Mary McEvoy

Mary McEvoy (born October 27, 1954) is an Irish actress. She is recognised by television viewers for having played the role of Biddy Byrne in Glenroe from 1983 to 2000. After that she has been in numerous plays, including Big Maggie, Sive, The Field, The Chastitute, The Vagina Monologues, Shirley Valentine, The Matchmaker, The Year of the Hiker, Dancing at Lughnasa, Whippy, The Life and Times of Selma Mae, Moonlight and Music and Jo Bangles. She is also noted for her washing powder advertisements on television.

Early life An only child, Mary's father Larry was a sheep and cattle farmer, while her mother Catherine was the local district nurse. The family was well off enough to have a TV, and McEvoy remembers being mesmerised by the leading ladies of the 1940s' films. After this Mary told the producers she wanted to leave the soap and her character Biddy was killed off in a car crash in May 2000, leaving fans of the show shocked. A few weeks later her co-star Joe Lynch announced he was also leaving the show. Glenroe was axed a year later in 2001.

McEvoy has appeared in the following films: How to Cheat in the Leaving Certificate, Moll Flanders and The Pear Bottle.

After leaving Glenroe, McEvoy has featured in the plays Big Maggie, Sive, The Field, The Chastitute, The Vagina Monologues, Shirley Valentine, The Matchmaker, The Year of the Hiker, Dancing at Lughnasa, Whippy, The Life and Times of Selma Mae, Moonlight and Music and Jo Bangles.

In 2010, McEvoy became a regular guest panelist on the TV3 show Midday and also was a guest on The Late Late Show in April 2011. In April 2011, McEvoy released her autobiography How The Light Gets In.

Personal life In 2009, on the documentary Would You Believe, McEvoy revealed that she suffered many years from depression, and that she is a Buddhist. McEvoy has been in a relationship with musician Garvan Gallagher for 23 years.