Lady Gregory

Isabella Augusta, Lady Gregory (1852–1932) was a central figure in the Irish Literary Revival. Born into an Anglo-Irish gentry family, she married Sir William Henry Gregory, a former governor of Ceylon. After his death, she devoted herself to Irish culture, collecting folklore in the west of Ireland and translating epic cycles like Cuchulain of Muirthemne. With W.B. Yeats and J.M. Synge, she co-founded the Abbey Theatre in 1904, serving as its manager and playwright. Her works include comedies such as Spreading the News and The Rising of the Moon, as well as the mystical play The Unicorn from the Stars, co-written with Yeats. Lady Gregory's use of Hiberno-English dialect and her preservation of Gaelic legends shaped modern Irish drama. Her legacy endures as a pioneering force in establishing a national Irish theater.