Sheila and Carmel Leahy: Edwards-MacLiammóir Papers

Context

Creator(s): Sheila and Carmel Leahy

• Administrative History ↴

  Sheila and Carmel Leahy were born in Dublin in 1923 and 1927 respectively. As children, they lived with their parents, Josephine Thornton and William Leahy, in Cunningham Road close to Phoenix Park. They subsequently moved to Glenwood, 103 Walkinstown Rd and from there on to 76 Upper Leeson Street in 1960/1. In 1961/2 they relocated again to 3 Castle Park, Sandymount. Carmel worked in bookshops, such as Eason’s on O’Connell Street, Brown & Nolan’s and Parson’s, all her life, whereas Sheila was a civil servant. The Leahy sisters got acquainted with the famous Irish actor, painter, and writer Micheál MacLiammóir when they were young girls. Micheál MacLiammóir who was born in England in 1899 was very much Irish by choice. He changed his name from Alfred Micheal Willmore to the Irish name Micheál MacLiammóir and claimed Cork as his birthplace. He was also fluent in the Irish language and published books in Irish and plays relating to old Irish legends and fairytales. Together with his partner Hilton Edwards he founded the Dublin Gate theatre in 1928/29. He produced and acted in numerous plays on the Irish stage and abroad and travelled as a far as South Africa and Australia. However, he only reached wealth in the 1960s with his one-man entertainment “The Importance of Being Oscar” which became a success all over the world. He died in Dublin in 1978 and was buried on his beloved hill in Howth. As Sheila and Carmel’s mother passed away at a young age, their father (William Leahy) decided to raise the girls himself, even though it would have been common at the time to send them to be brought up by a female relative of the family. Therefore, after the girls had finished school for the day, and if their father was not yet home, they spent their afternoons at the Gate theatre, doing their homework in the Green room and being minded by Hilton Edwards and Micheál MacLiammóir. Micheál MacLiammóir subsequently adopted Carmel as his godchild and a life-long friendship between the sisters and the actor evolved. The material in this collection reveals a great deal about the nature of this friendship and the personality of Micheál MacLiammóir. The initials “O.F.” which appear on most of the letters stand for “Old Faithful”, Micheál’s nickname for Carmel and Sheila. Whenever possible, Sheila and Carmel Leahy went to see the productions by Hilton and Micheál, even travelling as far as Paris or Rome. They, without fail, sent Micheál gifts and flowers on every opening night. From the 1950s onwards, when Micheál was forced to travel more frequently due to the difficult situation for theatre in Ireland, he wrote to them from the various places he visited, thanking them for their gifts, but also telling them about his productions, the countries he visits, the people he meets, his and his company’s health, his home sickness and his pets. The collection therefore provides the reader with a colourful and interesting insight into the life of an actor in the 20th century. Sheila and Carmel Leahy often met up with Hilton and Micheál in Ireland and they were in the habit of spending such holidays as Halloween, Christmas or Easter together. Carmel Leahy died on the 9 January 2011.

• Archival History ↴

  The collection was donated to Dublin City Archives by Sheila and Carmel Leahy in August 2010.

• Immediate Source Acquisition ↴

  Donation