Lady Gregory review: Margolyes and Ruane explore the life of the almost-forgotten heroine
Miriam Margolyes and Senator Lynn Ruane on Lady Gregory: Ireland’s First Social Influencer, on RTÉ One.
English actress Miriam Margolyes — boarding a van in Tallaght — announces “I’m in like Flynn!”. Quick as a flash, Senator Lynn Ruane retorts “and I’ll be in like Lynn”.
We immediately realise what an inspired choice this pair are for presenting a documentary about Lady Augusta Gregory.
Abbey Theatre co-founder Gregory had a vital impact on the arts — and beyond. But public awareness of her has faded. Margolyes and Ruane feel this too, as they set out on a biographical road trip to uncover the stories that made this iconic woman who she was.
She’s “slightly misty to me”, Margolyes confides, while Ruane admits she’s on “a very steep learning curve in… delving into her life”.
But delve they do. And in RTÉ’s two-parter, Lady Gregory: Ireland’s First Social Influencer, Gregory is resurrected in the fullness of her impact on Irish culture and identity.
Without her, the Irish literary revival wouldn’t have happened, states Colin Smythe, documentary contributor and publisher of Gregory’s entire written collection.
A layered documentary, it’s clear Lady G (as Ruane calls her) resonates with each of the women in particular ways. “Somebody who founded a theatre needs to be celebrated,” says Margolyes, describing herself as “an elderly character actress”.
Ruane, a mother-of-two who does a lot of work in the areas of addiction, poverty and social exclusion, observes: “Lady Gregory was from a different background to me but despite being born into a wealthy landed… class, she became an Irish patriot, writer and activist.”
Margolyes’ and Ruane’s exchanges throughout are lively, fun, earthy (verbal skirmishes include what exactly Ruane might rupture, pushing Margolyes’ wheelchair up a steep slope). The duo bring the same entertaining focus to Gregory’s story.
Shown a gold watch gifted to Gregory by American lawyer John Quinn, Ruane asks: “Why was John buying her an expensive watch?” John had an affair with Lady G, it turns out.
“I knew as soon as I saw that fancy watch there was something to be known!” exclaims Ruane.
And when Smythe shows Margolyes Gregory’s desk — bequeathed to him by her grandson — she exclaims: “You lucky bugger.” Then bluntly asks: “Who are you going to leave it to?” Dublin Writers’ Museum, he says. Margolyes approves sharing “something so significant” with the Irish people.
With a mix of curiosity and humour, Margolyes and Ruane succeed in showing us Gregory as “a full human being”. Mischievously Margolyes says: “She had a life below the waist.” The task identified at the outset — to bring Gregory’s name to the fore — is well executed in this first episode.
On the 90th anniversary of her death, the show does a good job convincing us that “Ireland should know about and treasure” Lady Gregory.
- Lady Gregory: Ireland’s First Social Influencer is on RTÉ One on Thursdays, and available on the RTÉ Player
