Moira Deady

Moira Hoey
Born	1922 County Cork, Ireland
Died	15 November 2010 (aged 88) County Dublin, Republic of Ireland
Occupation	Actress
Notable works	The Riordans Glenroe

Moira Deady (also known as Moira Hoey; 1922 – 15 November 2010)^[1][2] was an Irish actress. She starred as Mary Riordan in The Riordans from 1965 until it was axed in 1979, before appearing as Nellie Connors in Glenroe. Mary Riordan was considered "the quintessential Irish mammy" - Irish Independent/The Irish Times.^[3][4] She played Mrs Coffey in The Irish R.M.^[5] She had roles in such films as This Is My Father^[6] and Angela's Ashes (as moneylender Mrs. Purcell).^[7]

Raised in Kinsale, County Cork^[6], she later resided in Greystones, County Wicklow.^[3] She began acting by travelling around Ireland as part of fit-ups (travelling theatre troupes).^[3]

She married fellow actor Johnny Hoey ("Francie Maher", The Riordans).^[3] He predeceased her, though three daughters and one son were still alive at the time of her own death in 2010.^[3] Fans often thought she was married in real life to actor John Cowley who played "Tom Riordan", her husband in The Riordans and were sometimes upset seeing her with her real-life husband.^[4]

In 2009, she reunited with other cast members of The Riordans for an RTÉ documentary on the programme.^[3][5] rural drama series, The Riordans.^[8] 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.^[6] 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".^[6][7]

John Boland, writing in the Irish Independent, called her "everyone's mammy and the conscience of a nation" while reflecting that this meant all the senior cast members of The Riordans were now dead.^[11] Hundreds of people attended her funeral on 18 November at Holy Rosary Church, Greystones.^[12]

Roles

Television

• The Riordans - Mary Riordan^[6]
• Bracken^[3]
• Glenroe - Nellie Connors^[6]
• The Irish R.M. - Mrs. Coffey^[5]
• Legend^[13] - herself

Film

• This Is My Father - Mrs. Kearney^[13]
• Angela's Ashes - Mrs. Purcell^[7]
• Headrush - Mrs. Macroom^[13]
• The Tiger's Tail - Liam's mother, Maeve^[13]

References

1. ^ "Moira Deady". http://irishrollcall.com/2010/11/moira-deady. Retrieved 2011-07-30. 
2. ^ "Actor whose 'Riordans' role fitted her like a glove". The Irish Times (Irish Times Trust). 20 November 2010. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/obituaries/2010/1120/1224283761902.html. Retrieved 20 November 2010. 
3. ^ ^{a b c d e f g} Bray, Allison (16 November 2010). "Tributes flow for soap matriarch". Irish Independent (Independent News & Media). http://www.independent.ie/lifestyle/independent-woman/celebrity-news-gossip/tributes-flow-for-soap-matriarch-2421863.html. Retrieved 16 November 2010. 
4. ^ ^{a b} Healy, Alison (19 November 2010). "'Riordans' star Moira Hoey is laid to rest". The Irish Times (Irish Times Trust). http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/1119/1224283711428.html. Retrieved 19 November 2010. 
5. ^ ^{a b c} "'Riordans' star dies, aged 88". The Irish Times (Irish Times Trust). 15 November 2010. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2010/1115/breaking48.html. Retrieved 15 November 2010. 
6. ^ ^{a b c d e f} "Riordans star Moira Hoey dies, 88". RTÉ Ten (RTÉ). 15 November 2010. http://www.rte.ie/ten/2010/1115/hoeym.html. Retrieved 15 November 2010. 
7. ^ ^{a b c} Kelly, Olivia (16 November 2010). "Tributes to 'Riordans' actor". The Irish Times (Irish Times Trust). http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/1116/1224283411722.html. Retrieved 16 November 2010. 
8. ^ "Actor whose 'Riordans' role fitted her like a glove". Irish Times. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/obituaries/2010/1120/1224283761902.html. Retrieved 2011-07-30. 
9. ^ "Moira Deady". IMDb. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0212610. Retrieved 2011-07-30. 
10. ^ "Moira Hoey dies, 88". RTÉ. http://www.rte.ie/ten/2010/1115/hoeym.html. Retrieved 2011-07-30. 
11. ^ Boland, John (16 November 2010). "Moira was everyone's mammy and the conscience of a nation". Irish Independent (Independent News & Media). http://www.independent.ie/opinion/analysis/john-boland-moira-was-everyones-mammy-and-the-conscience-of-a-nation-2421862.html. Retrieved 16 November 2010. 
12. ^ Sweeney, Ken (19 November 2010). "Mourners say final farewell to 'Riordans' star Moira". Irish Independent (Independent News & Media). http://www.independent.ie/national-news/mourners-say-final-farewell-to-riordans-star-moira-2427280.html. Retrieved 19 November 2010. 
13. ^ ^{a b c d} "Tributes Paid to the Late Moira Hoey". Irish Film and Television Network. 16 November 2010. http://www.iftn.ie/news/?act1=record&only=1&aid=73&rid=4283497&tpl=archnews&force=1. Retrieved 16 November 2010. 

External links

• Moira Deady at the Internet Movie Database
• Obituary: The Irish Times

Persondata
Name	Deady, Moira
Alternative names	Hoey, Moira
Short description	Actress
Date of birth	1922
Place of birth	County Cork, Ireland
Date of death	15 November 2010
Place of death	County Dublin, Republic of Ireland