Life
Born at 40 Middle Abbey Street, Dublin, O'Neill was one of eight children of compositor George and French polisher Margaret (''née'' Harold) Allgood, she was known as "Molly". Her father was sternly Protestant and against all music, dancing and entertainment, and her mother a strict Catholic. After her father died in 1896, she was placed in an orphanage. She was apprenticed to a dressmaker. One of Allgood's brothers, Tom, became a Catholic priest. Maud Gonne set up '' Inghinidhe na hÉireann'' (Daughters of Ireland) in 1900 to educate women about Irish history, language and the arts, and Allgood and her sister Sara joined the association's drama classes around 1903. Their acting teacher, Willie Fay, enrolled them in the National Theatre Society, later known as the Abbey Theatre. Maire was part of the Abbey Theatre from 1906 to 1918 where she appeared in many productions. In 1904, she was cast in a play by Irish playwright Teresa Deevy titled ''Katie Roche'', where she played the part of Margaret Drybone; there were 38 performances in this production. In 1905, Molly met Irish playwrightMarriages
In June 1911, she married G. H. Mair, drama critic of the ''Manchester Guardian'', and later assistant secretary of the British Department of Information, assistant director of theDeath
She died in Park Prewett Hospital, Basingstoke, England on 2 November 1952, aged 66, where she was receiving treatment after being badly burned in a fire at her London home.In fiction
Joseph O'Connor's 2010 novel ''Ghost Light'' loosely is based on Allgood's relationship with Synge.Partial filmography
* '' Juno and the Paycock'' (1930) - Mrs. Maisie Madigan * ''M'Blimey'' (1931) * '' Something Always Happens'' (1934) - Tenement Mother (uncredited) * '' Sing As We Go'' (1934) - Madame Osiris * '' Irish Hearts'' (1934) - Mrs. Moriarty * '' Peg of Old Drury'' (1935) - Mrs. Woffington - Peg's Mother * '' Come Out of the Pantry'' (1935) - Mrs. Gore * '' Riders to the Sea'' (1935, Short) - First Woman * '' Fame'' (1936) - Mrs. Docker * '' Ourselves Alone'' (1936) - Nanny * '' Bulldog Drummond at Bay'' (1937) - Norah, the Housekeeper * '' Glamorous Night'' (1937) - Phoebe * '' Spring Handicap'' (1937) - Meg Clayton * '' Farewell Again'' (1937) - Mrs. Brough * '' Oh Boy!'' (1938) - Mrs. Baggs * '' Penny Paradise'' (1938) - Widow Clegg * '' St Martin's Lane'' (1938) - Mrs. Such * '' My Irish Molly'' (1938) - Mrs. O'Shea * '' Mountains O'Mourne'' (1938) - Maura Macree * '' Sword of Honour'' (1939) - Biddy * '' The Missing People'' (1939) - Housekeeper * '' On the Night of the Fire'' (1939) - Neighbour * '' The Arsenal Stadium Mystery'' (1939) - Housekeeper * '' Dr. O'Dowd'' (1940) - Mrs. Mulvanry * '' Convoy'' (1940) - Mary Hogan (uncredited) * '' You Will Remember'' (1941) - Mrs. Barrett * '' Love on the Dole'' (1941) - Mrs. Dorbell * '' Penn of Pennsylvania'' (1942) - Cook * '' Let the People Sing'' (1942) - Mrs. Mitterley * '' Those Kids from Town'' (1942) - Housekeeper * '' Theatre Royal'' (1943) - Mrs. Cope * '' Great Day'' (1945) - Mrs. Bridget Walsh * '' Murder in Reverse?'' (1945) - Mrs. Moore * '' Gaiety George'' (1946) - Mrs. Murphy * '' Piccadilly Incident'' (1946) - Mrs. Milligan * '' Spring Song'' (1946) - Dresser * '' Send for Paul Temple'' (1946) - Mrs. Neddy * '' The Hills of Donegal'' (1947) - Hannah * '' Saints and Sinners'' (1949) - Ma Murnaghan * '' Someone at the Door'' (1950, uncredited) * '' The Clouded Yellow'' (1950) - Nora * '' Stranger at My Door'' (1950) - Clarissa Finnegan * '' Scrooge'' (1951) - Alice's Patient * '' Judgment Deferred'' (1952) - Mrs. O'Halloran * '' Treasure Hunt'' (1952) - Bridgid * '' The Oracle'' (1953) - Mrs. LenhamPlayography
* Katie Roche (1994)References
External links
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