Rosaleen McDonagh is an Irish activist, playwright, author, and Traveller.
Early life
McDonagh was born in Sligo and is the fourth of twenty children. She was born with cerebral palsy. She spent ten years working in the Pavee Point Traveller and Roma Centre in the Violence against women programme. McDonagh got a BA in Biblical and Theological Studies. She then went on to complete an MPhil in Ethnic and Racial Studies, and an MPhil in Creative Writing, all from Trinity College Dublin. In December 2019 she was awarded a PhD from Northumbria University.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
Career
McDonagh has been an activist for the Irish Travellers community. She writes for The Irish Times as well as having written a number of plays focusing typically on the feminist Traveller perspective. One of her plays, Rings, was performed at VAS in Washington in June 2010. Another was shortlisted for the PJ O’ Connor radio play Awards in 2010. Colum McCann chose her to adapt his novel Zoli for stage. McDonagh has had work commissioned by RTE. McDonagh has worked with theatre groups like Fishamble and Graeae Theatre. She had a play directed by the Olivier award winner, Jim Culleton. She is a member of Aosdána, the first from the Traveller community.[1][7][8][9]
McDonagh was also the first Traveller to run for election to the Seanad standing in 2002 and 2007, although she was not successful.[10] She has addressed a Dáil committee on assisted dying.[11]
References and sources
- ^ a b "Rosaleen McDonagh - Current Member | Aosdana". aosdana.artscouncil.ie.
- ^ "Interviews - Development & Alumni - Trinity College Dublin". www.tcd.ie.
- ^ McDonagh, Rosaleen (8 September 2012). "Column: The personal assistant is so important, but government u-turn is no comfort". TheJournal.ie.
- ^ McDonagh, Rosaleen (26 July 2013). "Column: Bringing disabilities into the abortion debate is exploitative and confusing". TheJournal.ie.
- ^ "Rosaleen Mcdonagh | The Irish Times". www.irishtimes.com.
- ^ "Traveller activist and playwright conferred with Phd". www.irishtimes.com. 3 December 2019.
- ^ "Rosaleen McDonagh – First Traveller elected to Aosdána, Pavee Point". www.paveepoint.ie. 5 May 2017.
- ^ "Irish Playography". www.irishplayography.com.
- ^ "She's Not Mine by Rosaleen McDonagh". RTE.ie.
- ^ "Rosaleen McDonagh | Irish Election Literature". irishelectionliterature.com.
- ^ "Playwright with disability and well-known actor interrupted by committee during scripted performance on assisted dying". Independent.ie. 5 December 2023.
This page was last edited on 13 June 2024, at 18:50