Harry O'Donovan

Harry O'Donovan (c. 1896 – 3 November 1973) was an Irish comedy scriptwriter, stage manager and actor.

In his spare time, he took part in amateur dramatics, finally joining a troupe of actors and touring Ireland for several years.

[2] O'Donovan was well known for his comedic sketches and plays but he was especially recognised for his creation of the iconic character Mrs. Biddy Mulligan that was played by his longtime partner, and co-founder of OD Productions, Jimmy O'Dea in many theatre performances and recorded sketches.

[6] This character is also referenced in songs that were written by O'Donovan like Daffodil Mulligan and The Charladies' Ball but most noticeably in the song Biddy Mulligan the pride of the Coombe that was written by songwriter Seamus Kavanagh who collaborated with O'Donovan to write it.

[8][4] O'Donovan's writing needed the comedic improvisations of O'Dea to bring his scripts to life and because of this duo they produced some of the most popular shows on the Dublin stage in the 1930s and 1940s.