Miriam Gallagher


Miriam Gallagher was an Irish playwright and author whose works have been performed globally and translated into numerous languages.

Biography

Born Born Miriam O’Connor in Waterford to Michael O’Connor, a bank manager with 5 children including Valerie, Michael and Fidelma. Gallagher went to school in the Convent of the Sacred Heart in Roscrea, Co. Tipperary and in Bregenz, Austria. She went to college in both the University of London and University College Dublin. After college Gallagher worked initially as a speech and language therapist, an occupation which led to the publication of one of her non fiction books. Gallagher also studied drama in London, in LAMDA under Frieda Hodgson.
She was commissioned to write essays for The Irish Times, Irish Medical Times and journals. Gallagher took up writing screenplays and stage plays. The result is a prolific list of productions which have been staged around the world as well as broadcast by RTÉ and the BBC.
Her varied work from play to speech therapy, as well as working with prisoners, and led her to be a visiting lecturer at universities across the globe. Gallagher was deeply involved in the organisations of her craft, leading her to being a member of Irish PEN, both on its committee and as vice president, on the Irish Writers' Union committee as well as a council member of the Society of Irish Playwrights. Over the years she won a number of awards.
Her husband was Gerhardt Gallagher. They lived in Dublin and had children Mia, Donnacha and Etain. In 2012 Gallagher was diagnosed with cancer and kidney disease and she died in 2018.

Awards

Film and screenplays