Moira Deady, Mrs Hoey (13 March 1922 – 15 November 2010)[2] was an Irish actress.
Moira Deady | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 13 March 1922[1] County Cork, Ireland |
| Died | 15 November 2010 (aged 88) Loughlinstown Hospital, County Dublin, Ireland |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Notable work | The Riordans Glenroe |
| Spouse(s) | Johnny Hoey (19??–10 August 1978; his death); 4 children |
She starred as Mary Riordan, "the quintessential Irish mammy", in The Riordans from 1965 until the show was cancelled in 1979. She later appeared as Nellie Connors in Glenroe.[3] She played Mrs Coffey in The Irish R.M. She had roles in such films as This Is My Father[4] and Angela's Ashes (as the grandmother.[5]
Raised in Cork City, County Cork,[4] she later resided in Greystones, County Wicklow.[6] She began acting by traveling around Ireland as part of fit-ups (traveling theatre troupes).[6]
She was a member of Equity Players in 1946, who toured a programme of Abbey Theatre and other famous plays.[7]
In 1954, she married fellow The Riordans actor John "Johnny" Hoey (who played "Francie Maher"). John Hoey died on 10 August 1978, aged 69.[8] The couple had four children, Kevin, Mary, Bernadette, and Brenda.[6] Fans often thought she was married in real life to actor John Cowley who played "Tom Riordan", her television husband.[3]
In 2009, she reunited with the cast members of the rural drama The Riordans for an RTÉ documentary on the programme.[6][9][10] She was one of a small number of Riordans actors to work on both its successor series Bracken and Glenroe.[11][12]
Death
She died, aged 88, on 15 November 2010 in Loughlinstown Hospital, County Dublin.[4] Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport Mary Hanafin 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".[4][5]
John Boland, writing in the Irish Independent, 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.[13]
Hundreds attended her funeral on 18 November at Holy Rosary Church, Greystones.[14]
Roles
Film
- The Nephew (1998) as Birdie
- This Is My Father (1998) as Mrs. Kearney[15]
- Angela's Ashes (1999) as Mrs. Purcell[5]
- Headrush (2003) as Mrs. Macroom[15]
- The Tiger's Tail (2006) as Maeve, Liam's mother[15] (final film role)
Television
- The Riordans (1972-1979) as Mary Riordan[4]
- Bracken (1981)[6]
- The Irish R.M. (1984) as Mrs. Coffey[9]
- Glenroe (1997) as Nellie Connors[4]
- Legend (2006) as Mrs. Gallagher[15]
Theatre
- Wild Goose - Hannah Power
References
External links
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