Marie-Louise O'Donnell facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Marie-Louise O'Donnell
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| Senator | |
| In office 25 May 2011 – 29 June 2020 |
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| Constituency | Nominated by the Taoiseach |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 5 September 1952 Foxford, County Mayo, Ireland |
| Political party | Independent |
| Children | 1 |
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Marie-Louise O'Donnell was born on September 5, 1952. She is an Irish academic, a broadcaster, and a politician. She served as a Senator in Ireland from 2011 to 2020. The Taoiseach (Ireland's Prime Minister) chose her for this important role. She also played a big part in developing the arts at Dublin City University for 23 years. This included helping to open The Helix, a well-known cultural center.
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Early Life and Learning Journey
Marie-Louise O'Donnell grew up in Foxford, County Mayo, Ireland. Her father worked at the Foxford Woolen Mills, which his family helped start. Her mother was a speech and drama teacher. Even though her family moved to Dublin, Marie-Louise spent her holidays back in Mayo.
She studied education and English at the University of Nottingham. Then, she earned two master's degrees. One was in Education from NUI Maynooth. The other was in Modern Drama from University College Dublin. Later, she also studied theatre, directing, and acting skills in London. She learned these at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
Her Amazing Career
Marie-Louise O'Donnell has had a very interesting career. She has worked in education, the arts, media, and politics.
Teaching and the Arts
Marie-Louise started as the head of drama at Carysfort College. She taught there for ten years. After the college closed, she became a lecturer at Dublin City University (DCU). For 23 years at DCU, she taught many subjects. These included making radio documentaries, storytelling, and public speaking. She even trained with the BBC to improve her skills. She was very interested in how voices are used in theatre and radio.
She also helped build the arts scene at DCU. She organized DCU Arts Week and a program for writers to visit. She worked on many shows and concerts, including performances by the Royal Shakespeare Company. A big part of her work was helping to create The Helix cultural center. She helped design its performance spaces. When The Helix opened, she became an associate director. She also managed one of its smaller theatre spaces, called The Space.
Marie-Louise has given many talks in Ireland, Europe, and the US. These talks were about education and Irish culture, especially drama and language. For six months, she even toured as an actor in the UK and Ireland. She performed in plays like The Merry Wives of Windsor. She also served on the board of the National Concert Hall for two terms. In 2004, she helped start a theatre company called Classic Stage Ireland. This company put on plays by Shakespeare and ancient Greek dramas.
Working in Media
Marie-Louise first became well-known in the media as a reporter. She worked on RTÉ Radio 1's Today with Pat Kenny in 2010. However, she had been preparing for this for many years. She had trained in radio production and presentation with the BBC. She even presented shows for BBC Radio 4. People who know her say she is very connected and knows many important people.
Becoming a Politician
In May 2011, the Taoiseach (Ireland's Prime Minister), Enda Kenny, chose Marie-Louise O'Donnell to be a Senator. She said she was surprised by the appointment. She did not join any political party. Enda Kenny nominated her again in May 2016 for another term. She was the leader of a group of independent Senators for a short time.
More Recent Work
More recently, besides her work with RTÉ and in the Seanad, she has appeared on TV. She was a regular guest on TV3's Tonight with Vincent Browne. She often talked about the next morning's newspapers on the show. She also started studying for her PhD in university teaching in 2009.
Personal Life
Marie-Louise O'Donnell has one son.
