Joan O'Hara (10 October 1930 â€" 23 July 2007) was an Irish stage,
film and television actress. She was one of Ireland's most popular
actresses and was, at her death, recognisable to television viewers as
Eunice Dunstan, a gossip in Fair City on RTÉ One.O'Hara was a member
of the renowned Abbey Players and performed in many plays in the Abbey
Theatre in Dublin, including those by Seán O'Casey, Lady Gregory and
W.B. Yeats. She appeared as Maurya in the 1988 film The Dawning. She
appeared in a number of other films, including Ron Howard's Far and
Away, Da, Footfalls, Home is the Hero and just before her death, How
About You. In this her final film, she starred with Vanessa Redgrave
and her friend Brenda Fricker. The strength of her performance and
bravery in carrying it out was acknowledged by the cast and crew in a
standing ovation.More recently, O'Hara was best known for appearing in
the popular Irish television soap opera Fair City, broadcast on RTÉ
One. She joined the soap in 1994, portraying the character Eunice
Dunstan until her own (O'Hara's) death in 2007. Thus she was described
as both one of Ireland's most popular actresses and as one of the
finest actors of her generation on her death. She admired in
particular Samuel Beckett, Federico GarcÃa Lorca and Ingmar Bergman.
While she took a no-nonsense approach to her craft, famously giving
the advice that when in doubt, one should relate to the fireplace, she
was educated at the Abbey School of Acting and had a deep appreciation
and knowledge of theoretical approaches to acting and was an admirer
of the European and American avant-garde. As actor Alan Stanford said
after her death, "She had the most amazing energy. She was in the
truest sense one of the last of the greats".
film and television actress. She was one of Ireland's most popular
actresses and was, at her death, recognisable to television viewers as
Eunice Dunstan, a gossip in Fair City on RTÉ One.O'Hara was a member
of the renowned Abbey Players and performed in many plays in the Abbey
Theatre in Dublin, including those by Seán O'Casey, Lady Gregory and
W.B. Yeats. She appeared as Maurya in the 1988 film The Dawning. She
appeared in a number of other films, including Ron Howard's Far and
Away, Da, Footfalls, Home is the Hero and just before her death, How
About You. In this her final film, she starred with Vanessa Redgrave
and her friend Brenda Fricker. The strength of her performance and
bravery in carrying it out was acknowledged by the cast and crew in a
standing ovation.More recently, O'Hara was best known for appearing in
the popular Irish television soap opera Fair City, broadcast on RTÉ
One. She joined the soap in 1994, portraying the character Eunice
Dunstan until her own (O'Hara's) death in 2007. Thus she was described
as both one of Ireland's most popular actresses and as one of the
finest actors of her generation on her death. She admired in
particular Samuel Beckett, Federico GarcÃa Lorca and Ingmar Bergman.
While she took a no-nonsense approach to her craft, famously giving
the advice that when in doubt, one should relate to the fireplace, she
was educated at the Abbey School of Acting and had a deep appreciation
and knowledge of theoretical approaches to acting and was an admirer
of the European and American avant-garde. As actor Alan Stanford said
after her death, "She had the most amazing energy. She was in the
truest sense one of the last of the greats".
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