Genealogy research by Mark Humphrys.
Genealogy research by Mark Humphrys.
Joseph O'Mara, the opera singer (see here),
He was
educ
Crescent College,
Limerick, left 1880.
At about age 18 (i.e. 1882), largely through influence of schoolfriends,
he thought he had a fancy for the sea.
His father said:
"Go ahead my boy; the sooner you go, the sooner you come back."
He
went to sea for 12 months.
He returned
"having seen as much as I wanted to in that time."
[Crescent College profile].
He
sang
in St.Michael's Church
choir, Denmark St, Limerick (near his home).
|
Opera career begins:
Joseph went to Italy to study opera. He studied opera in Milan under Signor Moretti, 1889-91.
"Ivanhoe", 1891-92:
For 3 years he was chief tenor at
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, near Covent Garden.
|
He
mar 24 June 1896
to Bride Power
[Bridget, born 1873].
She was
only dau of Michael Power, "manager of bacon factory", of Waterford.
She was living Waterford at mar.
They mar at
Rathmines RC church, Co.Dublin
[GROI].
|
He
sang for Carl Rosa Opera Company.
He is not listed at his father's funeral in 1899. He was probably abroad. A recording of him survives from 1901. He performed Maritana with the Moody-Manners Company in London, 1902. Leading tenor with them. He starred as Don Jose (the hero and the leading Tenor role) when in 1903 the Moody-Manners Company performed "Carmen" at the Queen's Theatre, Holbeck, Leeds. He starred as Romeo (the hero and the leading Tenor role) in Charles Gounod's "Romeo et Juliette". He starred as Lieutenant Pinkerton (the villain and the leading Tenor role) in Puccini's "Madame Butterfly", 1904 or later. He starred as Tannhauser (the leading role, and leading Tenor role) in Wagner's "Tannhauser". Other operas he sang in included "Faust" and "The Jewess" and "Aida" and "Tosca". |
Letter of July 1908
from Patricia O'Mara
on holiday in Kilkee, Co.Clare,
says: "Eileen, Nora, Aunt Bride, Uncle Joe and the others are staying at Cliff Cottage."
Joseph was
granted Freedom of Limerick on 1 Oct 1908.
See certificate
from Limerick Museum.
Think this was the time when he sang from the balcony of
his brother Stephen's house
Hartstonge House
to a huge crowd gathered on the street.
[1967 article]
quotes Michael Rynne (then a child),
who recalls how "Catherine Street - lit up from end to end by tar-barrels and torches
- was packed by hundreds of people who listened in dead silence
to that truly magnificent voice which required no microphone
to carry it down towards William Street."
He used to visit his niece Mrs. O'Sullivan in Killarney, and
a crowd would gather outside and he would sing.
His brother Stephen left Hartstonge House c.1909, definitely gone by 1910.
Plaque on Hartstonge House
says Joseph lived at Hartstonge House at one time, but this may be wrong.
Cannot find the family in Ireland in 1911 census.
|
O'Mara Opera Company, 1912:
He toured the US. On his return he founded O'Mara's Travelling Opera Company (or the O'Mara Opera Company Ltd) 1912. He was Managing Director and leading singer. See poster advertising The O'Mara Grand Opera in May 1913. From here. Original from NLI. He gave a free concert in Limerick 1916. See Drama and Variety in [McMahon and Flynn, 1996]. See O'Mara Opera Company programme, Theatre Royal, Limerick, 28 Jan 1918. Joseph himself is performing as the lead tenor, Rudolph, in "La Boheme" by Puccini. His company performed "La Boheme" and "Madame Butterfly" at the Theatre Royal, Leeds, 1918. Lived 43 Raglan Rd, Pembroke, Dublin. Listed there in [Thom's, 1919, p.1851]. Was not there in [Thom's, 1914, p.1829]. Living 43 Raglan Rd at dau Eileen's mar 1919. His company performed Verdi's "Rigoletto" at the Theatre Royal, Leeds, 1921. See poster formerly here. He sang in Australia. He sponsored an annual "O'Mara Cup" at the Feis Ceoil. Biography in [Thom's Irish Who's Who, 1923] lists him as living 6 Adelphi Terrace, London, W.C. (right in the heart, see map). He was living "Glenmore", 14 Ailesbury Park, off Merrion Rd, Dublin, at dau's death 1925 and registration of death in 1926. He sang on the first day Irish radio started, 1 Jan 1926. He sang "The Bard of Armagh". His brother Stephen (who died later that year) ordered the finest new radio from America so that a gathering of relatives and friends in Limerick could hear him. He retired Mar 1926 [obituary]. He played "Lohengrin" again for his farewell performance when he retired. His last public appearance was at concerts to celebrate 700 years of Dominicans in Limerick, Mar 1927 [Riordan, 1992]. |
Joseph dies, 1927:
He died 5 Aug 1927, at his house, "Glenmore", 14 Ailesbury Park, Dublin,
age 63 yrs
[GROI].
Oddly, he is simply listed as "Company Manager" on death cert.
See
death notice,
Irish Times,
Saturday, August 6, 1927.
See obituary
in
Irish Times,
Saturday, August 6, 1927.
Limerick city flag flew at half mast at the
town hall.
See item
(and header)
in
Irish Times,
Monday, August 8, 1927.
Funeral Mon 8 Aug 1927.
He was
bur Glasnevin Cemetery.
Private funeral.
Messages of sympathy received from
President W.T. Cosgrave
and
Bryan Cooper TD.
See funeral report
in
Irish Times,
Tuesday, August 9, 1927.
See obituary
in
Irish Times,
Saturday, August 13, 1927,
p.4
and
p.3.
Bride dies, 1935:
Bride is listed with address 18 Ailesbury Rd,
Dublin, in her grave record.
She died 11 Sept 1935,
"Verdella", Church Rd, Greystones, Co.Wicklow, age 62 yrs
[GROI].
See
death notice
in
Irish Independent,
September 13, 1935.
Funeral 13 Sept,
bur Glasnevin Cemetery.
See
funeral report
(and header)
in
Irish Independent,
Saturday, September 14, 1935.
Joseph and Bride
had issue:
Left to Right:
Michael Judge,
Nora O'Mara,
Kate O'Mara,
unknown,
Eileen O'Mara (born 1897),
Dick Ray.
Kilkee, 1914.
See larger
and full size.
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