The Resume

(March 15, 1852-May 22, 1932)
Born in County Galway, Ireland
Birth name was Isabella Augusta Persse
Folklorist, dramatist and theater manager
Published the folklore collections 'Cuchulain of Muirthemne' (1902), 'Gods and Fighting Men' (1904), 'A Book of Saints and Wonders' (1906), 'The Kiltartan History Book' (1909) and 'Visions and Beliefs in the West of Ireland' (1920)
Wrote 19 plays
Founder and director of the Irish Literary Theater (1899-1901) and Abbey Theater (1904-28)

Why she might be annoying:

Her husband, Sir William Gregory, was 35 years older than her.
During a trip with her husband in Egypt, she conducted an affair with a poet.
Her plays became less and less popular, with author Oliver St. John Gogarty claiming that presenting her later plays almost ruined the Abbey.

Why she might not be annoying:

Her only child died in combat in World War I.
She was a patron of William Butler Yeats, providing him with money, a summer home, and assistance with translations.
She frequently had to smooth over disputes among the Abbey's playwrights.
She adopted from Aristotle the motto, 'To think like a wise man, but to express oneself like the common people.'
George Bernard Shaw called her 'the greatest living Irish woman.'

Credit: C. Fishel

Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

• C. Fishel's Profiles [Series 55]
• I Died in 1932 (Ranked: 80)
• I Have Breast Cancer
• I Outlived My Child
• Known By a Middle Name
• My Spouse is at Least Ten Years Older than Me
• Playwrights
• Profiles 35751-36000 (Ranked: 35958)

Year In Review:

For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
In 2023, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
In 2022, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
In 2021, Out of 10 Votes: 90.0% Annoying
In 2020, Out of 4 Votes: 75.00% Annoying
In 2019, Out of 2 Votes: 100% Annoying
In 2017, Out of 4 Votes: 75.00% Annoying
In 2016, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
In 2015, Out of 6 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
In 2014, Out of 12 Votes: 58.33% Annoying