How the tarot cards told Annie Horniman to go to Dublin and found a theatre.
While giving Donncha Ó Dúlaing a guided tour of the portraits on display in the Abbey Theatre, board chairman Mícheál Ó hAodha describes "a key picture", that of Annie Horniman, without whom the Abbey would not exist. The British tea heiress provided the funds to buy the premises on Old Abbey Street, where the theatre opened on 27 December 1904. Ó hAodha says that she read in the tarot cards that she should go and found a theatre in Dublin. She withdrew from the Abbey in 1910, concentrating her efforts on the Gaiety Theatre in Manchester, where she set up what is regarded as Britain's first real repertory theatre.
The Horniman portrait is one of four by John Butler Yeats commissioned for the opening of the Abbey in 1904.
Title: |
Abbey Theatre Portraits |
Clip Duration: |
00:02:26 |
Material Type: |
Audio |
Clip Title: |
Tarot Card Reader and Theatre Benefactor |
Series Title: |
Highways and Byways |
Information: |
‘Highways and Byways’ was an afternoon magazine programme, broadcast four days a week on radio. It was presented by Donncha Ó Dúlaing, who travelled all over Ireland to interview people about their lives. It was first broadcast on 3 November 1975 and ended in July 1982. The accompanying image shows the portrait of Annie Horniman by John Butler Yeats from 1904 which hangs in the Abbey Theatre. Photograph courtesy of the Abbey Theatre. |
Local Keywords: |
Abbey Theatre, Drama, Annie Horniman, Gaiety Theatre, John B. Yeats, Portraits, Paintings, Art, Arts funding, Highways and Byways, Mícheál Ó hAodha, Donncha Ó Dúlaing |
Coverage: |
Ireland |
Topic: |
Arts and Culture |
Contributor(s): |
Donncha Ó Dúlaing (Presenter) |
Publisher: |
RTÉ |
First Broadcast Channel: |
RTÉ |
Broadcast Date: |
16/11/1977 |
Production Year: |
1977 |
Country of Production: |
Ireland |
Original Identifier: |
AAA13 |
IPR Restrictions: |
Rights Reserved - Free Access |
Rights, Terms and Conditions: |
Copyright RTÉ. This material may not be replicated in any form or manner without the prior express permission of RTÉ. Any form of reproduction in print, television, video, multimedia, web site or other electronic media or any form of dissemination for commercial or non-commercial use must be licensed by the RTÉ Archives.
If you wish to licence video or audio clips, still images or text, or would like further guidance please contact us. RTÉ Archives are committed to respecting the copyright of others and have attempted to source and credit the copyright owners of all material used here. RTÉ would like to hear from any copyright owners who are not properly identified here so that the necessary corrections can be made. If you feel your copyright has not been respected please contact us. |
Item Type: |
part/extract |
Sound: |
Mono |
Language: |
English (eng) |
