Irish History Corner

The Irish Immigrant Who Lit Up Hollywood.

In the 1940s, it was an Irish immigrant who lit up Hollywood. Her name was Maureen O’Hara (nee FitzSimons). In 1939, she made her American film debut as the alluring gypsy Esmeralda in The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Two years later, she played the daughter of a Welsh mining family in How Green Was My Valley. The film won five Oscars, including Best Picture.  Among her most notable films were 1947’s Sinbad the Sailor with Douglas Fairbanks Jr., and 1949’s Bagdad with Vincent Price. She also played in the holiday classic Miracle on 34th Street, in which she played a single working mother whose strong beliefs are challenged by a guy named Santa Claus.

Her fiery red hair and green eyes earned her the nickname the “Queen of Technicolor.” This image complemented her performances in adventure movies such as The Flame of Araby and The Redhead from Wyoming. But it was in the 1950’s that her career went into a new phase; it was then that she was cast alongside John Wayne in Rio Grande, The Quiet Man, and The Wings of Eagles. Maureen did not stop there; in the 1960s, she showcased her attractive singing voice in a series of TV appearances, record albums, and a Broadway musical. She also performed in several light roles in such films as The Parent Trap and Our Man In Havana.

But there is much more to the story of Maureen O’Hara. She acted the roles of strong women, but few knew that as her film career faded, she lived the life of a fearless and serious businesswoman. Along with her husband, Charles Blair, she ran a small airline called Antilles Airboat. She ran business operations, finances, and negotiations. She worked long hours, made leadership decisions, and negotiated male-dominated boardrooms. Upon the death of her husband, she took over the entire operation.

Born in a suburb of Dublin, the world-famous actress died in her sleep in her Boise, Idaho, home in 2015; she was 95. She had moved to Boise to be near her grandson Conor FitzSimons and to be a great-grandmother to his two children. Her family released a statement upon her passing, “Her characters were feisty and fearless, just as she was in real life. She was also proudly Irish and spent her entire lifetime sharing her heritage and the wonderful culture of the Emerald Isle with the world.”  Maureen O’Hara, another example of the Irish character and the Irish contribution to the fabric of modern America.  – by Bill Burke. Sources: Biography.com M.O’Hara 5/2021, IrishCentral  P.Counihan -Screen Legend M.O. Finds Happiness in Boise,12/2012, YouTube Golden Rock Stories 2/2012.