Wild-Looking But Fine

Biographies of two actresses reclaim the story of women in theatre in 1930s Ireland.

Wild-Looking But Fine explores the lives of Aideen O'Connor and Ria Mooney, two members of the Abbey Theatre Company who performed in Dublin and the United States in the 1920s and 1930s. Despite their radically different backgrounds, ambitions, and creative visions, their paths intertwined during their time as company members. They were driven by a shared devotion to theatre and Ireland's National Theatre in particular. This was a time when Ireland was desperate to control and restrict women—their sexuality, their professional careers, their independent lives.

Ciara O'Dowd recounts the life stories of women who have been absent from the recorded history of Irish theatre. The achievements of these women have been scarcely reported, and aside from Ria Mooney, there are no prior written accounts of their lives. Drawing on extensive archival research, O'Dowd shapes the previously unknown material into narrative, bringing their complex stories to life. Rich and informative, these personal stories illuminate much about the lives of Irish women in the arts during the first half of the twentieth century.