Notice: There are currently gaps in the database affecting plays from mid 2023, 2024 and mid 2025 due to a technical issue. We are working to resolve this as quickly as possible and appreciate your patience in the meantime.

Home | About | Contact Us

The Arts Council Playography Na Gaeilge

People

Kate O'Brien

1897 - 1974

Kate O'Brien is best known for her popular novels The Ante Room, Mary Lavelle, The Land of Spices and That Lady. She was educated at Laurel Hill convent in Limerick and at University College Dublin. After graduation she went to work at the Manchester Guardian. Her first major success as an author came with the play Distinguished Villa in 1926, after which she she took to writing full time. She contributed regularly to The Irish Times, The Spectator and to BBC radio. She adapted several of her novels for the stage in London and on Broadway.

Playwriting Credits

Play Title Playwright
Distinguished Villa Kate O'Brien
The Last of Summer Kate O'Brien

Adaptations

Play Title Playwright
That Lady Kate O'Brien Kate O'Brien
The Ante Room Kate O'Brien Kate O'Brien