Moira Deady

Moira Deady
Born 1922
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

Moira Deady Hoey (1922 – 15 November 2010)[1][2] was an Irish actress.

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 money-lending Mrs. Purcell).[5]

Raised in Kinsale, 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 married fellow The Riordans actor Johnny Hoey (who played "Francie Maher"). He died on 10 August 1978, aged 69.[7] The couple had four children.[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 Riordans for an RTÉ documentary on the programme.[6][8] rural drama series, The Riordans.<ref name=""it1">"Actor whose 'Riordans' role fitted her like a glove". Irish Times. 11 November 2010. Retrieved 30 July 2011.</ref> She was one of a small number of Riordans actors to work on both its successor series Bracken and Glenroe.[9][10]

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.[11] Hundreds attended her funeral on 18 November at Holy Rosary Church, Greystones.[12]

Roles

Television

Film

References

  1. ↑ "Moira Deady". Irishrollcall.com. Retrieved 30 July 2011. (PAYWALL SITE)
  2. ↑ "Actor whose 'Riordans' role fitted her like a glove". The Irish Times (Irish Times Trust). 20 November 2010. Retrieved 20 November 2010. (PAYWALL SITE)
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Healy, Alison (19 November 2010). "'Riordans' star Moira Hoey is laid to rest". The Irish Times (Irish Times Trust). Retrieved 19 November 2010. (PAYWALL SITE)
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 "Riordans star Moira Hoey dies, 88". RTÉ Ten (RTÉ). 15 November 2010. Retrieved 15 November 2010.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Kelly, Olivia (16 November 2010). "Tributes to 'Riordans' actor". Irish Times (Irish Times Trust). Retrieved 16 November 2010. (PAYWALL SITE)
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Bray, Allison (16 November 2010). "Tributes flow for soap matriarch". Irish Independent (Independent News & Media). Retrieved 16 November 2010. (PAYWALL SITE)
  7. ↑ Johnny Hoey gravesite, findagrave.com; accessed 13 March 2014.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "'Riordans' star dies, aged 88". The Irish Times (Irish Times Trust). 15 November 2010. Retrieved 15 November 2010. (PAYWALL SITE)
  9. ↑ "Moira Deady". IMDb. Retrieved 30 July 2011.
  10. ↑ "Moira Hoey dies, 88". RTÉ. Retrieved 30 July 2011.
  11. ↑ Boland, John (16 November 2010). "Moira was everyone's mammy and the conscience of a nation". Irish Independent (Independent News & Media). Retrieved 16 November 2010.
  12. ↑ Sweeney, Ken (19 November 2010). "Mourners say final farewell to 'Riordans' star Moira". Irish Independent (Independent News & Media). Retrieved 19 November 2010. (PAYWALL SITE)
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 "Tributes Paid to the Late Moira Hoey". Irish Film and Television Network. 16 November 2010. Retrieved 16 November 2010.

External links