Mary "May" Cluskey (18 May 1927 – 15 May 1991) was an Irish stage, film and television actress.

Early life

Mary Elizabeth Cluskey was born in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...

, Ireland, the daughter of Francis Cluskey and Elizabeth Millington Cluskey. Her brother

Frank Cluskey Frank Cluskey (8 April 1930 – 7 May 1989) was an Irish Labour Party politician who served as Minister for Trade, Commerce and Tourism from 1982 to 1983, Leader of the Labour Party from 1977 to 1981 and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minist ...

was a politician, leader of the Labour Party from 1977 to 1981.

Career

Cluskey was a member of 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 ...

from 1972 to 1986. Writer

Thomas Kilroy Thomas F. Kilroy (born 23 September 1934) is an Irish playwright and novelist. He was born in Green Street, Callan, County Kilkenny. He attended St Kieran's College and played hurling for the school team, captaining the senior team in 1952. He ...

remembered her as "an extraordinary comic actress". Among her roles at the Abbey were roles in '' The Silver Tassie'' (1972, 1973), ''The Stars Turn Red'' (1978) and ''Red Roses for Me'' (1980) by

Seán O'Casey Seán O'Casey ( ga, Seán Ó Cathasaigh ; born John Casey; 30 March 1880 – 18 September 1964) was an Irish dramatist and memoirist. A committed socialist, he was the first Irish playwright of note to write about the Dublin working classes. ...

, ''Hatchet'' (1972) and ''Red Biddy'' (1978) by Heno Magee, ''Pull Down a Horseman'' (1972) by

Eugene McCabe Eugene McCabe (7 July 1930 – 27 August 2020) was a Scots-born Irish novelist, short story writer, playwright, and television screenwriter. John Banville said McCabe was "in the first rank of contemporary Irish novelists'. Biography Born t ...

, ''They Feed Christians To Lions Here, Don't They?'' (1972) by Francis Harvey, ''The Gathering'' (1974) and ''A Pagan Place'' (1977) by

Edna O'Brien Josephine Edna O'Brien (born 15 December 1930) is an Irish novelist, memoirist, playwright, poet and short-story writer. Elected to Aosdána by her fellow artists, she was honoured with the title Saoi in 2015 and the "UK and Ireland Nobel" ...

, ''Katie Roche'' (1975) by

Teresa Deevy Teresa Deevy (21 January 1894 – 19 January 1963) was an Irish dramatist and writer, who was deaf from the age of 19. Best known for her works for theatre, she was also a short story writer, and writer for radio. Early life Teresa Deevy w ...

, ''Faustus Kelly'' (1978), ''At Swim-Two-Birds'' (1981) and ''The Hard Life'' (1986) by Flann O'Brien, ''The Hostage'' (1981) by

Brendan Behan Brendan Francis Aidan Behan (christened Francis Behan) ( ; ga, Breandán Ó Beacháin; 9 February 1923 – 20 March 1964) was an Irish poet, short story writer, novelist, playwright, and Irish Republican activist who wrote in both English an ...

, and in works by Oscar Wilde, Richard B. Sheridan, Oliver Goldsmith,

Dion Boucicault Dionysius Lardner "Dion" Boucicault (né Boursiquot; 26 December 1820 – 18 September 1890) was an Irish actor and playwright famed for his melodramas. By the later part of the 19th century, Boucicault had become known on both sides of the ...

, Henrik Ibsen,

Arthur Miller Arthur Asher Miller (October 17, 1915 – February 10, 2005) was an American playwright, essayist and screenwriter in the 20th-century American theater. Among his most popular plays are ''All My Sons'' (1947), '' Death of a Salesman'' (1 ...

, Anton Chekhov,

W. B. Yeats William Butler Yeats (13 June 186528 January 1939) was an Irish poet, dramatist, writer and one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature. He was a driving force behind the Irish Literary Revival and became a pillar of the Irish liter ...

, George S. Kaufman,

John Millington Synge Edmund John Millington Synge (; 16 April 1871 – 24 March 1909) was an Irish playwright, poet, writer, collector of folklore, and a key figure in the Irish Literary Revival. His best known play ''The Playboy of the Western World'' was poorly r ...

, and Bertolt Brecht. Although Cluskey usually played supporting roles, often mothers, she played the title character in

James Ballantyne James Ballantyne (15 January 1772 – 26 January 1833) was a Scottish solicitor, editor and publisher who worked for his friend Sir Walter Scott. His brother John Ballantyne (1774–1821) was also with the publishing firm, which is noted fo ...

's ''Sarah'' (1974). In 1976, she performed her one-woman show at the Gorey Arts Festival. In 1982, she toured 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 ''The Factory Girls''. She also wrote two plays, ''Mothers'' (1976, with Tomás Mac Anna; a one-woman show in which she also starred), and ''Or By Appointment'' (1986). Cluskey was also known for the roles she played in films, including ''

Young Cassidy ''Young Cassidy'' is a 1965 British biography drama film directed by Jack Cardiff and starring Rod Taylor, Julie Christie, and Maggie Smith. It is a biographical drama based upon the life of the playwright Seán O'Casey. Plot Set in 1911 and th ...

'' (1965), '' Ulysses'' (1967), and '' The Purple Taxi'' (1977). On television she played Queenie Butler in the Irish soap opera ''

Tolka Row ''Tolka Row'' was an Irish drama serial set in a fictional housing estate on the northside of Dublin. Based on Maura Laverty's play of the same name, ''Tolka Row'' was first broadcast on 3 January 1964 and aired weekly for five series until it ...

'', for which she won a

Jacob's Award The Jacob's Awards were instituted in December 1962 as the first Irish television awards. Later, they were expanded to include radio. The awards were named after their sponsor, W. & R. Jacob & Co. Ltd., a biscuit manufacturer, and recipients ...

in 1966.

Personal life

Cluskey died in Dublin in 1991, days before her 64th birthday.

Filmography

References

External links

A photograph of May Cluskey in a scene from Strindberg's ''Miss Julie'' (1963)
by Roy Bedell, in the RTÉ Archives.

by Ronan Lee, in the RTÉ Archives. *Sam (May 12, 2018)
"Anti-Amendment Music (1982-83)"
''Come Here to Me!'', a blogpost including a photograph of May Cluskey with other performers, from a 1983 newspaper. * *; her grave is in

Glasnevin Cemetery Glasnevin Cemetery ( ga, Reilig Ghlas Naíon) is a large cemetery in Glasnevin, Dublin, Ireland which opened in 1832. It holds the graves and memorials of several notable figures, and has a museum. Location The cemetery is located in Glasne ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Cluskey, May 1927 births 1991 deaths Irish stage actresses Jacob's Award winners Actresses from Dublin (city) Irish film actresses Irish television actresses