Madam, - I am currently working on a book on the history of dance and physical theatre in Ireland, and to my amazement could not find even one photograph of the Abbey School of Ballet (19271933), founded by Ninette de Valois, in either the Abbey Theatre Archives or the National Photographic Archive.
I am now hoping to find images of this important and shamefully neglected part of our theatre heritage in private collections. Might the families of Abbey School of Ballet dancers such as Doreen Cuthbert, Cepta Cullen, Jill Gregory, Muriel Kelly, Nesta Brooking, Thelma Murphy, Tony Repetto-Butler, Arthur Hamington, or Eileen Kane have some images of this little-known school in their family albums? Or, for that matter, anyone who was a former pupil of the school, or one of its collaborators? Or press photographers from the 1920s and 1930s who may have done publicity shots for their shows?
I would be very grateful if anyone who has images of the Abbey School of Ballet would contact me at 01-6449596, or e-mail deir@indigo.ie and thus help reclaim and celebrate this important early wave in Irish theatre.
Don't get me started on what this neglect says about the Irish attitude to the body - I'll elaborate on that in the book. - Yours, etc.,
Dr DEIRDRE MULROONEY,
Grand Canal Street Lower,
Dublin 2.