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Revision as of 10:34, 20 September 2004 by Filiocht (talk | contribs) (→Early writings and the Abbey: image)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Isabella Augusta Gregory (March 15, 1852 - May 22, 1932), better known simply as Lady Gregory, was an Irish dramatist and folklorist. With W B Yeats and others, she co-founded the Irish Literary Theatre and the Abbey Theatre, and wrote numerous short works for both companies. She also produced a number of books of retellings of stories from Irish mythology
Early life
Lady Gregory was born Isabella Augusta Persse in Roxborough, County Galway. She was born into the Anglo-Irish ruling classes. Her mother, Frances Barry, was related to Standish Hayes O'Grady, 1st Viscount Guillamore and her family home, Roxborough was a six thousand acre estate that was later burnt down during the Irish Civil War. She was educated at home and her future career was strongly influenced by the family nurse, Mary Sheridan, a native Irish speaker who introduced the young Isabell Augusta to the history and legends of the local area.
She married Sir William Henry Gregory, a widower with an estate at Coole Park, near Gort on March 4, 1880. Gregory, who was 35 years older than his bride, had just retired from his position of governor of Ceylon. He was a well-educated man with many literary and artistic interests and the house at Coole Park housed a large library and art collection. He also had a house in London, and the couple spent a considerable amount of time there, as well as travelling in Ceylon, India, Spain, Italy and Egypt. During their time in Egypt, she had an affair with the English poet Wilfrid Scawen Blunt. When William Gregory died in March, 1892, Lady Gregory returned to Coole Park.
Early writings and the Abbey
A trip to Inisheer in the Aran Islands soon after her return to Ireland reawoke an interest in folklore and she began colllecting tales from the area around her home, especially from the residents of Gort workhouse. This activity led to the publication of a number of volumes of folk material, including A Book of Saints and Wonders (1906), The Kiltartan History Book (1909), The Kiltartan Wonder Book (1910) and Visions and Beliefs in the West of Ireland (two vols. 1920).
Edward Martyn was a neighbour of Lady Gregory and it was during a visit to his house in Tulira that she first met Yeats. Discussions between the three of them over the following year or so let to the founding in 1899 of the Irish Literary Theatre. This project lasted until 1901. In 1904, Lady Gregory, Martyn, Yeats, John Millington Synge, Æ, Annie Elizabeth Fredericka Horniman and William and Frank Fay came together to form the Irish National Theatre Company and open the Abbey Theatre with Lady Gregory as titular holder of the Royal Patent permitting public performances. One of her plays, Spreading the News was performed on the opening night.
She remained an active director of the theatre until ill health led to her retirement in 1928. During this time she wrote more than 40 plays, mainly for production at the Abbey. Many of these were written in an attempted transliteration of the Hiberno-Irish dialect spoken around Coole Park that became widely known as Kiltartanese, from the nearby village of Kiltartan. She also produced a number of collections of Kiltartanese version of Irish myths including Cuchulain of Muirthemne (1902) and Gods and Fighting Men (1904).
Retirement
When she retired from the Abbey board, Lady Gregory returned to Galway to live, although she continued to visit Dublin regularly. Her home in Coole Park became a focal point for the writers associated with the Irish Literary Revival. On a tree in what were the grounds of the now demolished house, one can still see the carved initials of Synge, Æ, Yeats and his artist brother Jack, George Moore, Sean O'Casey, George Bernard Shaw, Katherine Tynan and Violet Martin. The woman Shaw once described as 'the greatest living Irishwoman' died at home and is buried in the New Cemetary in Bohermore, Galway.
References
- Igoe, Vivien. A Literary Guide to Dublin. ISBN 0-4136912-0-9
Online