Life
1914-2001 [Edmund Kelly]; b.1914, Sliabh Luachra, nr. village of Rathmore
on Cork/Kerry border [east of Killarney], son of Ned Kelly and Johanna
(née Cashman; delicate in childhood; left school at 14; apprentice
carpenter to his father, a wheelwright; attracted to drama by fit-up production
of Juno and the Paycock; studied at night classes in Killarney;
schol. to Bolton St [DIT], and trainee woodcutter and later worked as
a woodwork instructor in the National College of Art (Kildare St.); moved
to work for a year in Listowel, Co. Kerry and participated in Listowel
Players, succeeding Bryan MacMahon as director; m. Maura O’Sullivan,
opposite whom he played in Synge’s Playboy, 1951; joined Radio
Éireann Players with his wife (who was playing the part of Pegeen Mike
when he met her), 1952; discovered as a story-teller by Mícheál
Ó hAodha, then Director of Drama and Variety, following an informal
performance at a REP party following the production of Peer Gynt by Tyrone
Power; became established as the resident seanachie at RTÉ, presenting
‘The Rambling House’ programme; cast as S. B. O’Donnell
in Hilton Edward’s production of Friel’s Philadephia (Gaiety
1962), his first professional stage role; transferred to Broadway, 1996
and became the Irish first Broadway hit since the war; nominated for a
Tony; played An Piscín Piaclach in An Béal Bocht (Peacock
July 1967); played again in Tomás Mac Anna’s revival of Philadelphia
(1972); also in The Playboy, Kobe, Translations,
The Cherry Orchard, The Man from Clare, and Boss Grade’s
Boys; played Dandy in The Field (touring to Russia); King
Oedipus in Edinburgh; The Well of the Saints, dir. Patrick
Mason; played Old Gob in Merchant of Venice (1984); Simon
Doodles in Ulysses in Nighttown (1990); Brother Duffy in Silver
Dollar Boys, and Pozzo in Waiting for Godot with Peter O’Toole
and Donal McCann; Pats Babock in Sive, a two-hander adapted for
him and his wife from The Tailor and Ansty (1968), and Stone
Mad, dir. Sean McCarthy and adapted by Fergus Linehan from Seamus
Murphy’s book; his last role was Father Willow in Marina Carr’s
The Bog of Cats (1998); wrote Scéal Scéalaí
with Tomas Mac Anna, an Irish Theatre Story series; also authored
his own storytelling shows, In My Father’s Time, Bless
Me Father, The Rub of the Relic, The Story Goes …,
English That for Me (1980; NY TADA 1989), A Rogue of Low Degree,
and Your Humble Servant; toured with Field Day production of Three
Sisters (1981); ITC’s production of On Baile’s Strand
and Sharon’s Grave; appeared in Sebastian Barry’s Boss
Grady’s Boys (1989); played Philadelphia at the London
Lyric, 1992, and Colleen Bawn at Manchester Royal Exchange; recorded
Legends of Ireland with Rosaleen Linehan (1985), distrib. to 3,000
schools; awards incl. Kerry Person of the Year, 1984, Harvey Special Services
Award, 1986; National Entertainment Hall of Fame award, 1991; hon. doct.
NUI, and Gradam Amharclann na Mainistreach [Abbey premier award], 1991;
issued an autobiography, The Apprentice (Marino 1995), of which
instalments appeared in Sunday Independent (17 & 24 Dec. 1995);
d. 24 Oct. 2001; survived by Maura, and their children Eoin, Brian and
Sinead; brs. Johnny Laurence and sisters Hannah and Bridie.
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Works
The Bridge of Feathers (Dublin: Poolbeg Press 1990), 120pp.; English
That for Me and Your Humble Servant (Cork: Mercier Press 1990), 139pp.;
The Enchanted Cake (Dublin: Poolbeg 1992), 122pp.; According
to Custom (Cork: Mercier 1995), 80pp.; The Apprentice (Dublin:
Marino 1995; pb. 1996), 191pp.; The Journeyman (Dublin: Marino
1998), 240pp.; Ireland’s Master Stortyteller: The Collected Stories
(Dublin: Marino 1998), 368pp. [Check bio-dates and chk. for author
of the same name.]
Reprints, The Storyteller (Cork: Mercier Press 2004), 352pp. [prev. as 2 vols., 1995, 1998].
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Notes
John Devitt notices The Apprentice (Mercier 1995); remarks
that versions of the stories of Frank O’Connor’s The Guests
of the Nation, and Synge’s Shadow of the Glen can be found
here.
Anna Cooke has warm praise for Ireland’s Master Stortyteller (1998) in Books Ireland, Oct. 1999 (p.278), quoting: ‘The other two girls had got married, he had no trouble getting rid of ‘’em, but there was no demand for nell on account of she couldn’t talk.’
The Irish Times (Obituary): Eamon Kelly, d. 24 Oct. 2001.
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Princess Grace Irish Library (Monaco)