The model of inspiration Obituary: Eileen O'Casey
EILEEN O'CASEY, the wife of the Irish playwright Sean O'Casey, has died aged 95. Despite her tragedies, she enjoyed life to the full, winning a reputation for being a rich, resilient and enchanting character. Returning to London, she auditioned for The Plough And The Stars at the Fortune T...
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| Published in | The Guardian (London) |
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| Main Author | |
| Format | Newspaper Article |
| Language | English |
| Published |
Manchester (UK)
Guardian News & Media Limited
12.04.1995
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| Online Access | Get full text |
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| Summary: | EILEEN O'CASEY, the wife of the Irish playwright Sean O'Casey, has died aged 95. Despite her tragedies, she enjoyed life to the full, winning a reputation for being a rich, resilient and enchanting character. Returning to London, she auditioned for The Plough And The Stars at the Fortune Theatre; she was cast as Nora, and accused by other members of the cast of being preferred over greater talent. An intense rivalry developed between O'Casey and [Lee] Ephraim which the former won. She was almost half O'Casey's age, yet he became her father, lover, tutor - and ultimately husband. Eileen bore O'Casey three children: Breon, Niall and Shivaun. O'Casey, former secretary of the Irish Citizen Army of the Easter Rising, a dedicated lifelong communist and follower of Stalin, now settled with Eileen in genteel, bourgeois Battersea. ("He thought that everyone ought to be equal out of kindness" commented Harold Macmillan, his publisher.) |
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| ISSN: | 0261-3077 |