Margaret Tisdall (8 January 1906 – 30 April 1979), better known by her

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

Peggy Dell, was an Irish singer and pianist who became a popular

music hall Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as variety. Perceptions of a distinction in Bri ...

entertainer. Born in

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

, Tisdall made her first public appearance as a pianist at the age of nine at the Olympia Theatre, where her father played

flute The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

with the

pit orchestra A pit orchestra is a type of orchestra that accompanies performers in musicals, operas, ballets, and other shows involving music. The terms was also used for orchestras accompanying silent movies when more than a piano was used. In performances ...

.''The Irish Times'', "The Saturday Interview", 25 December 1975 Later, at the age of 13, she was employed by

Woolworths Woolworth, Woolworth's, or Woolworths may refer to: Businesses * F. W. Woolworth Company, the original US-based chain of "five and dime" (5¢ and 10¢) stores * Woolworths Group (United Kingdom), former operator of the Woolworths chain of shops ...

to play at their store in

Grafton Street Grafton Street () is one of the two principal shopping streets in Dublin city centre (the other being Henry Street). It runs from St Stephen's Green in the south (at the highest point of the street) to College Green in the north (the lowest p ...

in order to improve the sales of sheet music.''The Irish Times'', "Peggy Dell, pianist and singer, dies in Dublin", 1 May 1979 While still in her teens Tisdall formed her own band which played at various Dublin venues, such as the Theatre Royal and the Capitol Theatre. In the 1930s, Tisdall toured England with Roy Fox and his band, during which time she adopted the stage name, Peggy Dell. Later, she performed in the United States as the lead singer with the

Jack Hylton Jack Hylton (born John Greenhalgh Hilton; 2 July 1892 – 29 January 1965) was an English pianist, composer, band leader and impresario. Hylton rose to prominence during the British dance band era, being referred as the "British King of Jazz" a ...

band. Following the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

she returned to Ireland and re-established herself as a popular musician and entertainer there. She played and sang at dances, performed in

revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own duri ...

s, and acted in

pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and (to a lesser extent) in other English-speaking ...

s. By the end of the 1960s, due to the closure of several major Dublin theatres and the advent of television, Dell's career had gone into decline. Then, in 1973,

Gay Byrne Gabriel Mary "Gay" Byrne (5 August 1934 – 4 November 2019) was an Irish presenter and host of radio and television. His most notable role was first host of '' The Late Late Show'' over a 37-year period spanning 1962 until 1999. ''The Late Lat ...

asked her to take part in a special edition of '' The Late Late Show'' in honour of actor Noel Purcell. Viewer reaction was so positive that she was given her own TV series on

RTÉ (RTÉ) (; Irish language, Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the Public broadcaster, national broadcaster of Republic of Ireland, Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on RTÉ Television, telev ...

called ''Peg O' My Heart''. In February 1975, 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 ...

for the programme. From then until her death, Dell enjoyed renewed success as an entertainer, performing regularly on radio and television, as well as making live appearances. In 1975 she released an album entitled ''Among My Souvenirs''. Peggy Dell never married. She died in Dublin aged 73 and is buried 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 ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dell, Peggy 1906 births 1979 deaths Burials at Glasnevin Cemetery Irish television personalities Jacob's Award winners Music hall performers 20th-century Irish women singers 20th-century Irish pianists 20th-century women pianists