Biography – Eileen started her career in Dublin and worked in theatres there and in London where she also worked extensively in radio and television. After joining the Abbey Theatre Players she appeared regularly there in shows like The Winters Tale, Measure for Measure, The Hostage’, Ulysses in Nightown, Richard’s Cork Leg and Talbot’s Box amongst many others (the latter two shows also enjoyed successful London seasons). She had the distinction of being invited to Tokyo to play Molly Bloom during the James Joyce Centenary Celebrations there, and later, both at home, in Britain and in the United States she received unanimous acclaim for her performance of Molly in the stage adaptation (by Anthony Cronin and Ronnie Walsh) of Ulysses which was a highlight of Dublin European City of Culture in 1991 enjoying a record-breaking run. During the last couple of years she has brought the characters in the John B. Keane play Moll, The Chastitute and Letters to a T.D. to packed audiences in the theatres of Ireland. Most recently Eileen appeaered in Desert Lullaby in the Everyman Palace Cork and on national tour, directed by Caroline Fitzgerald for Galloglass Theatre Company. Her television credits are numerous, notably her performance in Hatchet for which she won the Jacobs Award for Best Television Performance by an Actress and also Norrie in The Real Charlotte, Mrs.Ryan in The Lilac Bus and more recently as the mother in The Return (Granada) with Julie Walters and as Mrs. Painter in Malice Aforethought (Granada). Eileen is perhaps best known to Irish audiences as Mynagh, the priest’s housekeeper in Ireland’s longest running series Glenroe (RTE). Eileen appeared as Nora in the film adaptation of Maeve Binchy’s novel Tara Road with Andie McDowell and Stephen Rea. She appeared in Single-Handed, the TV series mini-series for RTE/Touchpaper TV which will air on ITV1 later this year (2009), and in Prosperity a TV mini-series by Mark O’Halloran directed by Lenny Abrahamson for Element Films/RTE. Eileen recently appeared in Bittersweet a new TV drama directed by Declan Eames for Element Films/RTE. She also recently appeared with Ron Pearlman in I Sell The Dead directed by Glenn McQuaid for the 2009 Dublin Film Festival and in A Film With Me In It directed by Ian Fitzgibbon for Parallel Films. She recently appeared with Martin Shaw in Inspector George Gently (BBC) and is currently appearing as series regular Esther in RTE’s Fair City.
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