Lady Gregory facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lady Gregory
Lady Gregory pictured on the frontispiece to "Our Irish Theatre: A Chapter of Autobiography" (1913)
Born	Isabella Augusta Persse (1852-03-15)15 March 1852 Roxborough, County Galway, Ireland
Died	22 May 1932(1932-05-22) (aged 80) Galway, County Galway, Ireland
Resting place	New Cemetery in Bohermore, County Galway, Ireland
Occupation	Dramatist, folklorist, theatre manager
Years active	1882 to 1932
Known for	Co-founder of the Abbey Theatre, collection of folklore, playwright
Notable work	Irish Literary Revival
Spouse(s)	Sir William Henry Gregory ​ (m. 1880⁠–⁠1892)​
Children	William Robert Gregory
Relatives	Sir Hugh Lane (nephew)

Isabella Augusta, Lady Gregory (born Persse; 15 March 1852 – 22 May 1932) was an important Irish writer, storyteller, and theatre manager. She helped start the famous Abbey Theatre in Dublin with William Butler Yeats and Edward Martyn. Lady Gregory wrote many short plays and retold old Irish myths.

She is best known for her work with the Irish Literary Revival. This was a movement to bring back Irish culture and language. Her home, Coole Park in County Galway, was a popular meeting spot for many famous writers. Lady Gregory believed in thinking wisely but speaking simply, like everyday people.

Lady Gregory's Life Story

Growing Up and Getting Married

Lady Gregory was born in Roxborough, County Galway. She was the youngest daughter in the Persse family, who were wealthy landowners. Her family's large estate, Roxborough, covered about 6,000 acres.

She was taught at home. Her nanny, Mary Sheridan, was a Catholic and spoke Irish. Mary taught young Augusta about local history and old legends, which greatly influenced her future writing.

On 4 March 1880, she married William Henry Gregory in Dublin. Sir William was 20 years older and had been the Governor of British Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). He was also a Member of Parliament for County Galway.

Sir William loved books and art. Their home at Coole Park had a huge library and art collection, which Lady Gregory enjoyed exploring. They also had a house in London where they hosted weekly gatherings. Many famous writers and artists, like Robert Browning and Henry James, visited them.

Their only child, Robert Gregory, was born in 1881. He sadly died as a pilot in World War I. This event inspired some of W. B. Yeats's famous poems, including "An Irish Airman Foresees His Death."

Early Writings and Travels

Portrait of Lady Gregory, 1903

The Gregorys traveled a lot, visiting places like Sri Lanka, India, Spain, Italy, and Egypt.

Lady Gregory's first published work was Arabi and His Household (1882). This was a pamphlet supporting Ahmed 'Urabi, an Egyptian leader fighting for his country's freedom. She later wrote other pieces, including an anonymous pamphlet against a proposed law for Irish self-rule.

She also wrote short stories using the name "Angus Grey." After her husband, Sir William Gregory, passed away in 1892, Lady Gregory returned to Coole Park. She edited his autobiography, which was published in 1894. She later said that being a widow gave her the time and focus needed to write.

Becoming an Irish Nationalist

In 1893, a trip to Inisheer in the Aran Islands sparked Lady Gregory's interest in the Irish language and local folklore. She started Irish lessons at the school in Coole and began collecting stories from people in her area.

This led to several books of folk tales, such as A Book of Saints and Wonders (1906) and The Kiltartan Wonder Book (1910). She also retold Irish myths, like those in Cuchulain of Muirthemne (1902) and Gods and Fighting Men (1903). She wrote these in "Kiltartanese," her term for English that used Irish sentence structures.

While working on her grandfather-in-law's letters, Lady Gregory learned a lot about Irish history. This changed her political views. She moved from supporting British rule to strongly supporting Irish nationalism and independence. She later described this as a "dislike and distrust of England."

Starting the Abbey Theatre

A poster for the opening run at the Abbey Theatre from 27 December 1904 to 3 January 1905.

In 1896, Lady Gregory met W. B. Yeats at her neighbor Edward Martyn's home. Their discussions led to the creation of the Irish Literary Theatre in 1899. Lady Gregory helped raise money for the theatre.

This first theatre project ended in 1901 due to lack of money. But in 1904, Lady Gregory, Martyn, Yeats, John Millington Synge, and others formed the Irish National Theatre Society. They found a new building on Lower Abbey Street in Dublin.

The theatre officially opened on 11 May 1904. Lady Gregory's own play, Spreading the News, was performed on the opening night, 27 December 1904.

In January 1907, there were riots during the opening of Synge's play The Playboy of the Western World. Lady Gregory defended Synge and the theatre, seeing it as a fight for artistic freedom.

Later Years and Legacy

The cover of Lady Gregory's 1905 play

Lady Gregory remained an active director of the Abbey Theatre until 1928, when she retired due to poor health. During this time, she wrote over 19 plays, mostly for the Abbey. Many of these plays used the "Kiltartanese" dialect, which was based on how people spoke around Coole Park.

Her plays were very popular in the early years of the Abbey. She also wrote a two-volume study of local folklore called Visions and Beliefs in the West of Ireland (1920).

Coole Park remained her home while she worked at the Abbey. She often stayed in hotels in Dublin, where she would interview new playwrights and host parties after opening nights. She also spent many days working on her translations at the National Library of Ireland.

Lady Gregory in later life

After retiring from the Abbey board, Lady Gregory returned to live in Galway. Coole Park continued to be a gathering place for writers of the Irish Literary Revival. On a tree in the grounds, you can still see the carved initials of famous writers like Synge, Yeats, and George Bernard Shaw. Yeats wrote five poems about Coole Park.

In 1932, Lady Gregory passed away at home at the age of 80 from breast cancer. She is buried in the New Cemetery in Bohermore, County Galway. Coole Park was sold and its contents auctioned after her death, and the house was torn down in 1941.

Although her plays are not often performed today, her diaries and journals provide a valuable look into Irish literary history. Her retelling of the Ulster Cycle tales in Cuchulain of Muirthemne is still highly regarded.

In recent years, there have been new exhibitions and plays celebrating Lady Gregory's work. In 2020, Trinity College Dublin announced that a bust of Lady Gregory would be added to its library, honoring her as one of four important women.

Lady Gregory's Published Works

See also

In Spanish: Lady Gregory para niños

• Cathleen Ní Houlihan