Deirdre Donnelly is an Irish actress, based in Dublin who works in television, films and theatre. Donnelly was a member of the Abbey Theatre Company for several years before leaving to work on the television series ''

The Riordans ''The Riordans'' was the second Irish television drama serial made by Raidio Telefís Éireann (then called ''Telefís Éireann''). It ran from 1965 to 1979 and was set in the fictional townland of Leestown in County Kilkenny. Its location fil ...

''. She appeared in 58 episodes of the television series ''

Ballykissangel ''Ballykissangel'' is a BBC television drama created by Kieran Prendiville and set in Ireland, produced in-house by BBC Northern Ireland. The original story revolved around a young English Roman Catholic priest as he became part of a rural comm ...

'', from 1996 to 2001.

Early life

Donnelly is the third of four daughters. Her father was from

Rathfarnham Rathfarnham () is a Southside suburb of Dublin, Ireland. It is south of Terenure, east of Templeogue, and is in the postal districts of Dublin 14 and 16. It is within the administrative areas of both Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Council a ...

, Co. Dublin and her mother from

Castleblaney Castleblayney (; ) is a town in County Monaghan, Ireland. The town had a population of 3,607 as of the 2016 census. Castleblayney is near the border with County Armagh in Northern Ireland, and lies on the N2 road from Dublin to Derry and Lett ...

, Co. Monaghan. Her sister Terry Donnelly is also an actress. Donnelly grew up in Cullenswood House,

Ranelagh Ranelagh ( , ; ) is an affluent residential area and urban village on the Southside of Dublin, Ireland in the postal district of D06. History The district was originally a village known as Cullenswood just outside Dublin, surrounded by lande ...

, and was educated at Mount St. Anne's School in Milltown,

South Dublin , image_map = Island of Ireland location map South Dublin.svg , map_caption = Inset showing South Dublin (darkest green in inset) within Dublin Region (lighter green) , area_total_km2 ...

. She studied for two years at the Brendan Smith Theatre Academy and a further two years at 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 pu ...

School of Acting. In 2004, Donnelly completed postgraduate studies at UCD, receiving a first-class master's degree in Modern Drama Studies.

Stage roles

* Rosalind in Shakespeare's ''

As You Like It ''As You Like It'' is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has b ...

'' at the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin and on national tour with the Irish Theatre Company, * Olivia in ''

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night'', or ''What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Vio ...

'' at the Abbey's Peacock Theatre. * The Bride in Lorca's ''

Blood Wedding ''Blood Wedding'' ( es, link=no, Bodas de sangre) is a tragedy by Spanish dramatist Federico García Lorca. It was written in 1932 and first performed at Teatro Beatriz in Madrid in March 1933, then later that year in Buenos Aires, Argentina. ...

'' at the Abbey * Kate Hardcastle in ''

She Stoops to Conquer ''She Stoops to Conquer'' is a comedy by Oliver Goldsmith, first performed in London in 1773. The play is a favourite for study by English literature and theatre classes in the English-speaking world. It is one of the few plays from the 18th ...

'' with the Irish Theatre Company. * ''Boesman and Lena'' for Field Day Theatre Company at the Guildhall in Derry * The Mouth in Beckett's ''

Not I ''Not I'' is a short dramatic monologue written in 1972 (20 March to 1 April) by Samuel Beckett which was premiered at the "Samuel Beckett Festival" by the Repertory Theater of Lincoln Center, New York (22 November 1972). Synopsis ''Not I'' tak ...

'' at the Peacock. *

Jon Fosse Jon Olav Fosse (born 29 September 1959) is a Norwegian author and dramatist. Biography Jon Fosse was born in Haugesund, Norway. A serious accident at age seven brought him close to death; the experience significantly influenced his adulthood wr ...

's A Dream of Autumn at the Project Theatre, Dublin She received an Irish Times Best Supporting Actress nomination * ''Nuts and Bolts'' in Bewley's Cafe Theatre, Dublin * Linda Loman ''

Death of a Salesman ''Death of a Salesman'' is a 1949 stage play written by American playwright Arthur Miller. The play premiered on Broadway in February 1949, running for 742 performances. It is a two-act tragedy set in late 1940s Brooklyn told through a montag ...

'' at the Gate Theatre, Dublin. * Lady Catherine de Burgh in ''Pride and Prejudice'' at the Hong Kong Arts Festival * Lady Bracknell in ''

The Importance of Being Earnest ''The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People'' is a play by Oscar Wilde. First performed on 14 February 1895 at the St James's Theatre in London, it is a farcical comedy in which the protagonists maintain fictitious ...

'' at the Spoleto Arts Festival in South Carolina. * 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 Professor Frank McGuinness (born 1953) is an Irish writer. As well as his own plays, which include '' The Factory Girls'', ''Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme'', ''Someone Who'll Watch Over Me'' and ''Dolly West's Kitchen'', ...

's ''Donegal'', also at the Abbey * ''Evening Train'' at the Everyman Palace Theatre. Cork.

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. * 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 ''The Lonely Battle of Thomas Reid'' is a 2017 Irish documentary film directed by Feargal Ward, concerning the legal struggle between a small farmer and the power of international corporations and government institutions. Premise Thomas Reid (b ...

'' (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.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Donnelly, Deirdre Living people Irish film actresses Irish stage actresses Year of birth missing (living people)