Teresa Deevy

(1894-1963)

Teresa Deevy was born on January 21, 1894 at “Landscape,” her family’s home in Waterford. She was the youngest of thirteen children. Her father died when she just three. As a result, Tessa, as she was known, formed an unusually strong bond with her mother who sensed a creative spark and fostered the girl’s fledging imagination — encouraging her to make up stories about everyday objects in their home.

Cheerful and inquisitive, Teresa excelled in the classroom and on the playing field. She wrote for the school literary magazine, sang in the choir, earned honors in piano, and never lost a match as a left half-back on the hockey team.

After graduation, Deevy enrolled in the University College, Dublin, where she planned to earn an arts teaching degree. After about a year she began to feel ill; her ears rang and she suffered frequent bouts of vertigo. She was diagnosed with Meniere’s disease, an incurable condition caused by fluid imbalance in the inner ear. Within a few years, Teresa had completely lost her hearing.

Apparently undaunted by herdisability, Deevy moved to London to study lip reading. In London she discovered theatre. She studied the scripts beforehand and sat in the front row night after night, entranced by what she saw. She was particularly impressed by Shaw and Chekhov, and decided to become a playwright.

It was an unusual ambition— and Teresa was far from typical. She had a quiet genius for understanding the intricacies of the human heart. Her plays would show not only a distinct gift for dialogue, but an uncanny appreciation for meaning hidden between the lines. Her nephew Jack spoke feelingly about her striking ability to read people’s thoughts—perhaps compensation for the loss of her hearing.