Fionnula Flanagan was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland. From an early age she grew up speaking both English and Irish on a daily basis. Her parents weren't native Irish speakers but wanted Fionnula and her four siblings to learn the language. Her mother used to say, "A nation without a language is a nation without a soul". Fionnula has said she will be forever grateful to them for that. She was educated at the Abbey Theatre School in Dublin and in Switzerland. She moved to Los Angeles in 1968 and lives with her husband, psychiatrist Dr. Garrett O'Connor, in Beverly Hills. Of her enormous body of work, including stage, television and film, she might be most well-known for _James Joyce's Women 's life. Besides giving an award-winning performance, she also wrote, adapted and produced the piece for the stage, and subsequently as a feature film. She believes Joyce is the most important writer in the English language, most notably for "Ulysses", "Finnegan's Wake" and "The Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man". When she was growing up she thought the much lauded author was a good friend of her parents, because they were always saying, "Joyce said this, Joyce said that". When she was finally old enough to read Joyce for herself, the characters were like old friends.
Nominated for Broadways 1974 Tony Award as Best Supporting or Featured Actress for "Ulysses in Nighttown".
After moving to the United States to work in theater in the 1960s, she met and married Dr. Garrett OConnor, the cousin of actor Carroll OConnor.
Daughter of a veteran Irish nationalist who also fought in the Spanish Civil War.
She has recorded all three of Maeve Binchys three novels, Circle of Friends, The Copper Beech and The Glass Lake as well as two collections of short stories for Bantam Doubleday Books-on-Tape.
Maintains homes in both Southern California and Dublin.
Studied languages in Switzerland at the Universite de Fribourg and worked as an interpreter and translator in Italy.
Was educated at Scoil Mhuire Marlborough Street, at Sandymount High School and at Scoil Caitriona, Dominican College.
Eldest of five children.
In her youth, she was a favorite to play James Joyce s controversial Molly Bloom, a character that created quite a sexual stir on stage in New York.
Is an accomplished violinist, a talent she used in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Inheritance", in which her character plays violin with Data, her android "son".
Although she played Gregory Itzin s mother in "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" , she is only six years his senior in real life.
When I first came to Hollywood, I could not break into movies.
People think we are such great talkers, but there is so much silence in,Ireland about certain issues.
I think Irish women are strong as horses, incredibly loyal and for the,most part, funny, witty, bright and optimistic in the face of,devastating reality.
The image of Ireland is projected as a male image in the acting world,similar to the way that the word of Ireland is male dominated.
I think Irish women are strong as horses, incredibly loyal and for the most part, funny, witty, bright and optimistic in the face of devastating reality. .
