Moira Deady, Mrs Hoey (13 March 1922 – 15 November 2010) was an Irish actress. She starred as Mary Riordan, "the quintessential Irish mammy", in ''

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 ...

'' from 1965 until the show was cancelled in 1979. She later appeared as Nellie Connors in ''

Glenroe ''Glenroe'' was a television drama series broadcast on RTÉ One in Ireland between September 1983, when the first episode was aired, and May 2001. A spin-off from ''Bracken'' — a short-lived RTÉ drama itself spun off from ''The Riordans'' � ...

''. She played Mrs Coffey in ''

The Irish R.M. ''The Irish R.M.'' is a trilogy of books by the Anglo-Irish novelists Somerville and Ross and a 1983 television comedy-drama series based on them. They are set in the turn-of-the-twentieth-century west of Ireland. Books The television series ...

'' She had roles in such films as ''

This Is My Father ''This Is My Father'' is a 1998 film directed by Paul Quinn. Plot The film portrays a tragic love story set in late 1930s Ireland, focusing on the relationship between Fiona Flynn ( Moya Farrelly), a beautiful, feisty seventeen-year-old from a m ...

'' and ''

Angela's Ashes ''Angela's Ashes: A Memoir'' is a 1996 memoir by the Irish-American author Frank McCourt, with various anecdotes and stories of his childhood. The book details his very early childhood in Brooklyn, New York, US but focuses primarily on his life ...

'' (as the grandmother. Raised in

Cork City Cork ( , from , meaning 'marsh') is the second largest city in Ireland and third largest city by population on the island of Ireland. It is located in the south-west of Ireland, in the province of Munster. Following an extension to the city' ...

County Cork County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns are ...

, she later resided in

Greystones Greystones () is a coastal town and seaside resort in County Wicklow, Ireland. It lies on Ireland's east coast, south of Bray, County Wicklow, Bray and south of Dublin city centre and has a population of 18,140 (2016). The town is bordered ...

County Wicklow County Wicklow ( ; ga, Contae Chill Mhantáin ) is a county in Ireland. The last of the traditional 32 counties, having been formed as late as 1606, it is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is bordered by t ...

. She began acting by traveling around Ireland as part of

fit-up Fit-up refers to the old style of theatre or circus where companies of travelling players or performers would tour from town or village to village in the provinces of Britain and elsewhere, particularly throughout the 19th-century. Taken from the n ...

s (traveling theatre troupes). She was a member of Equity Players in 1946, who toured a programme of

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 ...

and other famous plays. In 1954, she married fellow ''The Riordans'' actor John "Johnny" Hoey (who played "Francie Maher"). John Hoey died on 10 August 1978, aged 69. The couple had four children, Kevin, Mary, Bernadette, and Brenda. Fans often thought she was married in real life to actor John Cowley who played "Tom Riordan", her television husband. In 2009, she reunited with the cast members of the rural drama ''

'' for an RTÉ documentary on the programme. She was one of a small number of Riordans actors to work on both its successor series ''

Bracken Bracken (''Pteridium'') is a genus of large, coarse ferns in the family Dennstaedtiaceae. Ferns (Pteridophyta) are vascular plants that have alternating generations, large plants that produce spores and small plants that produce sex cells (eggs ...

'' and ''

''.

Death

She died, aged 88, on 15 November 2010 in Loughlinstown Hospital, County Dublin. Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport

Mary Hanafin Mary Hanafin (born 1 June 1959) is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport from 2010 to 2011, Deputy Leader of Fianna Fáil from January 2011 to March 2011, Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Inn ...

commented on her part in Irish history: "In her role as the matriarch of ''The Riordans'' homestead, she was ever present, each Sunday, on our television screens dealing with the changing landscape and domestic issues that Ireland as a country was experiencing". John Boland, writing in the ''

Irish Independent The ''Irish Independent'' is an Irish daily newspaper and online publication which is owned by Independent News & Media (INM), a subsidiary of Mediahuis. The newspaper version often includes glossy magazines. Traditionally a broadsheet new ...

'', called her "everyone's mammy and the conscience of a nation" while reflecting that her death meant all the senior cast members of ''The Riordans'' were now deceased. Hundreds attended her funeral on 18 November at Holy Rosary Church, Greystones.

Roles

Film

* ''

The Nephew ''The Nephew'' is a 1998 film directed by Eugene Brady, which tells the story of a young biracial American man, Chad Egan-Washington (played by Hill Harper). Plot Following the death of his father, and later his mother, a long time Irish imm ...

'' (1998) as Birdie * ''

'' (1998) as Mrs. Kearney * ''

'' (1999) as Mrs. Purcell * '' Headrush'' (2003) as Mrs. Macroom * ''

The Tiger's Tail ''The Tiger's Tail'' is a 2006 Irish film written and directed by John Boorman and starring Brendan Gleeson and Kim Cattrall. The story focuses on the modern Celtic Tiger Irish economy of the late 20th century. The film premiered at the 2006 S ...

'' (2006) as Maeve, Liam's mother (final film role)

Television

* ''

'' (1972-1979) as Mary Riordan * ''

'' (1981) * ''

'' (1984) as Mrs. Coffey * ''

'' (1997) as Nellie Connors * ''Legend'' (2006) as Mrs. Gallagher

Theatre

* ''Wild Goose'' - Hannah Power

References

External links

*
Moira Deady
at th
Teresa Deevy Archive

irishtimes.com, 20 November 2010 {{DEFAULTSORT:Deady, Moira 1922 births 2010 deaths Irish film actresses Irish soap opera actresses Irish television actresses Actresses from Cork (city) People from Greystones