She was born in
Kilkenny, Ireland, daughter of Barry Delany, who died when she was three months old. She was educated in
Galway and originally intended to train for the opera, as she had a fine singing voice. However, she was accepted into the
Abbey Theatre School by
Lennox Robinson. She made her debut on the stage in
Edward McNulty's comedy
The Lord Mayor in 1914. She quickly gained a reputation as a noted comic actress and singer. She became identified with Maisie Madigan in
Juno and the Paycock and Bessie Burgess in
The Plough and the Stars (both by
Seán O'Casey), as well as the Widow Quin in
Synge's Playboy of the Western World. She also appeared in a number of plays by Irish playwright
Teresa Deevy which were staged at the
Abbey Theatre,
A Disciple in 1931,
Temporal Powers in 1932,
Katie Roche in 1937, which toured Broadway at the
Ambassador Theatre (Broadway), USA, this play also toured to the
Arts Theatre, Cambridge, England also in 1937,
Temporal Powers in 1937,
In Search of Valour in 1947. She died in her room at a London Hotel on 27 March 1961 and was predeceased by her husband Peter O'Neill, whom she married about 1947; there were no children. ==Filmography==