Actress and comedienne Maureen Potter leaves her handprints in cement at the new Gaiety Plaza.
Maureen Potter, in her own words, says she was born on 3 January in,
Nineteen hundred and mind your own business.
Although her parents wished to christen her Maureen, the priest in Fairview decided it was not a suitable Catholic name. She was baptised Maria Philomena, but known throughout her life as Maureen.
The Gaiety Theatre is a particularly special place for Maureen Potter. Her first appearance at the theatre was in 1939, when she performed alongside Jimmy O'Dea in the pantomime 'Jimmy and the Leprechaun', written by Harry O’Donovan. Playing the leprechaun, Maureen Potter began a lifelong association with the Gaiety Theatre and she has continued performing on its stage ever since.
In tribute to this enduring relationship, the much loved Dublin entertainer has been invited to leave her handprints in cement at the new Gaiety Plaza, outside the theatre on South King Street in Dublin.
She joins an illustrious group of stars who will also be honoured at the plaza in the coming months, including Peter Ustinov, John B. Keane, Niall Tóibín, Peter O’Toole and Luciano Pavarotti.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 26 April 2001. The reporter is Colm Connolly.
