Eilis Dillon
1920 - 1994
Eilis Dillon was born in Galway in 1920. Her mother's brother was Joseph Mary Plunkett, one of the seven signatories of the Declaration of the Republic, executed in 1916. An internationally renowned writer, she published nine novels and a large number of children's books. Her only stage play, A Page of History, was produced by the Abbey Theatre in 1966. The Cats' Opera is adapted from the book of the same name published in 1961. Dillon served on the Arts Council and was a member of Aosdána. She died in 1994.