Margaretta D'Arcy
Encyclopedia
Margaretta Ruth D'Arcy an Irish
actress, writer
, playwright
, and peace-activist. Margaretta is a member of Aosdána
since its inauguration and is known for addressing Irish nationalism
, civil liberties
, and women's rights
in her work.
Margaretta was born in London
to a Russian Jewish mother and an Irish Catholic father. D'Arcy worked in small theatres in Dublin from the age of fifteen and later became an actress. Married in 1957 to English playwright and author John Arden
, they frequently collaborate. They settled in Galway
and established the Galway Theatre Workshop in 1976. The couple has written a number of stage pieces and improvisational works for amateur and student players, including The Happy Haven (1960) and The Workhouse Donkey. She has written and produced many plays, including “The Non-Stop Connolly Show”.
Margaretta D'Arcy has written a number of books, including Tell Them Everything, Awkward Corners (with John Arden), and Galway's Pirate Women: a global trawl.
's anti-nuclear Committee of 100 in 1961.
Jailed in the H-block
in Northern Ireland
, her book "Tell Them Everything" tells the story of her time during the H-block
protests.
Margaretta directed a film Yellow Gate Women, a film about the attempts by women of Greenham Common Women's Peace Camp
to outwit the British
and United States
Military at RAF Greenham Common
with bolt cutters and legal challenges.
Challenging censorship, since 1987 she ran a women’s kitchen pirate-radio from her home in Galway.
Plays devised as group productions include;
Plays written in collaboration with John Arden include;
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
actress, writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
, and peace-activist. Margaretta is a member of Aosdána
Aosdána
Aosdána is an Irish association of Artists. It was created in 1981 on the initiative of a group of writers and with support from the Arts Council of Ireland. Membership, which is by invitation from current members, is limited to 250 individuals; before 2005 it was limited to 200...
since its inauguration and is known for addressing Irish nationalism
Irish nationalism
Irish nationalism manifests itself in political and social movements and in sentiment inspired by a love for Irish culture, language and history, and as a sense of pride in Ireland and in the Irish people...
, civil liberties
Civil liberties
Civil liberties are rights and freedoms that provide an individual specific rights such as the freedom from slavery and forced labour, freedom from torture and death, the right to liberty and security, right to a fair trial, the right to defend one's self, the right to own and bear arms, the right...
, and women's rights
Women's rights
Women's rights are entitlements and freedoms claimed for women and girls of all ages in many societies.In some places these rights are institutionalized or supported by law, local custom, and behaviour, whereas in others they may be ignored or suppressed...
in her work.
Margaretta was born in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to a Russian Jewish mother and an Irish Catholic father. D'Arcy worked in small theatres in Dublin from the age of fifteen and later became an actress. Married in 1957 to English playwright and author John Arden
John Arden
John Arden is an award-winning English playwright from Barnsley . His works tend to expose social issues of personal concern. He is a member of the Royal Society of Literature....
, they frequently collaborate. They settled in Galway
Galway
Galway or City of Galway is a city in County Galway, Republic of Ireland. It is the sixth largest and the fastest-growing city in Ireland. It is also the third largest city within the Republic and the only city in the Province of Connacht. Located on the west coast of Ireland, it sits on the...
and established the Galway Theatre Workshop in 1976. The couple has written a number of stage pieces and improvisational works for amateur and student players, including The Happy Haven (1960) and The Workhouse Donkey. She has written and produced many plays, including “The Non-Stop Connolly Show”.
Margaretta D'Arcy has written a number of books, including Tell Them Everything, Awkward Corners (with John Arden), and Galway's Pirate Women: a global trawl.
Activism
As an activist she joined Bertrand RussellBertrand Russell
Bertrand Arthur William Russell, 3rd Earl Russell, OM, FRS was a British philosopher, logician, mathematician, historian, and social critic. At various points in his life he considered himself a liberal, a socialist, and a pacifist, but he also admitted that he had never been any of these things...
's anti-nuclear Committee of 100 in 1961.
Jailed in the H-block
Maze (HM Prison)
Her Majesty's Prison Maze was a prison in Northern Ireland that was used to house paramilitary prisoners during the Troubles from mid-1971 to mid-2000....
in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, her book "Tell Them Everything" tells the story of her time during the H-block
Maze (HM Prison)
Her Majesty's Prison Maze was a prison in Northern Ireland that was used to house paramilitary prisoners during the Troubles from mid-1971 to mid-2000....
protests.
Margaretta directed a film Yellow Gate Women, a film about the attempts by women of Greenham Common Women's Peace Camp
Greenham Common Women's Peace Camp
Greenham Common Women's Peace Camp was a peace camp established to protest at nuclear weapons being sited at RAF Greenham Common in Berkshire, England. The camp began in September 1981 after a Welsh group, Women for Life on Earth, arrived at Greenham to protest against the decision of the British...
to outwit the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Military at RAF Greenham Common
RAF Greenham Common
RAF Station Greenham Common is a former military airfield in Berkshire, England. The airfield is located approximately south-southwest of Thatcham; about west of London....
with bolt cutters and legal challenges.
Challenging censorship, since 1987 she ran a women’s kitchen pirate-radio from her home in Galway.
Affiliations
- AosdánaAosdánaAosdána is an Irish association of Artists. It was created in 1981 on the initiative of a group of writers and with support from the Arts Council of Ireland. Membership, which is by invitation from current members, is limited to 250 individuals; before 2005 it was limited to 200...
(member since its inauguration) - Member of the World Association of Community Radio BroadcastersWorld Association of Community Radio BroadcastersThe World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters is the international umbrella organization of community radio broadcasters founded in 1983, with nearly 3,000 members in 110 countries....
(AMARC) - Executive member of AMARC’s Women’s International Network (WIN)
Plays
Her plays include;- The Pinprick of History
- Vandaleur's Folly
- Women's Voices from W. of Ireland
- Prison-voice of Countess Markievicz
- A Suburban Suicide (a radio play, BBC3, 1995)
- Lajwaad (The Good People, play by Abdel Kader Alloula, adapted by M. D’Arcy for readings in London, 1995); and Dublin (Irish Writers’ Centre, 1996).
Plays devised as group productions include;
- Muggins is a Martyr;
- The Vietnam War-game;
- 200 Years of Labour;
- The Mongrel Fox;
- No Room at the Inn;
- Mary’s Name;
- Seán O’Scrúdu;
- Silence.
Plays written in collaboration with John Arden include;
- The Business of Good Government;
- The Happy Haven;
- Ars Longa Vita Brevis;
- The Royal Pardon;
- The Hero Rises Up;
- The Ballygombeen Bequest;
- The Non-Stop Connolly Show;
- Keep the People Moving (BBC Radio);
- Portrait of a Rebel (RTÉ Television);
- The Manchester Enthusiasts (BBC 1984 and RTÉ 1984 under the title The Ralahine Experiment);
- Whose is the Kingdom? (9 part radio play, BBC 1987).
Films
Films as a director and those produced by Women in Media & Entertainment;- Yellow Gate Women, 2007. Shown at the Galway Film Fleadh and Independent International Video & Film Festival (New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
) [2008]. - Shell Hell, co-directed by Finn Arden, 2005. Shown at Galway Arts FestivalGalway Arts FestivalGalway Arts Festival is an annual arts festival that takes place each July in Galway, Ireland. It is Ireland’s leading arts festival and one of the most successful and influential arts enterprises in the country. The Festival is one of the key European arts festivals...
, the Stranger than Fiction Festival at the IFCIrish Film InstituteThe Irish Film Institute is both a film theatre and a national body that supports Irish Film heritage. It maintains an archive of Irish films and provides education in film culture. It shows independent and foreign language films overlooked by commercial multiplexes at its cinema in the Temple Bar...
(Dublin) and the Human Rights Documentary Festival (GlasgowGlasgowGlasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
). - Big Plane Small Axe, the mis-trials of Mary Kelly, 2005. Awarded 2nd Prize for Best Feature Documentary at Galway Film Fleadh and also shown at Cork Film FestivalCork Film FestivalThe Cork Film Festival is a film festival held annually in Cork City, Ireland. It was established in 1956 and has grown to be an internationally recognised festival, particularly in the area of short films....
, Portobello Film Festival, Human Rights Documentary Festival (GlasgowGlasgowGlasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
), and the Irish Film Festival (San Francisco). - Circus Exposé, 1987. (60 minutes) Shown at Celtic Film Festival (InvernessInvernessInverness is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for the Highland council area, and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands of Scotland...
) and Foyle Festival (DerryDerryDerry or Londonderry is the second-biggest city in Northern Ireland and the fourth-biggest city on the island of Ireland. The name Derry is an anglicisation of the Irish name Doire or Doire Cholmcille meaning "oak-wood of Colmcille"...
).