Shelbourne Hotel to honour legacy of Mayo diva Margaret Burke Sheridan

THE legacy of Castlebar-born diva Margaret Burke Sheridan will be celebrated at a special operatic concert at The Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin on November 26.

Known as ‘Puccini’s favourite butterfly’ in the 1920s, Margaret Burke Sheridan enthralled opera audiences throughout Italy during the course of her remarkable career.

On her return to Dublin following her retirement from the opera stage in the 1940s, the Shelbourne Hotel became her second ‘stage’.

In this the centenary month of Puccini’s death, to commemorate the famous composer’s special association with Ireland’s Prima Donna, the Shelbourne Hotel, which is also celebrating its 200th anniversary this year, is sponsoring this concert in her memory.

Featuring sopranos Sandra Oman and Deirdre Higgins, tenor Paul Kelly, accompanist Siobhan Kilkelly, and narrated by Margaret Burke Sheridan’s biographer, Anne Chambers, it promises to be a very special event.

An exhibition of Margaret Burke Sheridan’s operatic memorabilia will also be on display, and all proceeds will be donated to Arc Cancer Support.

The event will pay tribute to her remarkable career and her unique connection to both Puccini and The Shelbourne itself.

Known as ‘The Enchantress’, Sheridan’s theatrical looks, her sense of mischief and fun drew her many fans and friends at the Shelbourne. In the hotel’s Lord Mayor’s Lounge, she held court, keeping her audience spellbound with stories of her former exciting and glamorous life.

During her battle with breast cancer in the late 1950s a wealthy American friend and admirer ensured her final months were spent in comfort at the Shelbourne Hotel, where she resided prior to her death in April 1958.

In honour of her memory and legacy, The Shelbourne will be naming one of its suites in her name.

Tickets for the concert are available online at https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/margaret-burke-sheridan-a-celebration-in-words-and-music-at-the-shelbourne-tickets-1057978565369?aff=Meta.