Born in South Dublin, Ireland, the youngest daughter of Jack Reeves and his wife, Kay.
[1] She was educated at St Louis High School, Rathmines and trained at night as an actor for four years at the Brendan Smith Academy in Dublin.
She considered Gaiety regular Maureen Potter an early influence in teaching her to connect with audiences.
[3][4][5] Her Minneapolis appearance was her final stage performance, directed by Dowling in his farewell production in charge of the Guthrie theatre in mid-2015.
She had, said Dowling, grown even greater in the role, bringing an added elegance and finesse to the spirited mouthpiece of the Dublin tenements during the nationalist schisms of 1922.