Dinner With A Hollywood Legend

Yes, I'm serious.

I know it's been a couple of weeks - I've kinda been here there and everywhere and am finally back at home in Dublin, for another week or two, at least, and then I'm off to London to see my little brother and his lovely lady - woohoo!

Anyways, it's been a beck of a couple of weeks in Ireland!  Have you guys and gals acros the ocean seen our little country on your news broadcasts much this month?  We've been pretty popular these days - Queen Elizabeth II and Barack Obama within a couple of days of each other - and I promise to talk about those in another blog post this week.

But  as exciting as all of that was, I have much more exciting news to report:  last Friday, I had dinner with a real-life, true-blue, drop-dead-gorgeous Hollywood - and Irish - movie star.  Who, you ask?  Who else?

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Ms. Maureen O'Hara (cue me jumping up and down, clapping my hands with excitement!).  Can you believe that?!  I still can't!  I'm sure you've seen some of her film, especially this one along side the Duke:

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Or in this, with John Payne and a very young Natalie Wood:

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And maybe you watched her in this when you were a child:

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She really is amazing.  She is still absolutely beautiful and incredibly elegant at 90 years old.  Here's a more recent photo:

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She's sharp as a tack, full of fun and full of life.  She's a definite firecracker - but I expected that, her being a red-headed, fighting Irish lady and all.   I also knew because about four year ago, I read her autobiography:

What you may not know about me is that I am totally and completely obsessed, enamoured, infatuated and obsessed (believe me, it deserves 2 mentions) with Hollywood's "Golden Age".  I'd give my right arm to go back in time to Hollywood in it's hay-day.  Make that both arms... Most of the time I prefer to watch a classic film over a new one - and musicals?  I mean do you really have to ask?  It's all my Uncle Gerald's fault - he started me on classic cinema when I was about 3 years old and I was hooked from the start. Since I was a teenager, I've collected and read the autobiographies of some of the major - and not so major - stars of that era, and I've got quite the little collection going.  I have to say, though, in all honesty that Maureen O'Hara's is one of the best I've read - it' funny, engaging, hard to put down.  She makes you feel like she's talking right to you, and believe me, that's not always the case.  It's a really great read and I'd recommend it if you want a little insight into that time period and some really good stories, to boot (it's on amazon, in case you're wondering).

So anyways.  How did I get to have dinner with the Lady herself?  I wish I could say that when she heard I wanted to meet her she immediately accepted, but no!  A family connection was the key, and one I'm most grateful for.  There were only nine of us at the table - myself, my mother, my brother and uncle, Maureen's daughter, nephew and her right-hand-woman and her husband (two of the nicest people I've ever met).  It was lovely - intimate and we were all able to talk together and ask her all kinds of questions.  In case you were wondering:  The Quiet Man is her personal favorite, John Wayne (or "Duke", as she still calls him) was her favorite leading man and one of her best friends until he passed away, she's a huge supporter of the Shamrock Rovers, and she got her start in the Abbey Theatre in Dublin!  She was also born in Ranelagh - the first place in Dublin that we lived when we moved back here.

All in all it was a completely surreal, spectacular evening that ended, of course, too soon.  We were all dressed up and excited to get a photo with her, but unfortunately (ok, heartbreakingly) she had an extremely sore eye and flash photography was a no-no.  :(  Note to self:  photos before dinner!  I was so bummed, but who knows, maybe there'll be a next time someday.  I was really naughty, however, and managed to snap this sneaky photo of her when she was leaving - I couldn't help myself, how could I have spent the evening with a living legend and not have any photographic proof of it!

I apologize, it's not a great photo and I feel like a total stalker posting it, but I thought you'd like at least a glimpse! But believe me, she is just fabulous!!
In case any of you are going to Co. Cork in 2013, she's unveiling the Maureen O'Hara Legacy Center which will celebrate her life and work (housing some of her memorabilia from through the years -costumes included! - and some of other stars, too), and will also have a film school - how cool is that?  I'll definitely be stopping for a visit when it's open, can't wait to see her collection of memorabilia.

SO, if you haven't seen her films in a while, hop to it!!  She gives it as good as she gets it in her films, and that's true for her in life, too.  And what a beauty - those eyes and that hair!  This Irish girl is green with envy.  ;)