Sir, - I am researching the life of Mary Connolly, a street singer who, during the first World War, became a well-known figure, particularly in Dublin, Belfast, Cork and Derry. In the 1920s, she had a successful stage career on the UK Moss circuit after being discovered singing on the streets of Dublin by the owner of the Empire Theatre in Dame Street (later the Olympia).
After her spell of fame she disappeared, and there are no records of what became of her.
She was born at Irish Street, Armagh in 1892 of Dublin parents who had migrated north around 1890 before moving on to work in the Lancashire mines. Her mother died when Mary was a small child and she and her brother grew up in Leigh, Lancashire. In their early twenties they returned to Dublin to bury their father at Glasnevin Cemetery.
I would appreciate hearing from anyone (particularly relatives or family descendants) who knows something of her life. I can be contacted at the address below (tel 02837 523891), or by email to: eric.fid@dnet.co.uk. - Yours, etc.,
Eric Villiers, 6 Kilburn Park, Armagh, BT61 9HA.