4's soap, ''
Ros na Rún
() is an Irish soap opera produced for the Irish-language television channel TG4. The series is set in a fictional village called Ros Na Rún, located near to An Spidéal, and focuses on the domestic and professional lives of its residents.
...
.'' She is a former board member of
Irish language
Irish ( Standard Irish: ), also known as Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, which is a part of the Indo-European language family. Irish is indigenous to the island of Ireland and was ...
broadcaster,
TG4
TG4 ( ga, TG Ceathair, ) is an Irish free-to-air public service television network. The channel launched on 31 October 1996 and is available online and through its on demand service TG4 Player in Ireland and beyond.
TG4 was formerly known ...
.
Personal life
She is married to former Senator
Fiach Mac Conghail; they have two children.
Filmography
Film
Television
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ni Neachtain, Brid
1959 births
Living people
20th-century Irish people
21st-century Irish people
Actresses from County Galway
Irish stage actresses
TG4 people
Mac Conghail family