Daisy Bannard Cogley
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Daisy "Toto" Bannard Cogley (born Jeanne Marie Desirée Bannard; 5 May 1884 – 8 September 1965) was a French-born Irish theatre actress, director, producer and designer. A socialist, she was active in the
Irish War of Independence The Irish War of Independence (), also known as the Anglo-Irish War, was a guerrilla war fought in Ireland from 1919 to 1921 between the Irish Republican Army (1919–1922), Irish Republican Army (IRA, the army of the Irish Republic) and Unite ...
from 1917, and was interned during the
Irish Civil War The Irish Civil War (; 28 June 1922 – 24 May 1923) was a conflict that followed the Irish War of Independence and accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State, an entity independent from the United Kingdom but within the British Emp ...
. She was an active figure on Dublin's theatrical scene for decades, as well as in Wexford and for a time London, launching multiple theatre and cabaret studios, and she was a co-founder of one of Dublin's main theatres, the
Gate A gate or gateway is a point of entry to or from a space enclosed by walls. The word is derived from Proto-Germanic language, Proto-Germanic ''*gatan'', meaning an opening or passageway. Synonyms include yett (which comes from the same root w ...
, of which she remained a director from 1928 to her death.


Life


Early life

Daisy Bannard Cogley was born Jeanne Marie (rendered in English as Johanna Mary) Desirée Bannard in
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
, France, on 5 May 1884. Her father, Thomas Bannard, was French and worked as a coachman. Her mother, Mary Furlong, was from
County Wexford County Wexford () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. Named after the town of Wexford, it was ba ...
. Bannard studied at the Sorbonne, studying acting and vocals at the
Comédie-Française The Comédie-Française () or Théâtre-Français () is one of the few state theatres in France. Founded in 1680, it is the oldest active theatre company in the world. Established as a French state-controlled entity in 1995, it is the only state ...
in Paris, and also at the
Conservatoire de Paris The Conservatoire de Paris (), or the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (; CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue Jean Ja ...
in the very early 20th century. She then secured a job with the Theatre Antoine, and toured in provincial France. Some sources state that she was performing in Chile when she met Irish journalist Fred J. Cogley in
Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Regi ...
while other sources state that she met Fred while on holiday in his native Wexford, and her mother's disapproval of their relationship led to them organising a reunion in Santiago. They married there in 1909 and their first child, called in English Mitchel, was born there in 1910. Bannard Cogley worked to establish the Wexford Opera Society 3–4 years before World War I, and the family moved to
Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
in 1914 or at least by 1917. Bannard Cogley variously referred to herself as Nóinín (Irish for Daisy) as well as the stage name Helen Carter when she acted in Edward Martyn's Irish Theatre Company on Hardwicke Street.


Early theatrical career and political activity

On arrival in Ireland, Toto or Madame Bannard, as she was generally known, pursued theatrical work, and Fred secured a job at the ''Independent'' newspaper, while some sources state that the Cogleys became involved in the campaign for Irish independence immediately. Bannard Cogley took part in a 1914 tableau by the
Irish Women's Franchise League The Irish Women's Franchise League was an organisation for women's suffrage which was set up in Dublin in November 1908. Its founder members included Hanna Sheehy-Skeffington, Margaret Cousins, Francis Sheehy-Skeffington and James H. Cousins. Tho ...
entitled the ''Daffodil Fete'', that was staged at Molesworth Hall in Dublin on 25 April, and in which she played the part of
Sappho Sappho (; ''Sapphṓ'' ; Aeolic Greek ''Psápphō''; ) was an Ancient Greek poet from Eresos or Mytilene on the island of Lesbos. Sappho is known for her lyric poetry, written to be sung while accompanied by music. In ancient times, Sapph ...
. She worked with the Dublin Drama League, and the Hardwicke Street Theatre Company, with whom she performed as Madame Ranevesky to good reviews, in the first Irish staging of Chekov's ''
The Cherry Orchard ''The Cherry Orchard'' () is the last play by Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. Written in 1903, it was first published by '' Znaniye'' (Book Two, 1904), and came out as a separate edition later that year in Saint Petersburg, via A.F. Marks Pu ...
'' as directed by John MacDonagh in 1919. During this period she acted in at least three Irish productions, with Joseph Holloway describing her as an actor "with temperament and abandon, not afraid to let herself go". One source states that both of the Cogleys were at one point imprisoned simultaneously by the British authorities, with Bannard Cogley arranging plays even in jail, and sworn witnessed records mention involvement with Republican activities from 1917 onwards, storing arms and ammunition, passing messages and providing shelter to colleagues on the run. In later periods of the War of Independence, and into the Civil War period, Bannard Cogley was involved in the production of a Republican bulletin. Bannard Cogley played with the Queen's Theatre in Dublin, and the Wexford Opera Society. She also founded the Little Theatre on Harcourt Street in Dublin in the later 1910s. This theatre hosted performances from a number of Irish playwrights and sets designed by artists including Art O'Murnaghan. She directed a production of
Dorothy Macardle Dorothy Macardle (7 March 1889 in Dundalk – 23 December 1958 in Drogheda)Luke Gibbons, ''The Irish Times'', Weekend Review, "A Cosmopolitan Reclaimed: A Review of ''Dorothy Macardle: A Life''", by Nadia Clare Smith, 10 November 2007, p.13 was ...
's ''Asthara'' in 1918, the first professional production of a play by Macardle. Both Bannard Cogley and her husband were against the Irish Treaty and were interned at the same time during the
Irish Civil War The Irish Civil War (; 28 June 1922 – 24 May 1923) was a conflict that followed the Irish War of Independence and accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State, an entity independent from the United Kingdom but within the British Emp ...
in Mountjoy and
Kilmainham Kilmainham (, meaning " St Maighneann's church") is a south inner suburb of Dublin, Ireland, south of the River Liffey and west of the city centre. It is in the city's Dublin 8 postal district. History Origins Kilmainham's foundation dates ...
. Detained at the Sinn Fein offices on Suffolk Street in November 1922, Bannard Cogley's worries for her children while she was held were recorded by Rosamund Jacob. She was released in the early summer of 1923 upon agreeing to conditions which included curtailing her political activities. In 1923, Cogley attended the international Red Cross Conference in Geneva as one of two members of the Irish Republican delegation, attempting to raise the treatment of Republican prisoners. With an objection by a UK delegate, stating that the Irish Red Cross had enough powers to deal with the question locally, the question was not taken up. Bannard Cogley also performed in benefits to raise funds for St. Ultan's Children's Hospital and the Irish Republican Prisoners' Defense Funds. Despite her release agreement of 1923, she was present to greet
Eamon de Valera Eamonn or Éamon or Eamon may refer to: *Eamonn (given name), an Irish male given name *Eamon (singer) (born 1983), American R&B singer-songwriter and harmonicist * ''Eamon'' (video game), a 1980 computer role-playing game for the Apple II *"Éamon ...
in a private home when he was released in July 1924.


The Radical Club and Harry Kernoff

Bannard Cogley was associated with the short-lived
Radical Club The Radical Club was formed in Dublin, Ireland in the 1925 by Liam O'Flaherty. The group held meetings and exhibitions, and ceased activity by 1930. History The Radical Club was founded by Liam O'Flaherty with a circle of artistic and literary fi ...
, becoming close friends with artist
Harry Kernoff Harry Aaron Kernoff (9 January 1900 – 25 December 1974) was an Irish genre-painter. He depicted Dublin street and pub scenes and Dublin landmarks, as well as producing landscapes, woodcut illustrations, portraits, and set designs. Early ...
. Kernoff introduced her to wider communist and socialist circles in Ireland, and produced several portraits of her including a study in 1930. Bannard Cogley began her cabaret evenings as part of the Cabaret Committee of the Radical Club. Between 1928 and 1929, Bannard Cogley was involved as stage manager and in costuming for a number of productions in the
Peacock Theatre The Peacock Theatre (previously the Royalty Theatre) is a West End theatre in the City of Westminster, located in Portugal Street, near Aldwych. The 999-seat house is owned by, and comprises part of the London School of Economics and Political ...
.


Cabaret

Bannard Cogley's cabarets were initially exclusively part of the events of the Radical Club but later, after some members became disgruntled that the cabaret was dominating the Club's meetings and events, Bannard Cogley started to hold her cabarets independently. They were held throughout the late 1920s and early 1930s in the basement of 41
Harcourt Street Harcourt Street (Irish: Sráid Fhearchair) is a street located in Dublin City, Ireland. Location It is a little over in length with its northerly start at the south-east corner of St Stephen's Green and terminates in the south at the poi ...
and continued to thrive after the Radical Club became defunct. As a private members' club, performances were not subject to the same level of censorship or scrutiny as public performances would have been. As the success of the cabarets continued, the venue was moved to 7 South William Street. Elaine Sisson stresses that Bannard Cogley's cabaret would not have been comparable to the more hedonistic scene found in the
Kit-Kat Club The Kit-Cat Club (sometimes Kit Kat Club) was an early 18th-century English club in London with strong political and literary associations. Members of the club were committed Whigs. They met at the Trumpet Tavern in London and at Water Oakley in ...
or the Tingel Tangel, but that for the cultural landscape of the post-Civil War Irish Free State, it was a more permissive and experimental expressive performance space. Among others who frequently attended her cabaret club were
Blanaid Salkeld Blánaid Salkeld (born Florence Ffrench Mullen; 1880 – 1959) was an Irish poet, dramatist, actor, and publisher, whose well-known literary salon was attended by, among others, Patrick Kavanagh and Flann O'Brien. Early life and family Salkel ...
, Con Leventhal and
Samuel Beckett Samuel Barclay Beckett (; 13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989) was an Irish writer of novels, plays, short stories, and poems. Writing in both English and French, his literary and theatrical work features bleak, impersonal, and Tragicomedy, tra ...
. She was a prominent member of the Dublin Theatre Group.


The Gate

Bannard Cogley was one of the four founders of the Gate Theatre Studio, later simply the Gate Theatre, alongside
Hilton Edwards Hilton Edwards (2 February 1903 – 18 November 1982) was an English-born Irish actor, lighting designer, and theatrical producer. He co-founded the Gate Theatre in Dublin with his partner Micheál Mac Liammóir and two others, and has been re ...
, Michéal Mac Liammóir, and in 1928. She and Ó Lochlainn had been discussing finding a more permanent theatre space when they met Edwards and Mac Liammóir (a long-term friend of hers), along with some mutual friends, in Bannard Cogley's club at 7 Harcourt Street, in spring 1928. After further meetings, the quartet rented the Peacock stage of the Abbey Theatre and launched the Gate Theatre Studio there on 14 October 1928. Bannard Cogley's cabaret brought the Gate its initial membership list of 400 people. She also acted in the inaugural show of the Gate, ''Peer Gynt'' by Ibsen, in October 1928, and many other early plays of the new theatre, as well as participating in costume making. Her Harcourt Street club also hosted most early Gate rehearsals, including that of ''Faust'' when the theatre moved to its long-term home on Cavendish Row. Bannard Cogley also mounted productions at her Studio Theatre Club, on Upper Mount Street, such as Teresa Deevy's ''Wife to James Whelan'' in 1956. Notably, this theatre was also referred to as Madame Cogley's Studio Theatre and occasionally operated from the Gate Theatre throughout the 1940s. She was less active in the operations of the Gate in later years, though she remained one of three directors-for-life of the theatre's holding company, joined later by the main source of finance for the theatre over many decades, Lord Longford, and Louis Jamet. She was involved in a critical meeting in 1961, when the theatre was in severe financial danger - the meeting resolved long-standing splits within the Gate's structures, committed to future operations, and co-opted
Desmond Guinness Desmond Walter Guinness (8 September 1931 – 20 August 2020) was an Anglo-Irish author of Georgian art and architecture, a conservationist and the co-founder of the Irish Georgian Society. He was the second son of the author and brewer Brya ...
as a new director.


London

Bannard Cogley's cabaret closed after she moved to London in the 1930s, frustrated with the increasingly conservative culture under de Valera, opening the Green Curtain Theatre Club there. The Green Curtain, a small scale theatre in Hampstead which ran a Sunday play weekly, and where she worked with George Roberts on many productions, put on many Irish plays. She returned to Dublin in the early 1940s due to
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, moving back permanently after her husband's death in 1949. She opened a new cabaret theatre in Harcourt Street. She then opened the Studio Theatre, dedicated to the production of "unusual plays", in a basement at 43 Upper Mount Street, and ran it until failing eyesight curtailed her activities. Collaborators there included
Anna Manahan Anna Maria Manahan (18 October 1924 – 8 March 2009) was an Irish stage, film and television actress. Manahan received two Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play nominations for her performances in the 1968 production of '' Lovers'' a ...
,
Louis Lentin Louis Lentin (11 December 1933 – 22 July 2014) was a theatre, film and television director. He was born in Limerick, Ireland, in 1933 and worked for over forty years in the arts in Ireland. He graduated from Trinity College, Dublin, in 1956 w ...
and Genevieve Lyons.


Family and later life

Bannard Cogley had two sons with her husband, Mitchel Victor (1910–1991) and Fergus Thomas. Mitchel was a sports journalist, while Fergus was an actor and participated in some of his mother's theatrical activities, including helping open the post-World War II Studio Theatre Club and acting in a play about a war between Ireland and a Northern Ireland from which the UK had withdrawn. Bannard Cogley died at Mercer's Hospital, Dublin, 8 September 1965. In her obituary in the ''
Irish Press ''The Irish Press'' ( Irish: ''Scéala Éireann'') was an Irish national daily newspaper published by Irish Press plc between 5 September 1931 and 25 May 1995. History Foundation The paper's first issue was published on the eve of the 1931 ...
'' and in some other references, her name was rendered as Johanna Mary Cogley. Her grandson was RTÉ broadcaster, Fred Cogley, Mitchel's son, and his son in turn was also a reporter, Niall. Although she had stated in 1955 that she was writing "my reminiscences of Ireland and the Irish theatre and all my friends", unlike many of her contemporaries Bannard Cogley did not actually publish a memoir or a collection of personal papers.


References


External links


Pathé footage of "Midsummer Dance Festival of the pre-Christian Era by Madame Bannard Cogley and her friends" (1926)

Recording of Cogley speaking about the foundation of the Gate Theatre on the RTÉ Archives in 1958
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cogley, Daisy Bannard 1884 births 1965 deaths French emigrants Immigrants to Ireland Theatre people from Dublin (city) French scenic designers French theatre directors French women theatre directors