Jimmy O'Dea

[2] From a young age he was interested in taking to the stage; he co-founded an amateur acting group, the Kilronan Players, in 1917.

[4] After working in plays by Shaw for a few years he rejoined McDonagh in revues, the first of which, Dublin To-Night, was produced at the Queen's Theatre in 1924.

[3] In 1928, this company's first production Here We Are won international acclaim, and in December of the same year it produced its first Christmas Pantomime, Sinbad the Sailor.

Biddy Mulligan was the representation (caricature, parody and stereotype) of a Dublin street-seller, with all the working-class repartee, wisdom and failings implicit.

O'Dea made some film appearances, such as Darby O'Gill and the Little People (1959) in which he played the leprechaun king Brian, and Johnny Nobody (1961) as a postman.

[7][8] He also had a successful career in pantomime and toured Ireland and England many times, and is much associated with actress Maureen Potter (1925–2004), with whom he often partnered.

[citation needed] Jimmy O'Dea died at Dr Steevens' Hospital, Dublin, aged 65, on 7 January 1965.