Rosaleen McDonagh is an Irish activist, playwright, author, and

Traveller Traveler(s), traveller(s), The Traveler, or The Traveller may refer to: People *Anyone engaged in travel Groups * Romani people, or Roma, or Gypsies, and their subgroups in various countries * Indigenous Norwegian Travellers * Irish Travellers ...

Early life

McDonagh was born in

Sligo Sligo ( ; , meaning 'abounding in shells') is a coastal seaport and the county town of County Sligo, Ireland, within the western province of Connacht. With a population of 20,608 in 2022, it is the county's largest urban centre (constituting 2 ...

and is the fourth of twenty children. She was born with cerebral palsy. She spent ten years working in the Pavee Point Traveller and Roma Centre in the Violence against women programme. McDonagh got a BA in Biblical and Theological Studies. She then went on to complete an MPhil in Ethnic and Racial Studies, and an MPhil in Creative Writing, all from

Trinity College Dublin Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, and legally incorporated as Trinity College, the University of Dublin (TCD), is the sole constituent college of the Unive ...

. In December 2019 she was awarded a PhD from

Northumbria University Northumbria University (legally the University of Northumbria at Newcastle) is a Public research university, public research university located in Newcastle upon Tyne, North East England, North East of England. It has been a university since 199 ...

Career

McDonagh has been an activist for the

Irish Travellers Irish Travellers (, meaning ''the walking people''), also known as Mincéirs ( Shelta: ''Mincéirí'') or Pavees, are a traditionally peripatetic indigenous ethno-cultural group originating in Ireland.''Questioning Gypsy identity: ethnic na ...

community. She writes for

The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It was launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is Ireland's leading n ...

as well as having written a number of plays focusing typically on the feminist Traveller perspective. One of her plays, ''Rings'', was performed at VAS in Washington in June 2010. Another was shortlisted for the PJ O’ Connor radio play Awards in 2010.

Colum McCann Colum McCann (born February 28, 1965) is an Irish writer of literary fiction. He was born in Dublin, Ireland, and currently resides in New York. He is known as an international writer who believes in the "democracy of storytelling." He has won ...

chose her to adapt his novel ''Zoli'' for stage. McDonagh has had work commissioned by RTE. McDonagh has worked with theatre groups like Fishamble and Graeae Theatre. She had a play directed by the

Olivier award The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply The Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognize excellence in professional theatre in London. The awards were originally known as the Society of West End Theatre Aw ...

winner, Jim Culleton. She is a member of

Aosdána Aosdána ( , ; from , 'people of the arts') is an Irish association or academy of artists, each of whom must have produced a distinguished body of work of genuine originality. It was created in 1981 by the country's Arts Council on the initiati ...

, the first from the Traveller community. McDonagh was also the first Traveller to run for election to the Seanad standing in 2002 and 2007, although she was not successful. She has addressed a Dáil committee on assisted dying.

References and sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:McDonagh, Rosaleen Writers from County Sligo Irish women writers Irish Traveller women Irish activists with disabilities Alumni of Trinity College Dublin Living people Year of birth missing (living people) People with cerebral palsy