Doolan, Lelia

Lelia Doolan is a writer, broadcaster, television producer, filmmaker, theatre director, lecturer and environmentalist.

Born in Cork in 1934 she studied languages at University College Dublin (UCD), and theatre in Berlin.

Leilia Doolan worked in the early years of television in Ireland when she joined Teiliefís Éireann in 1963. She acted in television drama productions, worked as a reporter for 'Broadsheet' and ‘Newsbeat’, and took on the role as director for the popular rural drama series 'The Riordans', first broadcast in 1965. A stint as producer of RTÉ's flagship current affairs programme 'Seven Days' was next, and in 1968 she was appointed Head of Light Entertainment.

Lellia Doolan was one of a group of producer directors who resigned from RTÉ in 1969 over differences of opinion on what was the function of the television produced by the State broadcaster.

In the book ‘Sit Down and Be Counted’ they expressed their concerns about the chase for ratings and the commercial pressures that advertising brings on programme making. The book and discussion about the role of television was the subject of 'The Late Late Show' debate.

Following her departure from RTÉ Lelia Doolan was the first woman artistic director of the Abbey Theatre from 1971 - 1973. She then returned to academia, studying anthropology at doctoral level, and with Michael Morris worked to set up the first media studies course in Ireland at the College of Commerce, Rathmines (later the Dublin Institute of Technology).

She produced the feature film 'Reefer and the Model' directed by Joe Comerford. She co-founded the Galway Film Fleadh with Bob Quinn, Miriam Allen and Joe MacMahon in 1989 and also served a term as its director.

Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht Michael D Higgins appointed her chairperson of the Irish Film Board in 1993, the first woman in that role. A board member of the Irish Film Institute, she was also involved in the Cinémobile.

She was part of the Burren Action Group which successfully opposed plans to build an interpretive centre at Mullaghmore County Clare. In 2011 she directed and produced 'Bernadette: Notes on a Political Journey' about civil rights leader and former politician Bernadette Devlin McAliskey.